Digital Boost

Digital Boost is a free platform that matches leaders of small businesses & charities with digital experts. They in turn provide 1-2-1 calls, webinars and resources. Expert volunteers offer a range of support resources such as:

• Boost Calls – free one-hour consultation to get practical help and advice for your digital challenge.
• Boost Workshops – interactive webinars on SEO, Facebook Ads, e-commerce payment systems and more.
• Boost Skills – Curated resources about digitisation.

Sign up to Digital Boost and receive free expert support designed for you >

Coding – Level 2 Qualification with Certificate

This free online coding course is designed for anyone who is looking to gain an introduction to coding. The qualification may also support progression into further study in coding or other topics within the IT sector. The training course provides a comprehensive introduction to the principles of coding and demonstrates how coding is applied in real-world scenarios for software development. 

Through interactive units and practical examples, you will gain a thorough understanding of coding concepts, programming languages, and the process of building software applications. By the end of the course, you will have a valuable insight into the world of coding and be equipped with the knowledge to pursue further learning or a lucrative career as a coder. Apply here.

Cyber Security – Level 2 Qualification with Certificate

This free online training course is a key starting point for anyone looking to begin their career in cyber security. In an increasingly digital world, cyber security is fast becoming a main concern for many organisations. 

With complex online scams and cybercrime, it’s essential that organisations have an understanding of preventative measures to maintain cyber security, including techniques and security checks needed to store data securely. Apply here.

AI Training Sessions

Innovate UK Business Connect hold many events throughout the year to help support people and businesses with AI. You can see the list of these events here.

Leadership and Management

Business Improvement Techniques – Level 2 Qualification with Certificate

The purpose of this free online course is to provide learners with knowledge and understanding of business improvement techniques, which can be applied across many different sectors and job roles. This free online course aims to build knowledge on the study of business improvement techniques, including workplace organisation, building effective teams and managing working relationships. It will also teach the importance of process improvement and procedures using visual management systems and flow process analysis.

Improving business performance is vital for any business. Making improvements that are more efficient – such as saving on time or costs – can have huge benefits to an organisation, particularly in competitive business environments. Apply here.

Lean Organisation Management – Level 2 Qualification with Certificate

The aims of this free online lean management course are to improve business performance through continuous professional development of employees and their skill set.

The objectives of this qualification are to help learners to:

• Understand lean organisation techniques in business
• Know and understand business improvement tools and techniques
• Know and understand how to work effectively in a business team
• Access the business sector or progress to further qualifications and learning

Apply here

Team Leading – Level 2 Qualification with Certificate

The free online team leading course is designed to help learners to:

• Develop their knowledge of the principles of team leading.
• Develop their understanding of business.
• Develop the knowledge needed to support communication with a range of stakeholders at different levels.

Strong team leadership is essential for providing guidance, direction and instruction within a group and inevitably leads to more effective teamwork and more motivated employees.

Being able to manage a team effectively is critical in the current job market, where employee productivity and team outcomes are closely monitored. Apply here.

Sales and Marketing

Digital marketing – Level 2 Qualification with Certificate

In this free online course, you will learn the basics of digital marketing strategy including social media, email, and SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) as part of marketing campaigns. The course is fully online, UK government funded, and offers an accredited level 2 qualification with a certificate upon completion.

The programme is designed for those who desire to form a foundation due to little or no previous digital marketing experience. You will learn about social media, email, and SEO strategies within marketing campaigns. Apply here.

Event Planning – Level 2 Qualification with Certificate

This free online event planning course aims to provide you with a well-rounded understanding of the key aspects of event planning. The training will equip you with the necessary skills and knowledge to plan, organise, execute, and manage successful events.

Areas covered in the free event planning course include; marketing methods and resources, and market research. The free course also covers; human resources (HR), communication, coordination, and customer service relevant to events. Apply here.

Diploma in Sales Management

This course will begin by giving you an overview of how selling and sales influences our daily lives. You will learn the characteristics of a brand and will be guided through the differences between sales and marketing. You will then learn what it takes to be successful in sales as well as to define the different types of selling channels and selling environments. You will learn the concept of adaptive selling, explore business ethics and ethical behaviour in sales, and identify the elements of effective business communication.

Next, you will study the seven steps of the selling process. You will receive guidance on prospecting, be shown how to identify sales needs and opportunities, and learn how to set SMART pre-call objectives. The course will also cover first impressions, the importance of a strong approach, and how to make contact with your prospect. You will learn how to prepare for an effective sales presentation. Finally, you will learn how to handle the different types of objections as well as how entrepreneurs sell themselves and their business ideas. Complete the course here.

Principles of B2B Sales and Marketing

Business-to-Business (B2B) sales and marketing are commercial transactions between businesses. B2B sales and marketing practices are critical to drive growth and typically involve engaging with customers who are not only knowledgeable but also have specific needs and requirements as opposed to browsing shoppers. Understanding the B2B customer, the sales and marketing process and the differences between B2B and business-to-consumer (B2C) marketing is essential for any organisation that wants to grow and succeed in today's competitive marketplace. This B2B sales and marketing course explores these concepts in detail.

We begin by examining various types of B2B buyer to help you understand their unique purchasing behaviours. This allows you to create targeted marketing campaigns that resonate with purchasing officers and other professionals. Developing a compelling value proposition that speaks to the needs and ‘pain points’ of your potential customers is essential. Doing so requires smart strategies for developing and maintaining a strong brand in the B2B space. This course thus focuses on key elements that help you create a winning marketing strategy for your unique audience. Complete the course here.

Operations

Data Protection and Data Security – Level 2 Qualification with Certificate

The objectives of this free online course are to enable learners to:

• Understand current data legislation
• Understand steps organisations might take to help protect data
• Understand how to protect their own data
• Understand how to protect ICT systems from common threats
• Understand the consequences of not protecting data and systems

Data protection compliance is an essential legal requirement for all organisations. Since the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into force in May 2018, it is more vital than ever that anyone who works with personal data understands the laws and acts in compliance. Failure to process personal or sensitive data securely and lawfully can lead to severe penalties. Making sure that employees are acting compliantly and handling data correctly is essential in any sector. Apply here.

Human Resources

Equality and Diversity – Level 2 Qualification with Certificate

This free online equality and diversity training course delves into the important topics of equality and diversity in society, community, and the workplace. It provides a comprehensive understanding of inclusion, fairness, dignity, and respect. The training is perfect for adults in England seeking to enhance their knowledge on these crucial subjects.

The qualifications aim to:

• Introduce the concepts of equality and diversity in a variety of environments including society, the community and the workplace
• Highlight how stereotyping and labelling affect individuals
• Outline the effects of prejudice and discrimination
• Allow the learner to examine rights and responsibilities
• Stress the importance of taking individual responsibility and action to help and support others
• Provide a basis for further study and/or career development

The objectives of the qualifications is to help learners to:

• Raise their awareness of the issues surrounding equality and diversity
• Apply this awareness through their actions in society, community and the workplace

Apply here.

Finance

Introduction to Business Finance

The aim of this course is to help you get the right understanding of financial management. You will start with a study of the history of business finance and learn about the management of the monetary resources of an organization or business. Financial records from ancient Iran, Egypt, Rome and modern-day bookkeeping will be compared as well as the three main strands of business finance will also be covered. This section will comprehensively pinpoint the key reasons for the failure of most businesses within the first five years. Thereafter, the two aspects of business finance, (1) raising money to invest in the business and (2) managing the investment to generate a return, as well as the five key principles of business finance will be examined.

The next section of this online finance class will teach you the essence of the balance sheet, the source of finance, credit, and destination of finance which sets the groundwork for learning the definitions of common finance terms including fixed assets, current assets, current liabilities, shareholders’ funds amongst others. Thereafter, you will study the meaning of a cash flow statement. There are a number of formats for the cash flow statement and this is the area where accountancy regulations defer the most. Simple formats will be presented that will prepare you for a short exercise on business finance that you need to solve. The content of the exercise will test your knowledge on how to calculate and create a balance sheet, income statement, and cash flow statement for an organization. Complete the course here.

Diploma in Financial Accounting

The Diploma in Financial Accounting is a free online course that begins by introducing you to the streams of accounting, as well as the concept of financial statements and the basic structure of a balance sheet. The course will also introduce you to the major components of a profit and loss account, as well as the concept of conservatism and depreciation. Cash flow statement as the summary of cash flows (receipts and payments) during an accounting period will also be covered in this course.

The course then explains corporate governance as a collection of mechanisms, processes and relationships by which a company is controlled and managed. You will learn about the main principles of corporate governance, as well as how Enron failed using proper corporate governance. This course will teach you about accounting standards and principles, as well as the evolution of accounting and how to record financial transactions. Complete the course here.

Fundamentals of Business Money Management

Owning a small business can be rewarding but it can also be risky. Many businesses fail because they simply run out of money. While selling and making a profit, it is easy to think your business is doing well. However, without proper business budgeting and tracking expenses diligently, you may not easily discover that your business is suffering losses. This situation will make it difficult for you to stay on top of the overall health of your business and steer it toward greater success in the coming years. From the moment you begin this course, we address this issue.

Organizing your expenses into categories based on taxes and deductibles will help you have better control over your money. In addition, this will also aid you when filing your taxes. This course will provide information about managing your business's cash flow while recommending accounting software that makes the process seamless. You will also learn how to use other applications that help you generate a profit/loss statement and other essential documents to keep your business records up to date. Nevertheless, you will first see how to do this independently without these applications. Complete the course here.

General

Learn with Start Up Loans

With the experts at The Open University, The Start Up Loans company has identified a range of free, useful courses – covering a whole host of business essentials – to do the same. The courses provide a rich source of vital information for anyone that’s new to being their own boss, as well as would-be business owners who are considering taking the plunge. Covering digital skills to bookkeeping and accounting, they’re designed to help business owners understand more about the key aspects of running a business – from the day-to-day to growing your venture. Alongside the business essentials, you can now find courses focusing on climate and sustainability, mental health and wellbeing, as well as trauma and grief. See the full range of courses here - Learn with Start Up Loans | OpenLearn - Open University

Net Zero

Climate Change & Environmental Awareness – Level 2 Qualification with Certificate

This free course aims to:

• Focus on the study of environmental awareness and carbon footprint reduction associated with a wide range of workplaces and linked to the lifestyles of individuals
• Offer breadth and depth of study, incorporating a key core of knowledge that is relevant, and can be applied, across a variety of sectors

The objectives of this free course are to:

• Become familiar with the basics of the environment and climate change
• Develop an understanding of environmental protection and the action that can be taken within the workplace to mitigate the damaging impact of industry on the environment
• Explore how the lifestyle of an individual can be environmentally detrimental, while offering an insight into ways to reduce their carbon footprint

Sustainability is quickly becoming a high priority for many businesses. Making moves towards becoming a ‘greener’ organisation can also provide cost saving initiatives, such as reducing waste or saving energy. Apply here.

Funded training resources

Leadership and management

Help to Grow: Management

Training to help SME business leaders to increase productivity, seize investment opportunities and grow their business. Businesses across all sectors can apply, including social enterprises. The attendee should be a decision maker in the business (for example CEO, managing director), and businesses applying must:

• be based in the UK
• have between 5-249 employees
• have been operating for more than a year
• have at least one link of management in the business structure

If your business employs between 10 and 249 people, you can send up to two participants on the course. For more information, please read the FAQs.

Charities are not eligible.

What you can get

• training
• 1-1 support from a business mentor
• peer-learning sessions
• access to an alumni network
• help to develop a business growth plan

Training topics include:

• leadership
• marketing
• employee engagement
• financial management

How to apply

Apply via the website. There is a £750 joining fee.

Cranfield – online short courses

the new Cranfield Online Short Course Portfolio is aimed at empowering professionals to improve their skills and knowledge across a range of business topics.

Designed to offer concise, flexible and affordable online learning from Cranfield experts, the Online Short Course Portfolio allows you to learn at your own pace, anywhere and anytime. You can start learning immediately and achieve a Cranfield certificate in as little as four weeks. Start exploring the portfolio now and begin your Cranfield online learning journey for just £950 + VAT per course. 

Level 3 Leadership and Management Diploma

Developing your leadership and management skills is an effective way to advance your career. The Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) is the UK's leading management awarding body, offering industry-leading qualifications, training programs, and member services to help you lead and manage effectively.

Specifically, the ILM Level 3 program is tailored to equip you with practical knowledge and expertise necessary to excel in management roles across diverse industries. Enrolling in this program is a strategic move that can expedite your career growth and equip you with competencies that are highly valued by employers. Find out more here.

AGILE Project Management

The Agile Project Management (AgilePM) certification is a widely recognised training course for current and aspiring Project Managers, as well as for those wishing to work in a project-focused environment.

This course aims to enable Project Managers to become Agile, which means developing a structured, high-quality and professional approach to project management. Agile Project Management is a tried-and-tested approach and is universally applicable to all types of organisations and projects. Find out more here.

PRINCE2 Foundation Project Management

egin your training in one of the most globally renowned methods for managing projects in the world. PRINCE2® (Projects In Controlled Environments) offers a systematic project management methodology that incorporates experience acquired from thousands of projects, including valuable contributions from projects sponsors, project managers, project teams, academics, trainers, and consultants.

Applicable to projects of any purpose, scale, type, organization, geography, or culture, PRINCE2® 7 provides a versatile, all-encompassing approach, making it an ideal choice if you’re seeking to advance your career in project management. Find out more here.