Work skills
Enhance your work skills without committing to full-time study.
Education & Development
Leadership and followership
Explore what makes a good leader, recognise common leadership challenges, and identify the skills you need to develop if you want to enhance your own leadership experience.
Money & Business
Effective communication in the workplace
Improve 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.
Money & Business
Exploring career mentoring and coaching
Explore what mentors and career coaches do and how a colleague or expert who can ask the right questions, challenge assumptions, and help an individual to find the best solutions for themselves, can make a significant difference in a wide range of situations and contexts.
Money & Business
Introduction to bookkeeping and accounting
Learn 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.
Digital & Computing
Introduction to cyber security: stay safe online
Protect your digital life with this free course introducing the essentials of cyber security. Learn how to spot online threats, keep your information safe and understand key topics like malware, network security and identity theft — helping you stay secure at home, at work, and beyond.
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level 1: introductory icon
Languages
Everyday English 1
Improve your essential speaking and listening, reading and writing skills for work, study and everyday life.
Money & Business
Working in teams
This course will help you consider your experience of working in teams and the different roles you play in them. It will increase your confidence in marketing this key skill to employers as well improve your ability to perform well in teams you are currently part of.
Science, Maths & Technology
Data analysis: visualisations in Excel
Evidence comes in the form of qualitative or quantitative data about the world around you. It is not always obvious, however, how to structure, aggregate, analyse or interpret the data to help you make decisions. In this free course, you will look at how to use data to make decisions in a systematic way using Microsoft Excel. Microsoft Excel ...
Digital & Computing
AI fluency
AI Fluency is a beginner-friendly learning path designed to build confidence and understanding in artificial intelligence. Through a series of practical sessions, learners explore AI fundamentals, generative AI, responsible AI principles, and the real world impact of AI across work, accessibility, and society. The course also introduces ...
Digital & Computing
Digital skills: succeeding in a digital world
Build 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.
Money & Business
Fundamentals of accounting
Learn about the essential numerical and double-entry skills required for accounting. This free course, Fundamentals of accounting, will explain the fundamental purpose and role of accounting as well as the double-entry rules that are the foundation of all financial records and reports in any modern business.
Money & Business
Developing career resilience
Do 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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At The Open University, we're pioneers of flexible learning that's respected by employers and affordable for you. That's why more than 170,000 students are studying with us right now.
Whatever subject you want to study, and whatever qualification you want, we've got the right course for you.
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