Every corporation looks for something more than the hard and fast set of skills in the professionals they are hiring. Hence, staying ahead of the pack by constantly learning and mastering new professional skills is necessary. Since we are living in the era of technological revolution, acquiring advanced skills for professional edge is crucial.

Having vast resources at your disposal, finding the right source to acquire necessary skills is pivotal for shaping a better future. However, continued learning is time-consuming. Therefore, knowing the most efficient ways to master new skills is challenging. Here are our recommendations for free courses on various subjects, which you can use to brush up on your professional skills.

Harvard University

Harvard free courses webpage

Harvard University has some free courses and special projects available online. The program offers paid courses as well - ranging from $25 to more. The topics of the courses vary and are available for everyone. Most of the courses offered by the platform are self-paced that incorporate lectures from the professors at Harvard. They also provide additional study materials for enthusiastic learners. The audio and video content comes with a transcript for better accessibility and convenience. Most of the courses have registration deadlines which limit learners from taking all the courses together.

Currently, Harvard University offers several free courses on professional skill development, including Resilient Leadership, Negotiating Salary, Exercising Leadership: Foundational Principles, Designing Organisational Structure, Pricing Strategy, Identifying Competitive Risk, Understanding Customer Needs, Investing in Private Equity, Remote Work revolution for Everyone, etc.

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Take the next step with our best picks for online learning

EdX

Edx webpage

EdX is one of the best free online course providers. It is a platform that offers 2,500+ massive open online courses (MOOCs). It contains weekly subject sequences with courses from Harvard, MIT, Boston University and UC Berkeley. EdX is popular among learners since they can get access to a world-class education at a comfortable pace. It offers short videos, an online discussion forum and learning exercises. As a powerful and feature-rich platform, EdX offers the MicroBachelors program, MicroMasters program, Global Freshman Academy and professional certificates. There are free and paid courses available online for learners who want to acquire new skills.

Currently, edX is offering several free courses on professional skill development, including Career Development, Communication Skills for Dialoguing Across Difference, Critical Thinking Skills, Agile Innovation and Problem-Solving Skills, Project Management, Unlocking Your Employability, Effective Decision Making, Dealing with Power and Dynamics, Professionalism, Grooming and Etiquette, Enhancing Your Career Competencies, etc.

Coursera

Coursera webpage

Coursera is one of the most popular learning platforms that offer free online courses. The site collaborates with 190+ universities and companies including the University of Pennsylvania, Stanford, Google and IBM, providing thousands of courses online. Learners can acquire professional skills through regular free online learning courses and earn certificates or full university degrees. Coursera offers both free and paid courses. The courses contain pre-recorded video lectures, which allow learners to explore several courses from different institutions at a time.

Presently, Coursera is offering several free courses on professional skill development, including Critical Thinking Skills for the Professional, Foundations of Professional Identity, Teamwork and Creativity, Leadership, Organisational Concepts and Language, A Practical Guide to Navigating Professional Relationships, etc.

Udemy

Udemy webpage

Udemy is a free online platform that offers courses in various subjects. Learners acquire new skills and achieve their goals by learning from the platform, which offers an extensive library of various courses that are taught by expert instructors. Learners do not need any prequalification for taking any particular course. Even though the platform seems to price almost every course, there are some gem courses with a large number of good reviews.

At present, Udemy is offering several free courses on professional skill development, including Creative Leadership Skills that Drive Change, How to Use SMART Goals, Mini-Course on Time Management, Public Speaking Essentials, Working Remotely: Efficiently and Effectively, etc.

MIT Open CourseWare

MIT OpenCourseWare webpage

MIT Open CourseWare is a free learning platform that offers various courses on different subjects online. The platform provides high-quality learning and teaching resources in a conveniently accessible format. The site offers courses in different formats including videos, exams, and lectures. The platform can be accessed with a login and it doesn't require any sort of registration process. At present, MIT Open CourseWare is offering several free courses on professional skill development, including, Advanced Speaking and Critical Listening Skills, Communication Skills, Project Management, Project Evaluation, and many more. 

While the quality difference between free online courses from digital platforms and offline courses from top universities is minimal, online courses are more convenient and cost-effective, which is why people are more inclined to acquire professional skills through online platforms, these days. Furthermore, when you can acquire multiple skills simultaneously from the comfort of your house, the popularity of these platforms is bound to boom.