Across OpenLearn you will find around 900
free courses, much of which has been created to support people seeking to improve
their employability, which makes it the perfect resource to support you during
your Work-Based Learning Roadshows. The animation below explains more about us and the
benefits of enrolling on our free courses.
Transcript
(33.2 KB)
All our courses provide a statement of participation when completed, and a growing number include a digital badge, which can provide significant benefits in demonstrating your learning to employers, or prospective employers. You can share these badges via LinkedIn, or to your CV, and use them to demonstrate continuing professional development (CPD), highly valued by employers. This article explains how to make the most of your digital badges.
To help you quickly get to grips with what OpenLearn has to offer, we’ve picked some free courses in some key employability subjects, including some of the aforementioned badged courses. In addition our Work Skills collection has around 150 items to explore, and you’ll also find further courses and content across the site, designed to support people outside of work, covering health and wellbeing, finance and other valuable topics.
Management
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Managing and managing people
Learn more to access more details of Managing and managing peopleThis free course, Managing and managing people, will introduce you to the world of management. We will be looking at a range of topics, including what managers do, what skills they require, and how you can develop as a manager.
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Understanding management: I'm managing thank you!
Learn more to access more details of Understanding management: I'm managing thank you!This free course, Understanding management: I'm managing thank you! provides you with a set of ideas for developing your approach to managing your own work what we might call self-management. In order to do this, we will examine some of the key processes of management decision making, such as allocating time, staff, physical and financial ...
Communication
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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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Talk the talk
Learn more to access more details of Talk the talkThis free course introduces the mechanics of effective, persuasive oral presentations, by giving you the opportunity to analyse examples and then create your own. Using resources such as TED Talk videos, you will see how experts deliver professional talks and famous speeches, observe what works, and identify how language connects ideas and keeps...
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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 ...
Employability Skills
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Project management: the start of the project journey
Learn more to access more details of Project management: the start of the project journeyThis course introduces projects, what they are, how they come about, responses to problems and planning. It explores the role of key players including the project manager, feasibility studies, decision making and project life cycles.
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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.
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Commercial awareness
Learn more to access more details of Commercial awarenessBoost your commercial awareness with this free short course. Explore your organisation’s purpose, understand your role within it, and learn how different perspectives can enhance the value you create.
Teamwork
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How teams work
Learn more to access more details of How teams workThis free course, How teams work, provides an introduction to working in virtual project teams by explaining terms and concepts related to teams and to projects. The complexity of the interaction of people and technology is highlighted.
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Groups and teamwork
Learn more to access more details of Groups and teamworkAre you always the quiet one when it comes to group discussion? This free course, Groups and teamwork, will help you improve your working relationships with other people in groups of three or more. The course also deals with project life cycles, project management and the role of the leader.
Mentoring and Coaching
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Workplace learning with coaching and mentoring
Learn more to access more details of Workplace learning with coaching and mentoringIn this free course, Workplace learning with coaching and mentoring, you will consider theoretical and practical issues in planning and managing learning and talent development programmes in your organisation. You will also explore ideas about coaching and mentoring; both are prominent learning and development tools in contemporary ...
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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,...
Entrepreneur and Freelance
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Entrepreneurship – from ideas to reality
Learn more to access more details of Entrepreneurship – from ideas to realityTurn your business ideas into reality with this free course on entrepreneurship. Explore practical steps for starting and growing a business, from developing ideas and choosing a business model to funding, location, and assessing your own skills and risk approach — all illustrated with real-life case studies.
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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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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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