Massive Open Online Courses

There are lots of ways you can re-train and up-skill if you’re returning to work after a career break. Some are free, others you will need to pay for so it’s worth planning your return up to a year in advance. Do you need a course to be accredited to a university, for instance, or is it just a brush-up of skills? Can you learn online in your own time, and what will it all cost? Some charge just for a certificate, or LinkedIn attachment.

Here are some resources for MOOCs (massive open online courses):

Online Courses

futurelearn.com Free and paid programmes. Includes “Cloud Computing” run by Dublin City University and University College Cork over 6 weeks for free.

edx.org

Many free ‘self-pace’ courses including “Project Management” and “Business Communications” run by University of British Columbia. Seven weeks, 3-5 hours per week. Others carry a charge and accreditation. Also seemooc.org for free courses.

Coursera.org

American-based free and paid study programmes. Includes “Positive Psychology Specialisation”, 20 hours with University of Pennsylvania, for free.