Free employee learning with OpenLearn

OpenLearn is our online library of free learning resources. More than a million people visit the site each month* for accessible, bitesize learning.

There are thousands of short courses and learning materials to help upskill your staff, flexibly and free of charge.

Discover how OpenLearn can help your organisation upskill staff for improved performance, productivity and progression.

Visit OpenLearn

What’s on offer on OpenLearn?

OpenLearn has more than 1,000 free courses and thousands of resources: from short courses for self-study to articles, videos, podcasts and interactive quizzes.

Resources cover a wide range of topics including:

Business and management
Health and social care
Communication and interpersonal skills
Customer service
Personal and business finance

Learners who complete our courses get a statement of participation - some courses also provide a digital badge that they can use on their CV or social media to recognise their achievement. Rewarding staff who achieve badges is a great way to encourage engagement with the platform.

There is also a series called ‘My Career Goal’ that helps people identify skills gaps and work out how to progress their current careers or move into a new area. Content is organised into subject areas for life and for study, making it easier for visitors to find the right resources for them.

It’s part of our commitment to deliver content with benefit in terms of the real world and real people. This includes a specific area on skills for work, such as team working, leadership, mentoring, effective communication, relationship management and decision making. There are courses aimed specifically at improving digital capabilities, such as digital thinking tools and cyber security, and courses aimed at specific sectors, such as the social care sector. These courses can be used to help people in their current roles and to progress to more senior positions or to new careers.
James Davies
Director of Commissioning and Open Media and Informal Learning, Learner and Discovery Services, The Open University

OpenLearn is a treasure – helping to build a healthier, fairer, and more environmentally aware society. It has been a learning lifeline for millions, especially through the pandemic. 100 million visitors – wow! I am incredibly proud of the achievement and the work of OU colleagues who make this possible.
Martha Lane-Fox
Chancellor, The Open University

Why use OpenLearn to upskill staff?

There are lots of reasons to make OpenLearn available to your employees. Here’s our top five.

Upskill your staff – OpenLearn is a free and flexible way for employees to gain new skills, improve their performance at work and fulfil their professional potential.
Develop staff working from home – Professional development doesn’t need to stop when your staff are working remotely. OpenLearn is accessible anywhere, anytime, to anyone.
Try before you buy – If you’re thinking of partnering with The Open University for staff development, OpenLearn is a great way to test employees’ appetite for online learning first.
Boost your employer brand – Boost your brand reputation as a business that supports and develops its staff, with a curated training programme just for them.
Support staff – Our free resources can empower staff to overcome personal issues that may impact their work, such as emotional issues, relationship problems and money worries.

Three ways to use OpenLearn for staff development

There are three main ways to use OpenLearn for staff development.

Signpost for self-study – Simply signpost staff to the resource and let them explore it themselves. Consider a way to incentivise engagement with recognition for staff who complete courses.
Recommend a route – Explore the platform and identify resources to create a recommended learning plan for staff.
Create bespoke courses – Work with The OU to tailor courses to suit your needs. We can:
- adapt existing courses, for example, by adding sector-specific case studies
- work with you to develop new courses or content
- create a branded dashboard where staff can access your content

Take a look at the OpenLearn website to discover the material on offer and contact us to discuss bespoke courses for your organisation.

Who uses OpenLearn?

Over the past 15 years, 100 million people have visited OpenLearn to unlock their potential, at a pace and place that suits them. More than 2 millions certificates have been issued along with 200,000 digital badges awarded.

An increasing number of employers realise the value of continuous learning and the value of platforms such as OpenLearn. Two organisations embracing the potential of curated courses are Uber and the Department for Work and Pensions.

Department for Work and Pensions

Learn about the nationwide partnership between OpenLearn, DWP and Jobcentre Plus to tackle skills gaps for job seekers.

Uber

Discover how Uber use OpenLearn to improve their drivers’ communication skills, boost their employer brand and support social mobility.

Panel discussion: Using free learning to effectively upskill staff

The Open University hosted a panel discussion, exploring the impact of free learning for work. The discussion focused on three areas in particular:

What free learning The Open University provides through OpenLearn.
How OpenLearn, its free learning provision, is relevant to organisations.
How organisations are using OpenLearn to upskill and reskill employees.

The panel featured four experienced professionals from The Open University, DWP and Insights Media:

James Davies, Director of Commissioning and Open Media and Informal Learning, Learner and Discovery Services, The Open University.
Simon Tindall, Head of New Business, The Open University.
Cameron King, Employer Adviser, Department for Work and Pensions, Kingston Jobcentre Plus.
Martin Couzins, Corporate Learning Journalist, Insights Media, chaired the panel discussion.

The number of colleagues that have enthused about completing an OpenLearn course has been really, really encouraging. It is very exciting to be able to offer customers and colleagues quality digital learning opportunities.
Cameron King
Employer Adviser, Department for Work and Pensions, Kingston Jobcentre Plus