Online/Cheap training opportunities?

geckweenia

Hi All,

I was just wondering about peoples experiences of and any links to online/cheap/free training resources that could strengthen a CV for any prospective job seekers or those who just want to keep our brains happy

I heard itunes have a new section up for educational resources on many subjects but i didnt look at prices etc for them.

The OU have tasters (Google them, I can't post links on this site yet:( )

My dad had mentioned that he is doing some online Harvard courses, again worth an online search..

I used DCA a few years ago for a start your own business course. It was expensive (£400-£500 odd) and I dont feel It really challenged me or was worth the cost and the material seemed out of date.

What are other peoples experiences and do we know of any hidden gems for cheaply arming ourselves with more knowledge and stimulation? I can't get enough of learning new things.

Thanks in advance,

G

geckweenia

Sorry meant to mention the harvard courses are free :j

saintjammyswine

Contact your local FE College to find out what they have available, potentially funded depending on your circumstances. You could also try Alison (google it) which provides free online IT training.

teamshepherd

How are the Alison courses considered by employers? Are they valued?

maryroberts

Can recommend Vision2learn dot com - free online courses (government funded), recognised qualifications.

Dunroamin

aS WELL AS THE ou'S TASTER COURSES WHICH YOU PAY FOR,THEY ALSO OFFER FREE COURSES THROUGH THEIR oPEN lEARN PROGRAMME. (Damn!)

http://www.open.edu/openlearn/

saintjammyswine

teamshepherd wrote: »

How are the Alison courses considered by employers? Are they valued?

Sorry, can't help on that question but surely having extra skills is always useful. To be able to add another IT package to the CV must be a bonus.

teamshepherd

saintjammyswine wrote: »

Sorry, can't help on that question but surely having extra skills is always useful. To be able to add another IT package to the CV must be a bonus.

That's what I figured. It can't hurt to collect as many cert. as I can.

SailorSam

I think lots of people like to do some of these online training courses just for themselves, purely for fun. As you get older they wouldn't make a big difference to a Cv.

saintjammyswine

MindTeacher wrote: »

mindteacher.com is a deal site for online courses
You can get great courses at half price and sometimes even for free

Hmmmm.......

boody999

Firstly full disclosure - I work for an e-learning company so maybe slightly bias.

We've had a number of success stories from people who have been in a period of unemployment and have completed courses in mandatory training (health and safety, food hygiene, data protection etc.) then found it gave them an advantage in interviews because they had shown initiative. Each of these courses takes roughly 2 hours to complete and they're reasonably cheap. Some also have accreditation such as City & Guilds attached.

The introduction of sites like Coursera are great for learning junkies if you just want to learn, but if you're specifically doing it to help your job prospects, I'd recommend looking at courses that will help you aim for that job