Up your skills with these free online learning platforms

Banking multiple skills is a must if you are a young, ambitious, up-and-coming professional looking to add value in the world of work.

While most recruiters tune into experience and years of service, some also look for skills and your ability to keep up with the ever-changing workplace.

As a young graduate, experience is not something you can show off on your curriculum vitae, but you can show off your love for learning and gaining new skills – and it’s totally free and available online.

Some online learning platforms, such as Google and LinkedIn, will accredit you with a certificate of participation once you complete all the modules.

Here are seven free online learning platforms to check out.

1. Google’s Digital Skills for Africa

You can do a fundamental digital marketing course comprising 26 learning modules, with a Google certificate on completion, or brush up on soft skills such as time management, and build confidence with self-promotion techniques, or even learn the basics of coding. The list is endless and the courses are free.

There’s a range of free learning content designed to help you grow your business skills or jump-start your career. There are individual modules, and you can learn at your own pace.

Here is the link: www.learndigital.withgoogle.com/digitalskills

2. Nemisa

The Department of Communications and Digital Technologies has partnered with online-based educational platform Coursera to offer free digital courses to young people. The National Electronic Media Institute of SA (Nemisa), a digital skills training institute entity of the department, will co-ordinate and facilitate the registration process for these courses. The free courses include data science, coding, app development, digital marketing and artificial intelligence. The duration of the courses is between four and eight weeks. Grade 12 is a desirable but not an essential requirement.

Here’s the link for registration: www.nemisa.co.za/recruitment

3. Coursera

Coursera offers free top-rated courses that can be completed within eight hours or less, and were among Coursera’s most completed courses last year. You can take a course for free and decide later whether or not you’ll pay for a certificate.

The range of courses differs from Google and are from international universities. The courses include psychological first aid, from John Hopkins University, introduction to food and health, from Stanford University, and introduction to international criminal law, from Case Western Reserve University.

Here is the link: www.coursera.org

4. Adobe Photoshop for beginners

A basic tutorial for beginners about the fundamentals of Adobe Photoshop with easy-to-follow practical examples. You will learn how to set up your work environment and perform the various editing functions that the program offers. The tutorial’s duration is 14 hours, and it consists of 26 modules.

Here is the link: www.adobeknowhow.com/courselanding/beginners-adobe-photoshop

5. Advanced SEO tactics and strategy - Udemy

With this course, you will learn a lot about search engine optimisation, as well as gain an understanding of some of the deeper concepts and strategies. The content is digestible for all levels of knowledge, and is one-hour long and consists of seven lessons.

Here is the link: www.udemy.com/advanced-seo-tactics-and-strategy/

6. Introduction to public speaking - edX

This 10-lesson course is designed by the University of Washington, and aims to help you become a more effective and confident public speaker.

Whether you want to brush up on your presentation skills and communication or take up public relations – this would be a great start.

The course is between 30 and 50 hours and will help you learn to design and deliver basic arguments, informative presentations, and persuasive and complex arguments.

Here is the link: www.edx.org/course/introduction-to-public-speaking-2

7. How to build a start-up - Udacity

You will learn the basics of the customer development process by Silicon Valley serial entrepreneur Steve Blank. The tutorial will provide insight into the key steps to building a successful start-up, ranging from gathering and evaluating customer feedback to calculating the direct and indirect costs for delivering your product. It is an intermediate course of 24 hours and consists of eight lessons.

Here is the link: www.udacity.com/course/how-to-build-a-startup--ep245