Working your way towards a career can be a challenging journey that, once completed, can reward you with a job that provides you with fulfilment, piques your interests and helps you maintain financial stability.
Though, the entryway into the many careers on offer can differ considerably. Some you can move into without qualifications or prior experience and work your way up into senior positions over time. Others are gated and are only accessible to you if you tick certain boxes.
Sometimes this can be workplace training in terms of an apprenticeship or similar hands-on training. Many other careers, however, require you to complete specific courses that bring you up to speed with the knowledge required to perform the job at the end of the process.
These are known as professional development courses, and by investing your time in completing them, you can access a vast number of prosperous and important professional careers. Below, we explore the concept of professional skills courses in more detail, and the different professional courses you can study online with learndirect.
Professional Course Meaning
With so many different types of courses and qualifications available in the education sector today, it’s no wonder people are confused as to what they need to complete to achieve their goals. You, like many other people, may way be wondering ‘What are professional development courses?’.
Professional qualifications are gained when you complete a course that is specifically focused on training you up for a particular career path or industry. This is because to work in that role or industry successfully requires a certain knowledge base and skillset, which must be learnt ahead of securing employment.
To make sure you have gained the exact knowledge required for the role, these professional training courses are regulated and awarded by professional bodies in the associated industry. This way, the courses can be updated in line with best practices as the industry evolves, and employers can be assured you are up to speed with the latest developments.
This is certainly one of the key benefits of professional courses, as they evidence that you meet the minimum required standards of professional expertise. They also prove your dedication to pursuing a career in your chosen industry.
There are a number of professions that require this type of training, and there are various ways you can complete these vital courses. Online professional development courses provide the most convenient way to tick the boxes required, as you can do your learning online, at home, at a time that works with your current schedule.
If you’re wondering ‘What professional course should I do?’, we have provided examples of professional courses that are delivered online with learndirect, plus the courses that can help you access them.
AAT Courses
If you’re interested in certified payroll professional online courses or professional courses in finance, the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) likely have the professional skills course you are looking for.
As the world’s leading professional body for accounting technicians, they help thousands of learners into professional accounting roles every year. They also provide a number of bookkeeping courses, should that be your preference of career.
Their accounting courses for working professionals range from Level 2 certificate, 3 diploma and 4 professional diploma, so anyone from a novice to someone already working in a financial role can gain the knowledge and certification they need to move into the role of an Accountant officially.
Access to HE Diplomas
These aren’t so much the professional qualification you need, they are more the facilitating courses that allow you to access a host of professional qualifications at university.
learndirect has an extensive range of Access to Higher Education Diplomas that provide the equivalent of three A Levels. That way, you can move on to a range of industry-recognised and approved degrees.
If you want to study professional courses in business management, our Access to Higher Education Diploma (Business and Management) will help you meet the requirements for a range of regulated business professional courses at university.
If you’re looking to study an approved engineering degree, our online professional engineering courses can help you get the knowledge and Level 3 qualification you need. You can go on and study professional courses in chemical engineering and other engineering fields depending on your interests.
Nursing and midwifery are also careers that require study of a Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) approved degree to qualify. With our online nursing and midwifery Access to Higher Education Diploma courses, you can meet the entry requirements of NMC approved degrees in most UK universities.
Business Analysis Courses
If you are looking for IT professional training courses, learndirect provide a host of online professional skills courses offered by the BCS. They are the Chartered Institute for IT, and they provide industry-leading qualifications that are highly desired across the entire business spectrum.
You can study online BSC business analysis professional courses that will make you a professional problem solver in any business. After which, you will be able to use computer technology, among a range of other tools to find solutions in data.
You can study components of BSC business analysis professional courses individually, or complete all elements in the overarching BCS International Diploma in Business Analysis.
CIPD Courses
There are also HR courses for working professionals, which can help you enter or advance your career in human resources and learning and development.
This is because learndirect provide a host of human resources professional courses on behalf of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). The CIPD is the professional body for experts in people at work, championing better work and working lives through the setting of professional standards for HR and people development, as well as driving positive change in the world of work.
You can study a foundation Level 3 professional course in people practice, then progress your knowledge through Level 5 advanced courses for HR professionals, or a Level 5 course focused on learning and development.
Dental Nursing Courses
Dental nursing is an incredibly popular career that can help make the dental patient experience more efficient and pleasant. You can get into this career by completing a course accredited by the National Examining Board for Dental Nurses (NEBDN), training which is now offered online through learndirect.
We provide the NEBDN National Level 3 Diploma in Dental Nursing, a professional skills course that can get you qualified as a Dental Nurse within a year and will enable you to join the General Dental Council (GDC) Register.
Foot Health Courses
If you are looking for an avenue of healthcare outside of dentistry, you might want to consider taking a professional skills course that qualifies you to work as a Foot Health Care Practitioner. This is a fast-growing area of employment as more people are experiencing foot health issues related to old age and conditions like diabetes, and the NHS only provides a fraction of the treatments required.
Our Foot Health Care Practitioner (RQF) Diploma Level 3 is a fully recognised qualification listed on the RQF (Regulated Qualifications Framework). It equips you with the knowledge, skills and competence required to work as a professional Foot Health Care Practitioner.
LEAP Courses
If you’re looking for a more active career or one that focuses on diet and exercise, you can study professional courses in personal training and sports coaching. learndirect provides LEAP Academy courses in gym instructing, gym instructing and personal training, and advanced sports nutrition.
These online health and fitness professional courses are written by academics and accredited by a leading awarding organisation. So, you can be confident you are gaining the ideal education required for these professional careers.
Mortgage Advisor Courses
For those who want to get into property-related roles, becoming a professional Mortgage Advisor is an excellent way to break into a line of work that is both in demand and financially rewarding.
UK mortgages are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), so your qualification needs to be too. That’s why all professional mortgage advisors have had to complete an FCA-accredited professional skills course in order to provide mortgage advice legally.
This professional skills course is the Certificate in Mortgage Advice and Practice (CeMAP), which you can complete online with learndirect. This professional skills course can be studied in separate stages or all at once, depending on what works best for you.
Project and Lean Management Courses
You can study courses for management professionals in business online that will help you gain the skills that will keep businesses operating a step ahead of their competitors. You can learn how to effectively roll out new products, services and solutions to keep the business offering fresh and in line with modern societal needs.
In a partnership with e-Careers, learndirect now provides a host of professional and industry-recognised courses in project and lean management, including Agile, Prince2 and Lean Six Sigma professional skills courses.
Veterinary Science and Animal Care Courses
If you love animals and want to turn your adoration into a rewarding career, there are a host of online professional skills courses relating to animal roles that you can study online.
No matter if you want to become a Zookeeper, Dog Groomer or a Small Animal Hydrotherapist, learndirect can help you achieve your goals with our animal-related professional development courses.
Enrol Today
No matter your career goals, should they require professional courses, UK learners can tick the boxes required with leandirect’s online professional training courses. As the leading UK distance provider, we have established multiple partnerships with awarding bodies and accredited education providers, allowing us to help learners unlock professional opportunities in a wide range of important careers.
From continuing professional development courses to fast-track professional skills courses, each is made more convenient through our innovative online learning platform.
Find out more by speaking with our Course Executives, they can run you through the host of online professional skills courses we offer and how you can get started as an online student. Call them now on 01202 006 464, reach out to us online or click to view our online courses below.
