With over 16,000 courses taught by industry experts, LinkedIn Learning has become one of the most popular online learning platforms. While a paid subscription unlocks the full library, LinkedIn Learning also offers a selection of free courses covering in-demand skills. These free offerings are a great way to explore the quality of instruction and get valuable training without spending a dime.
This article will introduce readers to some of the best and most highly-rated LinkedIn learning courses across categories like technology, creative skills, business, and personal development. Whether you’re looking to learn Excel, leadership techniques, marketing tactics, or even mindfulness, LinkedIn Learning likely has a free course for you.
We’ll provide an overview of 11+ of the top courses, detailing key topics covered, instructor bios, and the unique benefits of each class. Our goal is to showcase the breadth of free training available and help readers continue their professional development on a budget. Equipped with new skills and knowledge, readers can pursue career goals or tackle workplace challenges.
11+ Best Free LinkedIn Learning Courses
| Name of the Course | Course Instructor | Duration of the Course |
|---|---|---|
| Communication Foundations | Brenda Bailey-Hughes and Tatiana Kolovou | 1h 16m |
| The Creative Spark | Larry Crane | 15m |
| Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging for All | Pat Wadors and others | Self paced |
| Leadership: Practical Skills | Chris Croft | 2h 30m |
| Learning Excel 2019 | David Rivers | 1h 7m |
| Learning Python | Varies | 2 to 6 months (for fundamentals) |
| Managing Stress for Positive Change | Heidi Hanna, PhD | 53 minutes |
| Marketing Foundations | Marta Dapena-Baron | 1 hour 15 minutes |
| Mindfulness for Creativity and Productivity | Valerie Sutton | 47 minutes |
| The Future of Work is Now | Sophie Wade | 52 minutes |
| Unconscious Bias | Stacey Gordon | 28 minutes |
| Digital Marketing Foundations | Brad Batesole | 1h 35m |
1. Communication Foundations
Communication Foundations helps you communicate better in professional situations like meetings, emails, pitches, and presentations. Instructors introduce the four building blocks of communication and apply them in different circumstances. Through vignettes and tools, the course builds communication skills to effectively convey messages.
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2. The Creative Spark
The Creative Spark series profiles creative professionals across industries to provide inspiration and insights into the creative process. Episodes showcase unique creative approaches like illustration, recording engineering, and social innovation design. The series digs into the stories, tools, and techniques behind creative works.
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3. Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging for All
This learning path on diversity, inclusion, and belonging reviews current best practices to work in diverse organizations. It covers essential topics like bias, cultural competence, communication, allyship, and accountability to help define key concepts and engage in inclusive conversations. The path outlines concrete strategies to foster diversity and belonging in the workplace.
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4. Leadership: Practical Skills
Leadership: Practical Skills provides leaders and managers with an introduction to basic leadership skills needed to guide teams successfully. Instructor Chris Croft draws on 20+ years of experience to explore leadership qualities, motivation theories, styles, and core skills. The course shares practical advice for improving communication, delegation, and planning.
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5. Learning Excel 2019
This course covers Microsoft Excel 2019 essentials like creating and formatting workbooks, entering data, using formulas and functions, building charts, and sharing workbooks. Instructor David Rivers focuses on critical skills for new users, including techniques for efficiently navigating Excel and customizing the interface.
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6. Learning Python
This hands-on Python programming course taught by Joe Marini provides an introduction to Python syntax, data types like dates/times/files, and processing HTML, JSON, and XML data. It includes coding challenges and sample code to apply skills for building applications and scripts.
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7. Managing Stress for Positive Change
Managing Stress for Positive Change helps identify stress triggers and provides techniques to assess stress for what it is – information that fuels positive change. Instructor Heidi Hanna draws on neuroscience and decades of research to transform how we understand and leverage stress. The course outlines stress mastery techniques and a framework for training attention and shifting mindsets.
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8. Marketing Foundations
This course on Marketing Foundations dives into essential marketing concepts such as assembling a team, researching the competition, analyzing products and customers, positioning your message, setting prices and promotions, and measuring results. By the end of the course, you’ll have a solid understanding of how to create an effective customer-brand experience and develop a strategic marketing plan.
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9. Mindfulness for Creativity and Productivity
Mindful Productivity focuses on mindfulness techniques to maximize productivity by clearing mental distractions. The course covers intention-setting, overcoming obstacles, breathing exercises, progressive relaxation, and more. By implementing these techniques, you can enhance your focus, creativity, and overall productivity in your daily life.
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10. The Future of Work is Now
The Future of Work is Now course explores how technology and other forces are rapidly changing the landscape of work. Workforce innovation expert Sophie Wade outlines key skills like adaptability, empathy, communication, and more to help prepare for the future. By developing these skills, you’ll be better equipped to navigate the evolving world of work and stay ahead of the curve.
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11. Unconscious Bias
Unconscious Bias helps identify hidden biases to make more thoughtful decisions. Diversity expert Stacey Gordon reveals common biases and strategies to address them for better hiring, promotion, and daily interactions. The course provides concrete techniques to recognize and mitigate unconscious biases.
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12. Digital Marketing Foundations
Digital Marketing Foundations provides an overview of key digital marketing concepts and tools to help grow your business or career. Expert Daniel Burstein covers topics like search engine optimization, social media, email, mobile, and more. The course outlines how to connect with customers across digital channels and build effective online marketing campaigns.
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Benefits of Learning from LinkedIn Learning Free Courses
LinkedIn Learning’s vast library of over 16,000 courses offers professionals abundant opportunities to build career-enhancing skills at no cost. The free courses allow learners to explore topics from leadership and communication to technical programs like Excel, honing real-world abilities to boost their careers.
With renowned industry experts as instructors, the training targets in-demand skills that prepare workers for evolving workplace needs. Learners can upskill on flexible schedules, fitting self-paced online content into busy lives. Upon course completion, free certifications validate capabilities to showcase to employers.
Whether aiming to achieve a promotion, make a career change, or simply expand one’s knowledge base, LinkedIn Learning’s free course catalog supplies professionals impactful tools for advancement. The platform makes continuing education accessible and rewarding.
FAQs Related to LinkedIn Learning Courses
What are some of the most popular free courses on LinkedIn Learning?
Some of the most popular free LinkedIn Learning courses cover topics like communication, creativity, leadership, Excel, Python, marketing, mindfulness, and preparing for the future of work. Specific courses highlighted include Communication Foundations, The Creative Spark series, Leadership: Practical Skills, Learning Excel 2019, and Unconscious Bias.
Do I need a LinkedIn Learning subscription to access the free courses?
No, you do not need a paid LinkedIn Learning subscription to access free courses. Anyone can sign up for a free account and start learning from the selection of free course offerings.
What key skills can I learn from LinkedIn Learning’s free course offerings?
LinkedIn Learning’s free courses can help you build skills in areas like communication, creativity, leadership, software programs, marketing, productivity, diversity and inclusion, digital marketing, and more. Both technical hard skills and soft skills are covered.
Can I earn a certificate by completing free LinkedIn Learning courses?
Yes, many free LinkedIn Learning courses offer a certificate of completion upon finishing all the course content. These certificates validate your new skills and knowledge and can be showcased to employers.
How can LinkedIn Learning’s free courses benefit my career?
The free courses allow you to build in-demand workplace skills to pursue career goals like getting a promotion, changing careers, or staying competitive. With self-paced online content from experts, professionals can upskill on flexible schedules. Gained skills, knowledge, and completion certificates can boost resumes.
Conclusion
LinkedIn Learning offers professionals abundant opportunities for skill-building and career growth, even without a paid subscription. As outlined, some of the platform’s most popular and highly-rated free offerings supply training in areas like communication, leadership, technical programs, marketing, creativity, and more.
While the full premium library holds additional value, the free courses alone can strengthen in-demand workplace abilities to drive professional advancement. By showcasing the quality of instruction and variety of topics covered, this article aimed to introduce readers to LinkedIn Learning’s free catalog so they can continue developing career-enhancing skills without financial barriers.
Whether preparing for a promotion, looking to change careers, or simply expanding one’s knowledge, LinkedIn’s accessible selection of free courses empowers lifelong learning.
So which LinkedIn learning courses will you try out?
