10 of the Best Free Online Courses for Lockdown Learning

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With the announcement that the Government’s furlough scheme has been extended to October, you might be wondering how you can keep your synapses sharp whilst you’re at home.

As part of their Key Worker Nation Report, money.co.uk have put together the best online training courses to help you upskill during lockdown, and they’re all completely free.

From bookkeeping to coding, here is a sample of the free courses to take if you’re looking to upskill during lockdown:

Preparing to Work in Adult Social Care

The Key Worker Nation Report revealed a 144% increase in online searches for Care worker roles during lockdown. So, if you’re exploring a new career path, Free Courses In England have launched an online course that prepares you for working in Adult social care. 

The virtual learning portal allows you to learn how to handle hazardous substances and medication, further your personal and professional development, all at a time that suits you. Your hard work won’t go rewarded, you’ll achieve a nationally-recognised Level 2 qualification in adult social care to share with potential employers. Start your care worker career here: https://freecoursesinengland.co.uk/preparing-to-work-in-adult-social-care

Digital Marketing

Master the basics of digital marketing with Google’s free online course, and watch your business or career grow. Google has launched a self-paced learning course, loaded with key marketing skills that you can advance while in lockdown. You’ll learn how to collect and analyse data, how to grow brand awareness and how to develop the most effective SEO plan. 

There are 26 modules to explore, with over 40 hours of learning time – all created by a team of Google experts, and full of practical exercises and real-world experiences to help you upskill while self-isolating. Explore digital marketing, in the online course here: https://learndigital.withgoogle.com/digitalgarage/course/digital-marketing

Crafting Skills

Venture into the creative world of crafting and learn from industry experts with Yodomo’s free online courses. From crocheting a rainbow cushion to building a wooden planter, the team at Yodomo have rustled together a selection of things to inspire your creativity while at home!

Through step-by-step instructions, you’ll create handcrafted items for your house, garden and even gifts for others. Yodomo offers everything from drawing, to woodwork to paper crafting – the perfect COVID distraction. So master your craft, your passion or something new with these online courses here. 

Photography & Video

Kick start your new career in the creative field of photography during lockdown, with Nikon’s free online courses. Take part in 10 virtual photography classes with industry experts, to stay inspired, engaged and keep growing while self-isolating. 

Get into the creative mindset with Kitty Peters, as she shows you simple ways to create a storytelling video – perfect for vlogging! She’ll guide you through the inner workings of video content creation, from camera movements to creative tips and tricks. 

Fancy a new career in lifestyle photography? Then learn the basics from Nikon Ambassador Tamara Lackey in her online class. You’ll learn how to get genuine expressions from both children and pets, how to create natural poses and basic photography skills. Check out the selection of free online courses here: www.nikonevents.com/us/live/nikon-school-online 

Online Cooking School

From the Art of Kitchen Improv to Some Like it Hot, MilkStreet online cooking school has rustled together a selection of free online courses, jam-packed full of key kitchen skills that you can advance during lockdown. You’ll learn fresh approaches to creating robust satisfying meals and learn to transform your home cooking using herbs and spices. 

Advance your culinary skills through guided, concise lessons at your own pace, in the comfort of your own kitchen. Detailed video tutorials and step by step imagery walk you through recipes, ingredients and equipment used to achieve great cooking. MilkStreet school allows you to practise what you learn with online quizzes and cooking challenges. Start your culinary adventure here: www.177milkstreet.com/school/classes/online-classes

Simple Coding

Have you ever wanted to learn simple coding and the basics of what it entails? Dr Michel Wermelinger of the Open University has launched an introductory course that introduces you to the skills, concepts and jargon of coding. 

From completing this course you should be able to use programming language Python to produce code, understand the sequences of instructions in Python programmes and understand repetition in Python programming language. 

OpenLearn allows you to track your progress and access a range of course quizzes to challenge your knowledge. Check out the coding course here, or explore other free learning subjects here

Creating Online Content

Do you have digital skills, and want to build confidence using digital technology in the workplace? The University of Leeds has put together an online course on How to Create Great Online Content, so you can discover what makes online content a success and learn how to make content engaging. 

Meg Pickard digital content expert will guide you through the exploration and development of content creation. You’ll learn the value of delivering the right message to the right audience, and how to produce content with high importance of tone, style and format. 

Industry professionals will demonstrate how they put their content plans into action, and how they approach content creation on a variety of different platforms – all to help you build a successful career today. So, if your student or someone wants to improve their career prospects, the content creation course is here

Basics Of Bookkeeping

Now is the perfect time to learn new skills to help with your own professional growth – if you have a small business or entering into the career of bookkeeping, then Highbrow is offering a free online course where you’ll learn the basics of bookkeeping and how to read your financial statements. 

The course is staged in a 10 lesson plan, you’ll receive one lesson per day for 10 consecutive days. Lessons take just 5 minutes to read, and a fun knowledge-testing quiz follows each course.

Start your bookkeeping career or develop your existing skills with the Basics of Bookkeeping online course here. Or explore Highbrows range of free online courses, ranging from languages to writing here

Software Development

Prepare for life after lockdown with Educative’s Software Development online course. Unsure what your next step is after lockdown is lifted, but you know you want a change in career? Software developing is one of the most lucrative and future-proof industries, making it an ideal career change for you. 

Educative offers you the opportunity to become a software engineer from scratch, in the comfort of your own home and at your own pace! Each course is filled with pre-configured coding environments so you can practise as you learn. Start your software development here

Dog Grooming

Has life in lockdown influenced a complete change in career? Online career development site Alison has introduced a free course in Dog Grooming, where students will be rewarded with a diploma. You’ll be introduced to all aspects of pet grooming, from dealing with the nature of dogs to their basic health and how to maintain them. 

There are 18 modules to complete, with 74 topics to explore, followed by a course assessment created by industry experts. So if you’re wishing to learn more about caring for dogs, studying animal care or looking to enter into the industry as an employee or small business owner, the course is here. Alison offers a range of free courses from IT to marketing, explore more here.