The best platforms for free certified online courses
After reflecting at the end of the year, and whatever your New Year’s resolution may be, one of the options you should always consider is continuing your education. Updating or expanding your knowledge is never a bad idea, as technology moves very fast and what is valid today may not be tomorrow. I’m one of those who believe that no one is ever truly an expert in anything, but that doesn’t mean we can’t try, of course. Here we will look at the best platforms for free certified online courses (in alphabetical order), as useful for your entrepreneurship as they are for your active job search. They offer training through MOOCs. MOOCs are free online courses based on the principle of open and massive education. This means that a person from anywhere in the world with internet access can get free education where the student can not only share and view content but also participate and collaborate throughout the course.
Table of contents
Coursera
This one is somewhat older, having been created in 2011 by academics from Stanford University. Over the years, it has established itself as one of the top options when it comes to learning through this type of open and massive education. With more than 180 institutions and 3300 free online courses in languages such as English, Spanish, Italian, French, and Chinese, you will find new knowledge in subjects such as information technology, data science, personal development, language learning, or physical and engineering sciences. Like EdX, they also offer Masters and advanced training for higher budgets, as well as a business plan to train employees.
E-prospera
Subsidized and validated by the Ministry of Employment and Social Security, this platform is undoubtedly the youngest, founded in 2017. It is part of the community of professionals of Acredita2 and offers more than 250 courses in Spanish in collaboration with over 10 companies and 16 schools. Categorized by sectors, you will find a wide range of free training options.
EdX
This platform began in 2012 by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Since then, there are already more than 14 million students, over 1900 free online courses in various subjects, and more than 100 schools or partners joined to its platform from all over the world. Once we register, we will have access to related courses in fields such as business administration, economics and finance, computer science and engineering. Although in the beginning the courses were in English, they now host courses in more than 10 languages including Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, French, and Italian. And as if that weren’t enough, they offer more advanced programs and degrees such as the “MicroMasters” which, although paid, can be affordable depending on your budget. They also offer a special program for companies to develop and train employees, reducing the cost and time to do so.
Google ActĂvate
Yes, Google also has a program of free and accredited courses. In this case, there are three modalities: online training, which allows you to learn through the internet with audiovisual material; in-person training, in which you will physically attend classes where synergy and networking are very prominent; and finally, additional material to expand your knowledge. Driven by different ministries of the Spanish government, IAB Spain and co-financed by the European Union, you will be able to benefit from completely free training without leaving home. It also involves over 30 institutions and has a section to search for jobs, advisory services to launch your project, and inspiring events like Google ActĂvate Talks.
MiriadaX
I have a special affection for this platform as it accompanied me from the first course I enrolled in during its early days. Promoted by TelefĂłnica in 2013 and with more than 100 institutions, 4 million students, and almost 700 courses, it gathers free online training in a wide range of options, especially in technological sciences. Although the majority of its offerings are in Spanish, they are beginning to have courses in English and Portuguese. Like the first two platforms, they offer a special program for companies to prepare employees for the digital era.
Mooc
This platform serves as a search engine for online courses, where you can filter by category, language, or start date. It has agreements with platforms like the ones I mention here, and from which it draws to show you all the courses ordered or according to your filter. On the other hand, they have a blog where they analyze and select the best ones ordered by start date, very useful when you want to start a course soon.
Udemy
The main difference between MOOCs and online courses is the enrollment cost. And in this aspect, the academic program of this platform is not based on MOOCs, but on the creation and sale of content created by online instructors, more like a virtual store. Although at first glance it seems that all their courses have an enrollment cost, which is usually quite affordable, we also find completely free courses of great interest with additional material.
UNED Abierta
You might find the acronym familiar. Promoted by openEdX (a CMS or content management system created by EdX) and as an open branch of the National University of Distance Education, it offers more than 60 courses in various fields primarily in Spanish, although some are also in English.
Abierta UGR
Although it has fewer than 10 courses, this platform promoted by the prestigious University of Granada offers courses of different types as interesting as the one starting in February 2019 about entrepreneurship and how to turn your idea into a business model.
