
These free courses and helpful articles have been curated by RFS Career Academy in partnership with OpenLearn, the free learning website from The Open University (OU).
All the content has been written by academics from The OU and can be used to enhance your work skills, apply for a new job or a change in career.
The courses are available immediately and you can work through them at your own pace - plus if you sign up you can track your progress and receive a free Statement of Participation or a digital badge (if the course offers one).
Take a look at the options below to get started.
Communication, relationships and teamwork skills
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Diversity and inclusion in the workplace
Learn more to access more details of Diversity and inclusion in the workplaceDo you feel concerned about a lack of diversity in your workplace? Is this something you want to address? Perhaps you’d like to feel more informed on a personal level before taking it further organisationally? This free course introduces you to the benefits and complexities of developing and supporting a diverse and inclusive workforce. It ...
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Effective communication in the workplace
Learn more to access more details of Effective communication in the workplaceImprove your workplace relationships and boost your professional impact with this free course on effective communication. Discover how to express yourself clearly, understand others better, and adapt your communication skills for a range of situations, from everyday conversations to the digital workplaces of the future.
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Managing Relationships and Work
Read now to access more details of Managing Relationships and WorkThe Managing Relationships theme within the Applying Psychology to Work hub has been designed to help you understand your workplace relationships. It provides you with skills, tools, resources and short courses to manage and maintain healthy and sustaining professional relationships with your colleagues.
Free courses on voluntary work and interships
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Using voluntary work to get ahead in the job market
Learn more to access more details of Using voluntary work to get ahead in the job marketThis free course, Using voluntary work to get ahead in the job market, explores how engaging in voluntary work can enhance your employment opportunities
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Working in the voluntary sector
Learn more to access more details of Working in the voluntary sectorThis free online course, Working in the voluntary sector, will introduce you to some of the main activities carried out by volunteers and staff, will give you some background on how different organisations work and will provide you with knowledge and skills you can apply to your own work or volunteering, as well as to your every day life.
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Internships and other work experiences
Learn more to access more details of Internships and other work experiencesIn this free course, Internships and other work experiences, you’ll begin by learning more about what an internship is and how it might differ from other forms of work experience. You’ll find out what you can gain personally and professionally, and consider the practicalities of obtaining work experience, from how to choose what’s right for you,...
Study skills
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Study skills: one-minute tips
Watch now to access more details of Study skills: one-minute tipsCheck out our series of one-minute animations exploring revision tips, beating procrastination, what’s involved in a remote exam and other study skills.
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Succeed with learning
Learn more to access more details of Succeed with learningThis course is for people who want to feel more confident about their learning skills. Informal in approach, the course builds on each person's own qualities, knowledge and skills to develop a deeper understanding of the nature of learning and of their own potential. It introduces some core ideas about learning and academic study, and some ...
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Essay and report writing skills
Learn more to access more details of Essay and report writing skillsWriting reports and assignments can be a daunting prospect. Learn how to interpret questions and how to plan, structure and write your assignment or report. This free course, Essay and report writing skills, is designed to help you develop the skills you need to write effectively for academic purposes.
Free courses on digital skills
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Marketing communications in the digital age
Learn more to access more details of Marketing communications in the digital ageThe influence and impact of marketing can be seen all around. For instance, you may find marketing communications being used to promote various brands, increase charitable donations, persuade toddlers to eat their vegetables, or encourage teenagers to behave responsibly around alcohol. In this digital era, if you use social media to portray a ...
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Presenting information
Learn more to access more details of Presenting informationTables and charts are a great way to present numerical information in a clear and concise form. This free course, Presenting information, explains how to use the Windows calculator to carry out basic operations and calculate percentages. You will then learn how to use charts and tables to represent and interpret information.
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Digital thinking tools for better decision making
Learn more to access more details of Digital thinking tools for better decision makingEver since the very beginning of humanity, tools have played a pivotal role in who we are and what we do. Tools for recording, processing and communicating information have a time-honoured history – from the clay tokens used in Mesopotamia to mechanical calculating machines. The invention of the digital computer has boosted the scale, speed and ...
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Gamified Intelligent Cyber Aptitude and Skills Training (GICAST)
Learn more to access more details of Gamified Intelligent Cyber Aptitude and Skills Training (GICAST)This free course, Gamified Intelligent Cyber Aptitude and Skills Training (GICAST), will help you to understand online security and start to protect your digital life, whether at home or work. You will learn how to recognise the threats that could harm you online and the steps you can take to reduce the chances that they will happen to you.
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Is your next career move in cyber security?
Read now to access more details of Is your next career move in cyber security?Grab your opportunity to move into the rapidly growing cyber security industry.
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Introducing ICT systems
Learn more to access more details of Introducing ICT systemsInformation and communication technologies (ICTs) systems now dominate our everyday lives. This free course, Introducing ICT systems, will explain what constitutes such a system and how ICT systems work. You will also look at how ICT systems convey, store and manipulate data, and how they process data. Finally you will learn how these systems ...
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Digital skills: succeeding in a digital world
Learn more to access more details of Digital skills: succeeding in a digital worldBuild your confidence online with this free course designed to help you thrive in the digital world. Explore key skills such as managing your digital identity, staying safe, finding reliable information, and maintaining digital well-being — all while developing a critical, reflective approach to life online.
Soft skills
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Developing career resilience
Learn more to access more details of Developing career resilienceDo you sometimes wish you were more resilient when faced with changes at work? Do you have career plans but feel unsure about progressing with them? If you do, then this free course, Developing career resilience, will help you to build your resilience and approach career-related change with greater confidence and motivation.
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Personal branding for career success
Learn more to access more details of Personal branding for career successStand out for the right reasons with this free course on personal branding. Learn how to identify your strengths, showcase your skills authentically, and use the right tools to build a professional image that attracts opportunities - whether you’re advancing in your current role or seeking something new.
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Soft skills training
Read now to access more details of Soft skills trainingLearn to recognise the importance of soft skills and how you can improve skills in yourself and your organisation, with free courses from OpenLearn, endorsed by Google.
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Succeed in the workplace
Learn more to access more details of Succeed in the workplaceDo you want to change jobs, are you just starting in the job market or may be returning after a break? If so, then this free course, Succeed in the workplace, is for you. It will help you explore career opportunities. You will also gain the skills to write strong CVs and application forms, and to handle different types of interviews. By the end ...
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How to write a CV
Read now to access more details of How to write a CVA CV (curriculum vitae) is a brief account of your education, qualifications, skills and work-based experience, used mainly when applying for a job. Your CV is your first opportunity to tell an employer what you can do. A well written CV can make the difference between getting an interview and not being considered for the role.
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Success in Interviews - How to Use Psychology to Gain that Job!
Read now to access more details of Success in Interviews - How to Use Psychology to Gain that Job!Interviews can feel very daunting, especially if it has been a while since your last one, or the job is one you are really excited about. There are ways to help overcome nerves and anxiousness, ensuring that you present your strengths in the best, and most confident way possible.
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Identifying Values – Finding the Things that Matter the Most to You for the Way You Live and Work
Read now to access more details of Identifying Values – Finding the Things that Matter the Most to You for the Way You Live and WorkValues are things that matter the most to you for the way you live and work. This article should help you to identify which ones are most important to you.
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Step up to leadership
Learn more to access more details of Step up to leadershipThis free course is one in a series focusing on leadership, decision-making and communication in the context of policing with the community. This particular course focuses on the challenge of leadership and leading change in an ever-changing policing context. It provides insights to help individuals become more effective leaders of teams ...
Career-specific free courses
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Introduction to bookkeeping and accounting
Learn more to access more details of Introduction to bookkeeping and accountingLearn about the essential numerical skills required for accounting and bookkeeping. This free course, Introduction to bookkeeping and accounting, explains the fundamental rules of double-entry bookkeeping and how they are used to produce the balance sheet and the profit and loss account.
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Developing your skills as an HR professional
Learn more to access more details of Developing your skills as an HR professionalThis free course, Developing your skills as an HR professional, will help you to develop some of the skills you will need to be effective as an HR professional. You will practise learning reflectively and you will also develop the skills of organising yourself, managing time and stress, and working in teams or groups.
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Project governance and Project Management Office (PMO)
Learn more to access more details of Project governance and Project Management Office (PMO)Whether a project is large or small, innovative or similar to other projects, governance and administrative support will be needed. The type of governance, and level of support, will vary considerably between projects of different types and complexity. This course, Project governance and Project Management Office (PMO), considers project ...
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A freelance career in the creative arts
Learn more to access more details of A freelance career in the creative artsA freelance career in the creative arts is a free badged course which lasts 8 weeks, with approximately 3 hours’ study time each week. You can work through the course at your own pace, so if you have more time one week, there’s nothing to stop you pushing on and completing another week’s study. This course has a specific focus on the ...
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Understanding your customers
Learn more to access more details of Understanding your customersThis free course, Understanding your customers, is a short introduction to understanding customers. The course underlines the relevance of understanding customers as individuals, members of society and members of organisations. It clarifies some key marketing concepts and terminology and highlights some differences between consumer and ...
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Transitioning from home education to employment
Read now to access more details of Transitioning from home education to employmentUnderstanding the experiences of previously home-educated adults.
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Developing high trust work relationships
Learn more to access more details of Developing high trust work relationshipsLearn about trust in the organisational context. This free course, Developing high trust work relationships, introduces the concept of trust, what it means to you and how it may affect your organisation.
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