The benefits of online learning for adults

There are a million reasons why you might wish to consider learning as an adult, even if you did not enjoy school! Perhaps you are looking for a change of career, you need a qualification to get yourself that promotion, or you just want to expand your skillset. Whatever the case, it is certainly worth exploring the myriad of options available online as any form of ongoing education, including online learning for adults, fosters a range of additional benefits such as an increased sense of identity; a greater sense of purpose; and improved confidence.

We have all heard the phrase “use it or lose it” and that is one of the reasons why learning new skills is good for us. According to Vista Health:

“As well as being an enjoyable and fulfilling activity for your growth as a person, a lot of research suggests that learning a new skill can be endlessly beneficial for your brain health. It has even been shown to stave off dementia and brain deterioration.”

Remote learning has never been easier. The concept has taken off throughout the digital age, allowing students of all ages the ability to gain a qualification, a new skill, or more comprehensive information about almost any subject, often without needing to be restricted to a specific timetable and/or travelling to a venue for a physical class. Most online courses allow you to work at your own pace.

The following is by no means comprehensive but is intended to give a quick overview of a few online learning options for adults.

The Open University

The Open University is the nation’s biggest remote learning establishment, which offers a qualification system that is part university diploma and part level-up system. Each course offers varying credits that can build up into qualifications. For example, 120 credits will get you an HNC, 240 will get you an HND and 360 will get you an Honours Degree.

You can take a pre-set course full of modules working towards one degree, but they all offer variables within them, so you can take that Art History course and throw in a little bit of mechanics for the sake of it if that is what you want to learn.

The Open University also offers the chance to take standalone modules if you are looking for something specific that will help you gain that promotion or widen a skillset.

They are a university like any other in the nation, so you can sign up with grants for tuition. You can learn in your own time, choosing to take one module at a time or all of them at once. Control is entirely in your hands.

Careers in Fitness

If you are looking to gain a career in fitness, did you know there are a myriad of online learning courses either to help get you started or to top up existing qualifications? Many adults who enjoy fitness and are looking for a change of career choose this option.

Looking at Study Active, for example, will give you a better idea of what is available. As with many similar companies, Study Active offers CIMSPA endorsed personal trainer certifications, plus courses such as gym instruction, nutrition, pre and post-natal clients, mental health awareness, supporting patients with long-term conditions and more. With qualifications like these, you can work in gyms across the country, aiding in everyone’s health or specialising in a particular ailment.

You will be learning with qualified tutors with experience in areas like nutrition, biomechanics and kinesiology, and a support team on the end of a phone call if you run into problems.

This is a fantastic opportunity to take an active lifestyle into a career. You can gain your qualification in your own time enabling you to study alongside a job or while you are raising a young family, and tailor your studies into a specialist career.

YouTube

If you thought YouTube was just for music videos or jokey videos, think again!

YouTube might not be the best option for anything that requires a lengthy learning process, but for short bursts of information it is second to none, whether that’s help with your mobile phone or icing a cake! a search option literally brought up literally hundreds of short videos.

Online learning for adults has never been so easy or so much fun!

Business learning

If you are not bothered about a piece of paper confirming you took the course and are just looking to expand your skills, look to LinkedIn Learning. They offer a range of courses around the advancement of business. You can browse through the various entrepreneur-based courses like learning leadership skills and negotiation skills to improve your approach to business or learn a technological or creative skill like digital marketing and graphic design to help your business grow.

You will gain a deep dive into subjects that are usually just skimmed the surface of in other platforms, like administration, Microsoft Excel, or motion graphics, and you can learn in your own time, eventually displaying your hard work on your LinkedIn profile for your peers to see.

Additionally, if digital marketing and the various social media marketing platforms are something you are interested in, there are lots of options to find out the best ways to make your content perform better.

Alternatively, if you are looking for a broad-based business course that helps you ensure you are operating responsibly, check out the Responsible Business Standard. It is a great course for any size and type of organisation including start-ups!