Mediaboss Marketing

Its not just children who have been learning outside the classroom during lockdown. More people are logging on to online course providers and new classes are popping up all the time.

Established players such as FutureLearn, LinkedIn Learning and Coursera have reported an uptick in users seeking out their services.

Since the nation went into lockdown in March, FutureLearn says more than one million Brits have signed up to its platform.

Globally, people spent 7.7 million hours in April watching content made by LinkedIn Learning, the job sites courses division. This was nearly three times the amount in February.

New services are also emerging, such as the Department for Educations Skills Toolkit website and educational publisher Pearsons UK Learns platform. Even mobile network provider GiffGaff is getting in on the action with free lessons available through its new academy.

The trend is not just a result of having more spare time. Sadly, many companies are laying off staff or going into administration as a result of the crisis. We have yet to see official figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) detailing the full effect of the pandemic on the UK unemployment rate, but several surveys point to heightened job insecurity.

All this means people are seeking ways to learn new skills, either to improve their job prospects in their current industry or to pivot to a new vocation entirely.

Namrata Murlidhar, director at LinkedIn Learning, told i: Peoples motivations for learning vary some want to develop new skills or enhance existing skills to be successful in their current role, and others want to reskill entirely to find new opportunities in different functions or industries.

If you are employed at a medium or large company, check if your HR department has access to any online courses. Some may have their own or will be able to give you access to resources you would otherwise have to pay for.

Otherwise, the internet is your friend. The number of free courses available is growing every day. Start with one of those suggested here or simply use Google to start searching.

Just because you might have time to spare for an online course doesnt mean you should invest your valuable hours in the first one that comes along. Check out reviews of different websites on TrustPilot to see what other students have to say about the service. Some sites, like Coursera, have a community where you can find out what other learners recommend.

You can also opt for courses which are created or backed by notable universities or companies.

Ms Murlidhar says you could also try asking friends. When choosing an online learning course, its not only important to select a credible provider, but also to ensure that courses are taught by experts, that they offer the latest skills and are delivered in an engaging way. This will ensure that your time is well spent, and youll get something valuable and lasting from the experience.

Consider asking others in your network if they have any recommendations, or check feedback from those who have already participated understanding what they valued and why will be a good guide for whether itll prove the same for you.

Top sites to start with:

Online qualifications sometimes get a bad reputation for being easy to come by. But as online learning grows in popularity especially now that remote working is common it is becoming more respected. And it cant hurt to demonstrate your commitment to a topic.

Ms Murlidhar said: Its likely that digital skills, as well as essential soft skills such as creativity, empathy and adaptability will be in high demand by employers.She added that getting a qualification on your LinkedIn profile can make you stand out to employers.

Meanwhile Anthony Tattersall, Head of EMEA at Coursera, pointed out that employers are themselves using this kind of learning more. Our Enterprise platform, Coursera for Business is the companys fastest-growing business unit. It equips 2,400 employers around the world, including 100+ Fortune 500 companies, with the tools and resources they need to keep their talent sharp and, in turn, keep their business competitive, he said.

He added: With coronavirus profoundly affecting the way companies operate, weve seen a significant increase in uptake on Coursera for Business. Looking at the most recent stats from March and April 2020, and comparing them with the same period one year ago, there has been a 324 per cent increase in total year-over-year enrolments across Coursera for business.

Rebecca Leigh, 25, from Southwark, London

Rebecca has been on furlough from her job as a marketing assistant at a wine importer and distributor since April. With her extra time, she decided to learn how to build a website from scratch and market an online brand She has since set up beckasbottles.co.uk

When I was told that I was going to be put on furlough, I was hit by the realisation that I wasnt going to get time like this again until I retire. I wanted to have something to show for it when things got back to normal.

In a bit of a daze, I wondered if I should write a novel, but deciding that this might not be the best option for me.

Im interested in digital marketing and how brands are built and function, so I signed up to some online courses to find out more. I worked through Googles Digital Marketing certificate and some Coursera courses in brand management and marketing. What I learnt was that having an online presence is a crucial part of building a brand.

I decided to put into practice everything I was learning by building a website for my own brand, Beckas Bottles, a social media-led wine blog. My aim was to create a searchable, user-friendly and engaging website, where I could spark conversations about wine and share useful, educational tips.

Using Coursera resources, I learnt the basic mechanics of the coding languages you use to build a website: HTML, CSS and JavaScript. Languages as they are, the whole experience was a bit like being back at school and grappling with German grammar again.

My search history became full of frantic searches along the lines of where to put meta data tags or how do you wrap text or sometimes, simply why isnt it working?!. However, bit by bit, it started to make sense and my website began to take shape.

By building it from scratch using online resources, I know exactly what each bit of code does. Seeing each piece of code change my web pages with every addition really helped me to get my head around it.

Then, to make sure the website was effective, I also did some research about digital marketing techniques, like search engine optimisation, key word planning and the importance of having a social media strategy.

It has filled in my time on furlough very well, and I am excited to continue working on this project.

There are some other features Id like to add to my website. Im also continuing my study of wine with The Wine & Spirit Education Trusts Diploma. My novel is still on the back burner but maybe thats for the best!

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The free online courses to try in lockdown, from coding to building a business and how to widen your professional skillset - iNews