Where can I find free online courses?

Are you looking to learn a new skill or change your career? There are plenty of online learning resources where you can learn for free.

1. National Careers Service  

National Careers Service is a government resource that provides online learning under their ‘Skills Toolkit’. You can learn skills that apply to every sector, or you can take a course designed for a specific industry. Subjects covered are:  

• practical maths 
• computer essentials  
• personal growth and well-being  
• professional development  
• business and finance  
• digital design and marketing  
• computer science  
• coding. 

Some subjects have more courses available than others. Computer science has the most online learning with 19 courses available.  

Under each of these course titles you’ll find a brief overview that explains: 

• what you’ll learn 
• whether you’ll get a certificate 
• how long it’ll take to complete 
• the type of study 
• what jobs the course could lead to.  

Courses range from 25 minutes to 48 hours in length.  

2. Free Courses Online  

Free Courses Online - funded by the UK government - provides access to over 50 free different courses.  

By selecting the ‘Course Finder’ button on their home page, you’ll be prompted to answer a few questions. After you answer these questions, they’ll send you a list of the courses that are suitable for you.   

Here you’ll find courses that fall under the following categories:  

• mental health  
• business 
• health and social care  
• digital.  

 All these courses are done online. Most courses take six weeks to complete - apart from the Mental Health First Aid course, which only takes 3 weeks. 

When you complete a course, you’ll receive a nationally recognized qualification.  

3. Reed  

Reed is an online platform that advertises over 180 free online courses. You can also find discounted courses from different universities.  

They have a broad range of courses available for many different sectors. A few examples of courses on offer are: 

• HR fundamentals  
• nutrition  
• forensic psychology  
• caring for children  
• end of life care  
• cleaning principles.

Most courses range between three and 10 weeks long.  You’ll also be able to see if tutor support is included and if you get a certificate at the end.  

Other online resources   

You're not just limited to these three sites. Other resources where you can do free online learning are:   

• Coursera – partners with universities such as Imperial College London and offer over 3000 free courses on a wide range of subjects.  
• EdX – partners with universities such as Harvard and MIT and offer over 2500 free courses on a wide range of subjects.  
• Udemy – has over 100,000 available and a large number of those are free.  
• LinkedIn – if you're a subscriber you’ll have access to LinkedIn’s online learning platform which offers a wide selection of short courses.  

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