What courses can I do online?

With the advancement in available industry training and development, there is an increasing variety of different learning opportunities to explore. As eLearning software becomes more user-friendly and easy to access, studying online is becoming more popular and easier for people and students of all levels of IT competency. But what courses can I do online? This article provides a brief introduction to the different types of online and eLearning available from across the industries.

What are the different types of online and eLearning courses?

Online courses can vary from full eLearning programs carried out over several months or even a year, through to short bite-size videos and webinars. Online and eLearning can also vary significantly, both in the depth of subject matter they cover as well as the levels of interactivity for the student or learner.

The benefits of online courses and eLearning programs is often their flexibility, helping you to complete your learning around your existing time and life constraints. Online learning can be done in the comfort of your own home which suits many individuals.

Searching for online courses

When searching for what courses you can do online, you will find that the market is vast and so it is important to be specific with what you are looking for. Established in 1996, The CPD Certification Service has over 27 years’ experience providing CPD accreditation. With members in over 100 countries, our CPD providers benefit from the ability to promote themselves as part of an international community where quality is both recognised and assured. Our CPD Course Catalogue has thousands CPD certified courses, of which approximately half of these are now online learning.

Ranging from business and management, to engineering, medical and healthcare, construction, finance, media and hospitality to name a few, our Course Catalogue provides showcase the wide range of available online courses from industry experts and accredited CPD providers.

What courses can I do online?

Please find below some simple examples of different courses you can do online when you search through the CPD Course Catalogue.

Finance – There is currently over a thousand online courses available in the finance section of the CPD Course Catalogue. You can find online learning for accountancy, insurance, economics, cryptocurrencies, banking, tax, and many more. See more finance online courses here.

IT – The information technology section of the Course Catalogue provides a range of online learning opportunities including Microsoft Office skills, Adobe courses including Photoshop and InDesign, website development, blog building, WordPress, introduction to HTML, CSS, SEO and web analytics for example. See more IT online courses here.

Business and Management – Examples of online learning available for business and management include project management, performance management, presentation skills, business sustainability and entrepreneurship to name a few. See more business online courses here.

Healthcare and Medical – Our Course Catalogue provides access to thousands of healthcare and medical online courses, covering mental health, nutrition for medics, nursing, patient care, autism, psychology, disability and disorders, dental & hygiene and many more. See more healthcare & medical online courses click here.

Energy – If you are looking to find courses in the Energy sector you can see a full range of available online learning, examples of which include building energy management systems, renewable energies and technology, power factor correction, remote powering, Solar PV, Low / Zero Carbon technologies, Oil and Gas training, heat detection and many more. See more energy online courses here.

Engineering – Our engineering section provides learning opportunities in subjects such as mechanical, electrical and structural engineering, automotive, aeronautical, audio & sound, and civil engineering. See more engineering online courses here.

Why complete CPD online courses?

CPD, also known as Continuing Professional Development, enables learning to become conscious and proactive, rather than passive and reactive. The focus of CPD is to help individuals to improve their professional skills and workplace capabilities. Engaging in Continuing Professional Development ensures that academic and practical qualifications do not become outdated and helps individuals to continually upskill regardless of their occupation, age or educational level. CPD shows a clear commitment to self-development and professionalism.

How to plan your Continuing Professional Development effectively

Planning CPD helps an individual to be more efficient with their time, and recording CPD properly provides evidence of Continuing Professional Development, which can be useful for professional body obligations as well employer supervision and appraisals. CPD provides an opportunity for an individual to identify knowledge gaps and to resolve these in a recognisable approach to improvement.

A very practical tool that helps individuals to structure and plan their Continuing Professional Development is called the CPD Cycle. Using the CPD Cycle can help individuals plan and manage their ongoing learning effectively, improve their skillsets and to keep up to date with industry developments. Find out more about the CPD Cycle here.

CPD accreditation for online courses

The CPD Certification Service provide accreditation for organisations ranging from small consultancy firms to large training providers, multi-national corporations, conference & events organisers, universities, further education colleges, local authorities, councils and Government departments.

Organisations become CPD accredited in order to support their students and learners with their annual Continuing Professional Development requirements, as well as present their knowledge to an industry recognised standard, distinguish from other market sector competitors, as well as potentially help to increase delegate bookings for their educational events, training and online courses. If you provide training and events that may be suitable for CPD, please contact our team.

We hope this article called what courses can I do online was helpful. To find out more about our CPD providers, courses and events please go to the CPD Industry Hubs section for ongoing learning relevant to your Continuing Professional Development requirements. Alternatively, if you are looking for a free online CPD record tool to help manage, track and log your ongoing learning, as well as store your professional training records and attendance certificates in one simple place, go to the myCPD Portal page.