When Alison launched in 2007, our Founder and CEO, Mike Feerick, had one goal: to make education accessible to everyone, everywhere. And to this day, more than a decade later, it remains at the core of what we do. Alison offers over 6,000 free courses to help you build or refine your workplace skills.
No matter your current situation – whether you’re a parent re-entering the workforce, a student exploring career paths, a mid-level manager aiming for a promotion, or a career starter focused on professional growth – we have a course to help you achieve your goals.
With Alison, you can sign up for and complete online courses to gain new skills or improve existing ones, all for free.
In this article, we explain which courses are available for free online and where to begin, so you can dive into the courses that fit your career goals and personal development needs.
Are Alison Courses Really Free?
The simple answer to this question is yes. Our learning model gives you access to every course, module, and assessment across thousands of free courses. You can learn at your own pace, pause and resume any time, and complete courses in full without paying a penny to learn. After completing your course and successfully passing the course assessment, you can purchase a Digital or Printed Certificate, but this is optional.
What Types of Free Courses Does Alison Offer?
We offer a wide range of free courses designed to suit your goals and lifestyle.
- Certificate courses: These are short, skills-based courses typically designed to be completed in 2 to 3 hours. They focus on specific topics or practical skills and are ideal if your goal is to upskill quickly or explore a new area of interest without a significant time commitment.
- Diploma courses: These are comprehensive learning programmes often requiring 8 to 10+ hours of study to complete. Diploma courses are designed to build deeper knowledge and competency in a subject area, making them suitable if you want more in-depth training or a structured path to mastering a topic.
Discover our most popular subject areas, packed with free, high-quality courses to help you upskill at your own pace.
- Information Technology
- Health
- Language
- Business
- Management
- Personal Development
- Sales & Marketing
- Engineering & Construction
- Teaching & Academics
Top Free Alison Courses to Start With
Kick off your journey with these highly recommended free courses:
- Introduction to Caregiving – Learn the basics of caregiving with this course. You will learn legal and ethical responsibilities and how to work as part of a team. Caregiving is a highly valued profession and a way of making a difference in people’s lives. This course will give you a full run-through of these essential concepts so that you can give your caregiving career a real boost today.
- Diploma in Project Management – Master the full project lifecycle from scoping and scheduling to budgeting and risk control. Build leadership, stakeholder, and team communication skills to deliver on time and on budget.
- AI-Driven Digital Marketing Strategies – Learn to harness AI for audience insights, content generation, personalisation, and campaign optimisation. Turn data into ROI with practical tools for ads, email, SEO, and analytics.
- Diploma in Mental Health – Understand common mental health conditions, evidence-based interventions, and supportive communication. Develop self-care, crisis awareness, and referral skills for real-world settings.
- Diploma in Cyber Security – Explore threat landscapes, network defence, encryption, and incident response. Gain hands-on practices to reduce risk, secure systems, and comply with security standards.
- Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) – Discover effective methods for grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, and classroom management. Design engaging lessons and assessments for learners at different proficiency levels.
- Diploma in Customer Service – Build skills in active listening, empathy, conflict resolution, and service recovery. Create memorable experiences that drive loyalty, retention, and positive reviews.
- Microsoft Excel Essentials – Master formulas, functions, charts, tables, and data cleaning for everyday tasks. Boost productivity with shortcuts, PivotTables, and basic automation techniques.
- ISO 45001:2018 – Principles of Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems – Learn the structure, requirements, and risk-based thinking behind ISO 45001. Implement policies, audits, and continuous improvement to foster a safer workplace.
- Introduction to Artificial Intelligence – Get a clear overview of machine learning, neural networks, and real-world AI applications with this course, created by IBM. Understand key concepts, limitations, ethics, and how AI transforms industries.
How to Enrol in a Free Course on Alison
- Visit Alison.com.
- Search for a topic (e.g., “project management”) or browse by category to find free courses.
- On any course page, click ‘Start Now’ to begin learning instantly. No payment is required to begin.
Why Choose Alison for Free Courses?
- Truly free learning: With Alison, you can access full course syllabuses without ever hitting a paywall. That means you’re free to explore, learn, and grow your skills at no cost, no hidden fees or surprise charges.
- Flexible learning: Life gets busy. That’s why our courses are designed to fit around your schedule. Whether you’re working full-time, caring for family, or juggling other commitments, you can learn when and where it suits you.
- Career relevance: Our course content aligns with real-world, in-demand skills across industries such as IT, business, healthcare, and more, so what you learn with us is practical, current, and valuable in the workplace.
- Recognition options: Alison’s course creation process is accredited, which means our courses meet international standards. Learn more about our accreditation here.
- Global community: Join millions of Alison Learners from all corners of the world who are empowering themselves through education. Listen to their stories on our testimonials page.
- Optional Certificate or Diploma: After completing a course, you can choose to purchase an official Alison Certificate or Diploma. This is a great way to celebrate your progress and showcase your achievement professionally, especially on platforms like LinkedIn.
- Learn at your own pace: There are no deadlines or time limits. You’re in control of your learning journey. Start when you’re ready and progress at a speed that works best for you.
Conclusion
Alison’s mission is to make education free and accessible worldwide. With thousands of free courses, from short certificates to in-depth Diplomas, you can build job-ready skills without the cost and choose to purchase a certificate later if you want official proof.
Ready to take the next step? Explore trending free courses, pick your first topic, and start learning today.
Join over 50 million Learners and start your online learning journey for free with Alison.
