Free online courses

Picked-for-you courses

Each course is fully free and finishes with something you can show on a CV — a project, a badge or a certificate.

FAQs

Are there genuinely free online courses for young people in the UK?

Yes — providers like freeCodeCamp, The Odin Project, Khan Academy, Google Digital Garage, Open University OpenLearn, the National Careers Service and the BBC offer fully-free courses with no paywalls. Some (Coursera, edX) let you audit content for free and only charge for the certificate.

Do free courses count on a CV or UCAS application?

Absolutely, if you can show what you learned and link to a project, certificate or portfolio. A finished freeCodeCamp project or Google Digital Garage certificate is concrete evidence — much stronger than a vague claim of "interested in tech".

Which free course is best for getting a job?

Pick one that maps to a real role: coding for tech apprenticeships, digital marketing for agency/SME roles, CAD or CNC for engineering apprenticeships, accounting basics (AAT Level 1 is free in some areas) for finance. Take the Shine quiz first to see which careers fit you.

How long do free online courses take?

Anywhere from 1 hour to 100+. A typical Google Digital Garage course is ~40 hours. Stick to one course at a time — a finished short course beats three abandoned long ones.

Can I get a recognised qualification for free?

Some yes — National Careers Service signposts free Level 2 and Level 3 qualifications via the Multiply (numeracy), Skills Bootcamps, and Free Courses for Jobs programmes, depending on age and location. The Open University also offers free "Badged Open Courses".

What's the best free course for someone who doesn't know what they want to do?

Start with the National Careers Service skills assessment or Shine's free 15-minute career quiz. From there, pick one short course in a field you're curious about — you'll learn faster about yourself by trying things than by reading career articles.