Free Online Wildlife Courses
With jobs in conservation and the environment currently being in short supply due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, why not take the opportunity to fine tune your skills and learn something new? Not only will taking a short course improve your knowledge and skills, but you will also virtually meet and share ideas with like-minded students from around the world.
There are now thousands of free short online courses offered by leading institutions worldwide, ranging from nature, science and climate change to business strategies, IT and communications, and improving your study skills. You can even learn a new language!
Many online courses are community supported, with the opportunity to ask questions and share your experiences. Fellow students come from all walks of life, and courses are run and designed by leading colleges and universities.
Not only are they all free, but they can be done at your own pace and from the comfort of your own home. So, whatever your interests are and wherever you are in your career, with such a huge choice of free online courses available, why not check them out and join one today?
Open Learn – free learning from The Open University
“Making the decision to study can be a big step, which is why you’ll want a trusted university.”
The Open University has been delivering flexible learning for over 50 years. They currently have over 900 free courses on offer at Open Learn, with 170,000 students currently studying with them right now. You can sign up for their newsletter to hear about their new free courses as they are released.
Future Learn – 100% online flexible learning from world class universities and industry experts
Future Learn‘s free short courses are aimed to help you develop your hobbies, learn new skills and find career-changing expertise with their flexible courses. They are currently offering 1180 different courses, taken over 2 to 6 weeks, including 83 nature and environment courses, 197 computer and IT courses and 364 business and management courses.
They also offer specialist accredited courses and training in key sectors and industries as well as online degrees. Their online microcredentials courses are designed to upskill you for work in rapidly-growing industries, without the time and cost commitment of a full degree. These paid for courses can be used as an independent certification, with some even offer academic credits towards a degree.
Conservation Training – set up by The Nature Conservancy
Launched in 2009 to provide conservation based training to the global conservation community, they offer over 400 hours of free online courses.
Conservation Training courses cover topics such as the IUCN, conservation tools and biodiversity and are designed to improve your conservation knowledge. Their courses have been built in partnership with scientists from conservation organisations such as the IUCN, UNDP, UNEP, and CBD.
National Geographic – free courses from the National Geographic Society
Their six online conservation course – Exploring Conservation – is a free wildlife conservation series of courses aimed at educating everyone about the importance of conservation and how they can get involved.
Their self-paced courses explain key conservation issues, help you explore the biodiversity that makes up our planet and learn why saving these species is vital for the preservation of our planet. The courses were developed by United for Wildlife and the Zoological Society of London.
Wildlife Campus – offering a choice of free and affordable wildlife courses
Based in South Africa, Wildlife Campus has been teaching students online for over 20 years. They are a FGASA endorsed, having an international online virtual campus which offers a wide variety of wildlife related, natural science and Ecotourism courses, focusing on Africa.
Although their full courses are fee paying, they also offer a selection of free short courses. Their course content is available online and can also be downloaded in PDF format, which means you do not have to be online to study, making it easier if you are in an area with unstable internet access! You can also sign up for their free newsletter.