Online Personal Development Courses & Certifications

English for Journalists, Part 1 programme by edX is an English language development instruction course. It focuses on journalism students and professional journalists interested in improving their English proficiency. It is also useful for students aspiring to study journalism and build a career in this field. It is a programme with a duration of five weeks.

English for Journalists, Part 1 online course covers important topics useful to journalists across the globe. These include topics such as ethics in journalism, the job of a journalist, citizen journalism, local vs global journalism, and inclusive journalism. The U.S Department of State has sponsored this programme.

Moreover, English for Journalists, Part 1 certification is offered by UC Berkeley as a part of the U.S Department of State’s MOOC Camp. It has been created in partnership with the Voice of America, Regional English Language Office in Central and South-eastern Europe, and English language educators across Eastern and Central Europe. This programme also offers a certificate upon completion, containing the university logo and instructor’s signature.

The Construction Ethics and Compliance certification is a 5 weeks course that is curated by the joint efforts of FutureLearn, and the Chartered Institute of Building Academy. This course falls under the Business, and Management category, and The CPD Certification Services gives accreditation to it. 

There are many large construction firms that have faced innumerable fines for breaching ethics due to cases of bribery, and collusion. This CIOB Construction Ethics and Compliance training tell the candidates how they can stay ethical in construction industries. Ethics is nothing but a moral set of values that define a person’s character and behavior so it is important for both the individual and the organization.

This free online course is owned by CIOB which is the world's largest construction management professional body since the year 1834. So, the construction Ethics and Compliance certification syllabus is the guiding light for students who want to understand what role is played by compliance in the construction industry.

The Stand Up!; Comedy Writing and Performance Poetry Certification Course is an open online course dealing with comedy writing and communication expertise required for performing a stand-up comedy set. The self-paced course is part of the University of Cambridge’s MicroMasters program in Writing for Performance and Entertainment Industries.

The Stand Up!; Comedy Writing and Performance Poetry Training Course is taught over 4 weeks under the direction of Abigail Docherty, Institute of Continuing Education, University of Cambridge. The course will enable students to develop their creative writing skills and comical content writing skills for standup comedy or performance poetry. 

The Stand Up!; Comedy Writing and Performance Poetry Online Course is suitable for learners who wish to explore their skills in the field of comedy and poetry and those who wish to master the skills required for interactive live performances. Learners who complete the course will receive a shareable certificate if they have chosen the verified track by paying the fee. The students can also join the programme for free and get a limited duration of access. 

Success requires knowledge and know-how of functions, domains, people, technology, and processes. The Language of Leaders: Learn to Speak with Confidence online course will teach you all that and help you become a powerful communicator.

Through the course, you'll learn to touch the aspirations and emotions of people you speak with. You will learn the language of leaders and how to speak with great confidence. Also, the course will cover how to make your speeches impactful and enhance eloquence.

The Language of Leaders: Learn to Speak with Confidence by edX will be taught by Swati Sengupta, a faculty member of the State Bank of India. Besides, it is an introductory course in communication and runs for 4 weeks. You can complete the course by devoting 1-3 hours per week.

The Language of Leaders: Learn to Speak with Confidence is a certification programme. It is self-paced and offers two enrolment options: free auditing and paid benefits.

We live in a complex, uncertain, and ever-changing world. As such, we need to develop a decision-making approach that helps us discern the real problems and identify their causes. And to do that, we need to challenge the assumptions, upon which we base our judgements. You can learn how to do all that and more with the Critical Thinking online course by edX.

In the Critical Thinking training programme, you will learn about the assumptions, approximations, and tendencies, upon which you base your decisions. You will also be encouraged to reflect upon the conditions and outcomes of your way of thinking. 

The skills you will develop with this course find application in various areas, especially in business, because decisions related to strategy, problems within the organisations, CSR, etc. all require critical thinking. 

The Critical Thinking certification course is a four-week, introductory-level course. It is also a part of the Tecnológico de Monterrey’s Humanities and Soft Skills MicroMasters programme. You can pursue the course free of cost or by paying the prescribed fee. In the free mode, the learners will have limited access to the programme. 

The Beauty Therapy Training Course deals with the aspects of beauty therapy such as skincare, makeup, body treatments, etc. The course is available for all interested students who want to get an understanding of beauty therapy through practical as well as theoretical knowledge. The course is thoroughly taught in the online mode. Students can stay at their homes and study whenever they want as it is also a self-paced course. 

The Beauty Therapy Training Course also facilitates learning at zero cost with all the study materials provided to the candidates by the provider. The name of the providing platform is Upskillist  which has associated itself with the Austin Peay University, Tennessee for the programme. The Professional Diploma in Beauty Therapy programme helps the students at all levels- undergraduate as well as postgraduate. Upon the successful completion of the course, students can achieve a certificate which can help them in their professional life. 

The curriculum of the course does not beat around the bush and focuses on the to-the-point information. The programme contains only eight lessons or one module which makes it easy for the students to understand the main aspects of beauty therapy.

The career management for early-career academic researchers online course is provided by FutureLearn which is an online education platform and developed by the University of Glasgow, the University of Edinburgh, and the University of Sheffield. This course on career management is scheduled for a period of four weeks with three study hours per week and the learners can study at their own convenience. 

Future career decision-making is made easier for the early career researchers and the academic career researchers by analysing the values, motivation, and interests of the academic researchers using the insights provided in the online training sessions. The learners will explore their career options in the academic arena and the other professional job markets. An understanding of the questions of  ‘what one wants from a career and ‘what kind of career will suit depending on the skills possessed’ is gained through the course of instruction in the ‘Career Management for Early Career Academic Researchers' certification course.

It builds the confidence and grit in oneself to perform desirable in interviews and in the application procedures while seeking jobs while studying about how employers refer to the skillset and values earned by the researchers throughout their education. 

The Career Management for Early Career Academic Researchers online certification course is learned along with experts from the field who include Sharon Maguire (Careers consultant - University of Edinburgh), Katrina Gardner(Career guidance expert - University of Glasgow), and Rachael Roberts (Careers consultant - University of Sheffield). Through the weeks the candidates will explore topics like Individual influences on career decisions, career options, progress in an academic career and finally preparing for the job application process.

Digital Skills: Embracing Digital Technology certification is a 4 weeks course which is online and is certified by FutureLearn. The course is prepared by the King's College London and is supported by UK Aid. This course will make the candidate’s work, life, and study easier by using digital technologies.

With the Digital Skills: Embracing Digital Technology certification syllabus, the candidates will get ideas about the various digital email and messaging social media tools for communicating and searching that is important for the several creative possibilities. They will be able to develop skills related to digital technology and understand how exactly they can be safe online, and ways in which they can build a better image of themselves online.

Digital Skills: Embracing Digital Technology training is created as part and parcel of the PADILEIA project, whose main aim is to make higher education and employment accessible especially to displaced people and the communities.

Problem-solving skills are essential in the present world. More often than not, traditional methods are not enough to solve creative hindrances. The Using Creative Problem-Solving course by Future Learn will help you discover how unique approaches to problem-solving and creative thinking can assist you in your daily life and improve your workplace reputation. Candidates who participate in this programme will explore creative problem-solving and learn the essential skills that will boost their capacity to think out-of-the-box.

The Using Creative Problem-Solving online programme aims to teach the candidates through practical learning methods. There will be an interactive map called ZeeMaps which they will use to build up an international learner’s community. The candidates will also be invited to post their creative projects on Padlet. This is an online virtual bulletin board which they can use for collaborations, interactions and sharing links and pictures.

Additionally, the Using Creative Problem-Solving course is taught by Sirirat Lim, a top instructor and a University of Cambridge graduate. The course duration is four weeks, with classes every week for three hours. This is an online training and students can undertake it, completely free of cost.

While applying for any new job requires efficient skills and tremendous knowledge in a particular field. The Soft Skills programme is well-designed to introduce candidates with the professional skills that prepare them to apply for a better job profile. Everyone wants to be successful and seek effective ways to accomplish their goals. The essential soft skills include emotional intelligence, social skills, communication, and conflict resolution skills that help candidates to interact with people around them efficiently. 

The soft skills module will mainly focus on offering practice sessions to candidates so that they can invent and build a strong career profile. A command of essential soft skills can help participants integrate with co-workers, display the efficient skills required to perform job tasks, and influence their job interviews in the first place. By learning self-awareness and presentation skills, candidates become capable of applying for a good job profile. They can ensure that advanced technology would not replace them in their job role. 

This course is to help candidates learn about how to tackle situations when they are about to start working in a dynamic workplace. Learners don’t easily get to learn these skills in their educational institute but this Workplace Communication course will help them gain all the skills and knowledge required such as presentation skills, teamwork, communication with peers, managerial skills, professional conduct, appropriate use of social media and email.

This course focuses on helping participants to enhance their skills to perform and respond better. This course also leads to self-development and grooming. It also helps learners to adjust in a dynamic atmosphere.

IITBombayXHonorcode has brought up this Workplace Communication course to bring change and ease in the behaviour of participants. With proper skills and training through this course, candidates can easily gain an idea and learn through the insights of the corporate industry. This is a great course especially for the learners who are seeking jobs after their graduation. After this course completion, they can easily access various job opportunities.

Communication is critical for a professional in any domain. However, what sets one apart, is communicating seamlessly in a diverse setting, with people from various backgrounds, thus ensuring a seamless interaction. 

The online Communicating with Diverse Audiences programme imparts learning in this sphere exactly, enabling aspirants to master barrier-less communication, no matter what the situation. 

FutureLearn offers the Communicating with Diverse Audiences training course in collaboration with the CPD Certification Service. Hence, learners undertake a programme that conforms to continuing the professional development principles and become certified professionals in the process. 

The course curriculum covers essential topics of this domain, including the role of language and culture in communication, unconscious and language bias, how language establishes interpersonal relationships, and more. 

Other than the course content, students will avail an array of benefits as well. The Communicating with Diverse Audiences certificate programme offers a 100% online training, a short duration of four weeks, a chance to earn a digital certificate, and more. Learners can also preview a couple of the course steps to understand what the programme is about before they join.

The Creative Writing Classes Online is a 4 weeks program offered by course provider Upskillist. The course introduces the basic elements and concepts of creative writing which include character, research, setting, and dialogue. The course covers archetypes of the main character, the basics of the hero's journey, and various trades and tools needed to write a story professionally.

The Creative Writing Classes Online training covers an overview of research work and various things to be considered prior to research. The course teaches various methodologies of research and types of sources along with the understanding of integrating the research into the fiction stories.

The Creative Writing Classes Online syllabus focuses on the development of character, basic concepts of crafting a character. The course teaches tricks and tips to create a character by keeping modern audiences in priority. The course explores various genres of fiction and writing dialogues differentiating real-life speech with dialogue. The course covers different phases of publishing a story including beta reading, criticism, feedback, and submission.

Poetry has always been known to express the thoughts, feelings, and ideas of human beings. It unfolds the truth of the new experiences that humans build in their lifetime. The only problem with poetry is that it is often presented to be hard which is hard to understand without the comprehension of an expert. This Poetry: How to Read a Poem certification course will provide a belief that all can read, and then enjoy every verse in poetry. This course is completely imparted through online mode which is developed by the University of York, and the certificate is issued by FutureLearn.

The Poetry: How to Read a Poem certification syllabus will cover all the aspects of the different tools required for studying, approaching, expressing appreciation, and exploring a candidates’ favourite poem. Not only the above, when this course gets completed, but candidates can also develop and write in their poetic voice when writing verses.

Poetry: How to Read a Poem training at the end of the course will provide a certificate of achievement that is bound to help in the future careers of students. The programme can be learned even while belonging from any different part of the world. Also, the course is just a short one for a period of 4 weeks where students may devote only 4 hours per week.