Which Online Certificate Courses Are Valuable for Your Career?

Online Certifications and Career Development

What Employers Really Look For

Employers are looking for individuals who can bring value to their organisation through a variety of characteristics, including:

• Competence and technical proficiency: Alison’s online Certificates are particularly valuable when it comes to helping you learn or enhance your knowledge and skills in a particular subject.
• Initiative: Completing an online Certificate programme through Alison serves as a signal of intellectual curiosity, drive and determination.
• Competitive advantage: With thousands of online certificates to choose from, Alison graduates can bring a blend of skills not offered by other candidates.
• Uniqueness: Online learning is still rare enough to distinguish you from your peers and generate curiosity and interesting conversations with your employer.

Accredited Certificates

Accredited certificates are typically associated with more traditional post-secondary institutions. They can usually be applied to a degree programme or count as continuing education units.

Generally speaking, you pay to enrol in an accredited certificate programme in the same way you would pay to enrol in any higher education course of study. Some programmes may offer self-paced (or asynchronous) learning, while others are structured around specific class times and hard deadlines for assignments and assessments.

You can tell whether a course on Alison is accredited by checking the sidebar on the course's page.

Unaccredited Certificates

Though a certificate may be considered “unaccredited,” it does not mean that it lacks value! The only thing that unaccredited means is that traditional institutions will not likely apply it toward a degree or count it as continuing education units.

However, unaccredited certificates provide a valuable opportunity to learn new skills that can make a real difference in your professional and personal life. The certificates offered by Alison provide free and flexible education that can serve as a foundation for building your career - and our asynchronous learning model means that you learn from a place and at a pace that fits into your schedule.

Should You Include Online Certifications on Your Resumé?

You should include online certifications on your resumé! In an increasingly competitive world, employers are looking for unique skills that help you stand out from your peers.

Earning an online certificate in a particular field allows you to demonstrate a foundational understanding of a subject and communicate in industry-specific language. Beyond a simple demonstration of technical skill, an online certificate helps you speak more knowledgeably and confidently about the job you are seeking.

Additionally, taking the time to proactively complete an online certificate programme through Alison demonstrates personal commitment on the part of the learner. So what are you waiting for? Get started today.

Why Choose Alison for Your Online Certification

Alison was founded in 2007 with the mission of improving equality and access to education and skills training. We believe that, through education, everyone has the power to change their lives - and ultimately the world - for the better.

Over the past decade, millions of learners have enrolled in our online certificate programmes for a variety of reasons. Some want to jump-start a new career or up-skill in their current job. Others are seeking supplemental academic training. And still, others simply wish to learn valuable skills to enhance their daily life.

Whatever your goal, Alison’s online courses with Certificates offer the freedom to learn and the tools to succeed.