Most of the time, taking a certified course is an excellent way for students and job seekers to acquire new skills and add more value to their professional profile. However, many do not opt for them due to various concerns ranging from inconvenient schedules to exorbitant rates.
But what if we told you that today there is no shortage of short-term online professional courses with a certificate that covers a large number of disciplines (business, marketing leadership, hospitality, digital marketing, media, finance, etc.) available to you? FREE. OF-COST – or a small fee in some cases.
If true. And what's more, many of them have the backing of some of the most important names in quality education from India and abroad, which makes them even more credible and desirable for those seeking an additional qualification in their curriculum. .
Free online courses
So here is a close and personal look at some of the best options available to you, in case you planned to enroll in a free online certification course, but didn't know where to look.
1. Free certification courses in edX
EdX, a nonprofit online learning destination and MOOC provider, was founded by the acclaimed Harvard University and MIT in 2012. It offers a large number of high quality online courses from some of the world's best universities (IIM-Bangalore, MIT, Berkeley, Harvard) to people around the world.
It also offers a comprehensive selection of free certification courses (except for a small fee for a verified certificate), online and training programs covering topics such as;
- Business communication
- Public speaking
- Cyber security
- Data science
- Visual presentation
- International humanitarian law
- Budgets and finances for public libraries
- Supply chain management
- Network security
- Digital Product Management
To access the free certification courses currently available on edX, log on to www.edx.org – choose a course – then search for the Audit this course option.
2. Free basic Android courses on Udacity
Another well-known advocate of online learning and free digital education, Udacity's nanograduate programs are accessible to anyone on the planet, with a reliable Internet connection and a strong desire to learn.
Founded by former Stanford instructors, Sebastian Thrun and Peter Norvig, Udacity today offers a large number of programs covering artificial intelligence, blockchain, digital marketing, data analysis, deep learning, Google AdWords, machine learning and predictive analysis (for companies) .
It also offers a selection of free online courses as part of its basic Android Nano-degree programs (compatible with Google) with a duration of approx. Two weeks, for beginners. The list includes;
To learn more about the free course options available at @ Udacity, log in to udacity.com.
3. Free online certificate courses by Udemy
Udemy is a global market for e-learning and online teaching where students learn new skills and achieve their goals by learning from a broad portfolio of libraries of more than 80,000 courses taught by expert instructors from around the world.
The tutorials and online courses created by its group of academic experts are highly respected, well selected and regularly updated, which makes Udemy a popular online destination for students and professionals looking for free and affordable online courses, of all Industry sectors
A list of some of the free online courses available at @ Udemy would include;
- Android development (for beginners)
- Photography
- Android advanced programming
- Application development for beginners
- How to invest online
- Digital advertising
- Bitcoin for beginners
- How to start a recruitment agency at home.
- Grow your business using Twitter
- Python tutorial
- IOS design foundation
- Microsoft Excel Workbooks & Worksheets (Tips and Tricks)
To access and learn more about the options for free certificate courses at Udemy, log in to udemy.com.
4. Free online courses with certificate in Coursera
Coursera provides people with guaranteed access to state-of-the-art education by virtue of its links with the world's leading universities and organizations, to offer a large number of results-oriented online courses.
With flexible start dates, adjustable expiration dates and easy-to-use mobile applications, Coursera has created an intuitive learning experience designed to allow an individual teacher to master real-world skills relevant to his career from the beginning.
Most of the courses available here are free, although of short duration. The way it works is for a person to first select a course in which they may be interested and enroll at no cost.
If after a few days, the student wishes to complete the course and obtain a certificate, he is expected to pay for it. If not, you can continue until the end of the trial period and then you have to leave.
Again, Coursera offers a huge list of training courses and business-oriented certifications from the world's leading universities to choose from. These include;
- Genomic data science (John Hopkins University)
- English for Business and Entrepreneurship (University of Pennsylvania)
- Data analysis and presentation skills (PWC)
- International law in action: arbitration of international disputes (Universitiet Leiden)
- Massive class for corporate entrepreneurs (University of Maryland, College Park)
- Materials in oral health (University of Hong Kong)
- Social media marketing (University of Michigan)
- Content strategy for professionals (Northwestern University)
- 3D printing software (University of Illinois Campaign in Urbana)
To learn more about the various free online courses with certificates in Coursera, go to www.coursera.org.
5. Free online training courses on Skillshare
Skillshare is an online learning community that offers thousands (more than 16,000) classes in design, business, technology, writing, crafts and more. Anyone can join the millions of members of this online community to learn cutting-edge skills, establish contacts with their peers and discover new opportunities.
The teaching faculty here consists of leading designers, marketers, entrepreneurs, programmers and artists with years of rich experience in their respective fields. Surprisingly, it offers students access to all their online training courses, free of charge, for a period of two months.
However, it is necessary to share your credit card information to have free access, although the company declares that you will not be billed a rupee and can cancel it at any time you want. After the two month period, you can continue or cancel your subscription as you see fit.
Some of the free online training courses available on SkillShare include;
- Starting with email marketing
- Introduction to social media advertising
- Fundamentals of web design
- Introduction to UX – Basics of usability.
- SEO Today – Strategies to gain confidence, rank high and stand out.
- Blog Basics (FREE)
- Fundamentals of accounting: understanding of financial statements,
- InDesign CC Masterclass
- Introduction to aerial videography
- Essential UX / UI design elements
- How VLOG
- Introduction to hand-drawn animation.
6. Free courses on FutureLearn
Based in the United Kingdom, FutureLearn has changed the life of approx. 7, 5000,000+ students and professionals who work around the world by updating their knowledge and skills.
Exclusive property of The Open University, the company has partnered with 144 leading universities, cultural organizations and professional organizations to offer a selection of 247 high quality courses covering different specializations.
These include; Business and management, Creative arts and media, Nature and environment, Law, History, Technology and coding, Education, Health and psychology and Literature, among others.
In addition to the free courses, students also have the opportunity to specialize in individual subjects and / or obtain postgraduate degrees if they wish.
Some of the popular free course options offered here include;
- Fundamentals of human resources
- How to succeed in interviews
- Financial fundamentals: financial services after the banking crisis.
- Innovation: the food industry
- Introduction to Psychology
- Online learning: identity management
- People management skills
- How to start a business 1-6
- An introduction to script writing.
- Online English Teaching
For more details about the free courses available, log in to futurelearn.com.
7. Free online NPTEL courses
The National Technology Enhanced Learning Program (NPTEL) is a project that receives financial support from the Ministry of Human Resources Development of India.
This project provides e-learning through the Internet and video course in different fields such as Humanities, Management, Technology, Science and Engineering.
This is a joint initiative of the IISc, Bangalore and the Seven IITs in India. In addition, other first level institutions also act as associated partner institutions in this project. Here are some details about this project:
- It is a curriculum development exercise and is aimed at offering learning materials in science and engineering following the AICTE curriculum and the slightly modified curriculum of the main affiliated universities.
- This project offers video and online courses for students and teachers of institutions that teach postgraduate courses in the field of education.
- Each course offered for free in this project consists of almost 40 video conferences that last approximately one hour.
- An Internet-based discussion forum is also incorporated to allow students to post comments and review questions.
- Where necessary, self-assessment tasks, brochures and course assignments are integrated.
- In addition, workshops are held regularly for mentors, students and institutes.
8. CommLab India
The CommLab India company specializes in offering e-learning solutions and is dedicated to the development of e-learning through the Quick Creation Tools and here are some free courses that offer:
- An introduction to performance management.
- Change management: strategies to overcome resistance to change
- Effective sales skills: how to be a successful seller?
Like these, this institution offers many other free and paid online courses to help people who wish to improve in their career.
9. Cyberastro
If you are interested in astrology, you can enroll in a basic online astrology course offered free of charge by Cyberastro.com. The best thing about this course is that you don't need to have any previous knowledge about astrology to join. It extends for a period of four months and is completely free for registrants of this website.
While conducting a free online certification / graduation course is now a quality option that has been exploited by millions around the world, it really depends on each of us how, when and why we decided to follow that course. online.
It is always a preferred option to do it while looking for a diploma / academic degree or just before the start of the career, as it adds immense value to a candidate's profile.
All the student / professional needs to do is select the appropriate topic and platform, sign up for these free online courses and take the plunge.
