You do not need to pay a fortune to learn and continue learning. There are many online education websites and platforms for academic courses, as well as courses for professional and personal development. The advantage of online learning is you can do it anywhere and anytime, making it ideal for lifelong hospitality professional learners. However, it is unfortunate that there are also many education scams and organizations offering unrecognized qualifications with high cost. To safeguard your time and money, do a thorough diligence in researching organizations offering online courses before you pay and dedicate time studying these courses. Also, ask around your network for advice about certain courses if it is beneficial to your career goals.
There are several Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) offering free courses. This page is dedicated to help you find FREE relevant courses for hospitality professionals, either academic or for your personal and professional development.
Please note that some courses, although free to study, you may have to pay certain amount to add a verified certificate. There are also courses that are part of a program and you may have to pay other courses to complete it. Also, certificates from these courses may not be recognized by all employers. However, more and more employers, recruiters and HR professionals are aware of MOOC as learning opportunity. Your certificate is a proof that you have additional skills, knowledge and commitment to learning. This will set you apart from other applicants. You can include your certificate/s in your resume and LinkedIn profile. Our advice is to stick to courses related to your job and career advancement.
Here are few non-comprehensive websites of open online courses that may add value to your personal and professional development:
There are several free courses related to hospitality. The courses are free, but you may have to pay to add a verified certificate. There are courses with academic credits too. Also, edX have courses related to mental health that may be essential for hospitality workers’ personal development, such as emotional intelligence, mindfulness, resilience to stress at work.
Free courses related to Hotel Management – Revenue, Food and Beverage Management and Sustainable Tourism. The courses are free, but you may have to pay to add a verified certificate. There are courses available related to personal development, wellbeing and mental health with instructors coming from reputable universities.
There are available free career advancement non-degree courses such as interview preparation, updating your resume, strengthening personal brand and network, crafting your cover letter and other courses related to career advancement.
If you are a non-native English speaker, this platform offers free English language courses including understanding IELTS. The course provider is British Council.
Hospitality Organizations Offering Free Courses Online
If you are thinking about a career in culinary, this organization offers free online Pre-Commis training program.
American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institute
Provides few free courses to add in your hospitality skills. Check their website from time to time for available free courses update.
A hospitality networking portal and job board featuring worldwide jobs in the industry. Although they have mostly paid courses for professional development, they have few courses which are free for registered members.
Proctor and Gamble Professional University
Provide free courses to those who hold professional certification from American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institute that will count toward Certified Hospitality Housekeeping Executive (CHHE) and Certified Food & Beverage Executive (CFBE).
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