40 Platforms For Free Online Courses and Certificates
Take free online courses to up-skill yourself and earn free certificates to demonstrate your continuous learning effort
Companies are accelerating their digital transformation by adopting cloud computing, the internet of things, machine learning, and automation, etc. As the result, many existing tasks and occupations will be replaced by machines in the future. This upcoming phenomenon will change the skills required by future jobs. According to a survey conducted by the World Economic Forum, 94% of business leaders expect employees to acquire new skills. Therefore, it is crucial for one to up-skill to remain employable.
This list is curated to help you find free online courses offered by various online learning providers. Thus, you can gain a new skill without a cost. These online learning platforms are being categorized into 3 main groups by subjects:
1. Free for a limited time
2. Free courses without free certificates
3. Free courses that give free certificates upon course completion
Free For Limited Time
General
· LinkedIn Learning — 1-month trial
Technology & Data Science
· Pluralsight — 10-day trial
· Treehouse — 7-day trial
· SoloLearn — 14-day trial
Design
· SkillShare — 7-day trial
Free Courses Without Free Certificates
General
· Coursera — Enroll with the audit option
· edX — Enroll in the free audit track
· Udemy — Filter free courses
· Alison — Register with the free access account
· Stanford Online — Under “Programs”, click “Free Courses”
· MIT OpenCourseWare — Publishes Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s course content
· Open Yale Courses — Publishes Yale University’s introductory courses
· JHSPH OpenCourseWare — Publishes JHSPH’s public health courses
Technology & Data Science
· Udacity — Under “Programs”, click “Full Catalog” -> Under “Price”, select “Free”
· Element of AI — Choose “Introduction to AI” course
· Codecademy — Register with the “Basic” plan
· OpenClassroom — Under “Training programs”, click “Free-access courses”
· W3Schools.com — Provides programming tutorials, references, and exercises
· DataCamp — Register with the free personal plan
· Microsoft Learn — Provides guided training for Microsoft products
Business & Marketing
· Shopify Compass — Learn how to start and scale online business
· Facebook Blueprint — Provides courses about Facebook and Instagram advertising solutions
Design & Music
· Kadenze — Join with the free tier membership
· Envato Tuts+ — Under “Courses”, click on “Free Courses”
· Canva Design School — Learn how to use Canva to make designs
Occasionally, some platforms offer conditional promotions that allow individuals to learn and gain a certificate for free. If you are interested in certain courses and platforms, you can sign up for their newsletters and may get a chance to receive such promotions’ updates.
Free Courses That Give Free Certificates Upon Course Completion
General
· FutureLearn — Choose courses with the “free digital upgrades” subscription
· OpenLearn — Provides statement of participation
· Saylor Academy — Besides offering free courses and certificates of completion, Saylor Academy enables one to earn tuition-free college credits that are recognized and accepted by its partner schools.
Technology & Data Science
· Cognitive Class — An IBM initiative that offers cloud computing, big data, data science, artificial intelligence, and blockchain courses.
· freeCodeCamp — Focuses on programming training
· openSAP — Choose current courses to earn free certificates
· MongoDB University — Provides proof of completion
Marketing
· Google Digital Garage — Provides the Fundamentals of Digital Marketing certification
· HubSpot Academy — Click “Courses” in the menu -> Toggle “Show only certificates” to turn on the filter
· SEMrush Academy — Provides backlink management, technical SEO, pay-per-click, social media marketing, content marketing courses
· Google Skillshop — Learn various Google tools such as Google Ad
· Microsoft Advertising Certified Professional — Learn about Microsoft Advertising solution
· Twitter Flight School — Provides training for one to become familiar with advertising on Twitter
Design
· Visme — Learn how to make a presentation with Visme
· Piktochart Academy — Learn how to use Piktochart to create a visual narrative
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