Online Courses in Singapore – Corporate Training, Career & Skills

Why take online courses? Because it is the new trend?

No.

Because it allows you to learn and grow as a person. Whether you love to dance, practice mixed martial arts or tell stories through filmmaking, online courses can allow you to develop your interests. 

But can you get a job after building new skills online?

You bet! There are many online courses that give universities a run for their money. You can learn a new language, become a data scientist or learn how to code. It is as easy as plug and play.

You can even get an Ivy League education by taking courses from universities like Harvard and Yale. And it won’t burn a hole in your pocket. In fact, it can be free!

1. SkillsFuture – Get Your Online Training Funded by the Government
2. Creative Courses for Hobby Development
3. Courses That Teach In-Demand, Hard Skills
4. Corporate Training
5. Before You Start an Online Course
6. Reasons to Take An Online Course
7. In-Demand Online Courses For Your Next Career Move
8. Top Online Courses Websites
9. Top Free Online Courses in Singapore Worth Taking a Look

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1. SkillsFuture – Get Your Online Training Funded by the Government 

Yes. The Singapore government’s SkillsFuture scheme provides grants to people who aim to advance their skills and become more employable. In fact, every Singaporean citizen over 25 years of age receives an opening credit of S$500 to advance their skills. 

According to survey, 75 percent of Singaporeans intend to use the SkillsFuture programme to advance their skills in the next couple years. Some think that the S$500 amount isn’t much. But in our opinion, it is definitely an incentive that every Singaporean must use.

As per government directive, the goal of SkillsFuture is to promote lifelong learning and bridge the gap between skills taught in school and skills needed in today’s fast paced economy.

2. Creative Courses for Hobby Development

Here are the different hobbies online courses are helping people develop:

• • Dancing
  • Cooking
  • Filmmaking
  • Martial Arts
  • Acting
  • Screenwriting
  • Drawing
  • Make-up
  • Yoga
  • Guitar
  • Knitting
  • Magic and illusion
  • Writing
  • How to Make Jewelry
  • Language

3. Courses That Teach In-Demand, Hard Skills

Although exploring your hobbies is great, you need to build marketable skills to earn money. Here are some of the most in-demand skills you can build with online courses:

• Coding
• Web Development
• Data Science
• Cloud Computing
• Business Analytics
• Machine Learning
• Analytical Reasoning
• UX Design
• Sales 
• Video Production
• Copywriting
• Project Management
• Foreign Language
• Search Engine Optimization

If you want to build lucrative skills, check LinkedIn’s list of highest paying jobs of 2019 and select a corresponding course from the websites mentioned in this guide.

4. Corporate Training

If you are a C-level executive, you can use online training to help your employees advance their skills and produce better results for your company. Cegos is one such provider of training and development solutions for corporations around the globe.

Singapore’s Corporate Training Now Available on Udemy

The power of online learning is apparent by the fact that Singapore’s leading training providers are now offering their courses on the well-known e-learning portal, Udemy. Many corporate training organizations such as NTUC LearningHub, Training Vision, ROHEI Corporation and Imageworks are bringing their training to the mass market platform, Udemy.

5. Before You Start an Online Course 

If you have been wondering how to earn more money, upgrading your skillset is the best way forward. But there are some questions to ask first:

1. What are your passions and skills?

Ivy League Education is great, but it is always better to have that level of education in a field you are passionate about. 

Take stock of your hobbies, passions and skills. What kind of work comes naturally to you? Perhaps you are a good communicator or you may have a unique way to observe the nuances of a business and form a solid business strategy. 

Imagine becoming a high-paid professional in the field of your choice. That is an opportunity you don’t want to let go.

2. What skills can you build?

Once you have a good idea of what you want to do, match it to the opportunities open to you. If you have acquired some skills in the past, it may be better to specialize in those skill areas depending on how lucrative they are. It is a fact that specialists are paid more than generalists.

3. How lucrative is this career path?

Whether you are looking for a lucrative job or a hefty promotion, you need to make sure that the course will make you eligible for that goal. Assess the opportunities you will get once you complete the course. 

Talk to some experts in your field on LinkedIn, ask for their opinion. You can also talk to some hiring managers in your field. They will tell you how effective a course can be at getting you a job or a promotion.

6. Reasons to Take An Online Course

Paid online learning can be a serious investment High quality online courses cost anywhere from $200 to $1000. Some cost even more. Before you invest in online learning, know why it is worth it:

1. Upskill Fast without Paying Loads of Money

Traditional education takes a mammoth amount of investment and time before you can reap any results. University courses can cost as much as S$500,000 and take two to four years of your time. 

You can’t hold a full-time job or financially support your family while going to college. On the other hand, you may have to work part-time just to cover your living expenses.

On the other hand, online courses in Singapore give you the time to continue with your job and learn at your own pace. You get to learn from the experts in a structured format where you can post questions and get your doubts resolved. 

It takes about six months to complete an online course. In six months, by spending 0.002 percent of university fee, you become competent to target the next move in your career. 

2. Ivy League Education

Everybody wonders how to earn more money. But not everyone gets to study at an Ivy League university. Not everyone can move abroad to an entirely new country or pay the insane level of tuition fee. 

But online courses don’t have difficult barriers to entry. The prerequisites are quite basic and almost anyone can enroll in a course they want to get professional expertise in.

3. Learn From the Best

Online learning allows you to learn from the pioneers in their field. People who have made a mark in their industry and have practical experience. 

In universities, you cannot choose who you learn from, but in online learning, you get to learn from the proven experts in your field. At SmileTutor, hundreds of students have improved their academic performance by learning from experts.

4. Specialize in your field

If you take an online course, you can earn a specialization within a matter of months. However, if you try the traditional way, it may take six to ten years before you are qualified. This is not about just saving a couple years here and there. This is about your life. It is invaluable. You will never get this time back. So use it wisely.

5. Set your own schedule

Online courses demand that you are self-motivated. But on the positive side, you get to be your own boss and learn at your own pace. You don’t have to wake up early in the morning to attend classes. If you are a night owl, you can take the classes online at night and set your own schedule. Online courses provide structure in the long-term but allow a lot of flexibility on a day-to-day basis.

7. In-Demand Online Courses For Your Next Career Move

If you have been wondering how to earn more money, here are the most in-demand online courses in Singapore that will get you hired or promoted fast. We have curated this list after an in-depth survey of the highest paying jobs.

1. Computer Languages and Programming 

Computer programming is one of the most in-demand skills today. If you become a master in this field, you can earn a fat paycheck every month. Software developers, who know how to use advanced programming languages like Python, are some of the highest paid professionals in the world. Here are some quality courses on Computer Languages and Programming:

a) Introduction to Computer Science by Harvard University

If you want to gain a broad understanding of computer programming, look no further than this course. It teaches you about computer algorithms and how to solve programming problems. The course duration is just ten weeks and you get to learn from Harvard University professors. This is the perfect deal for beginners!

Course Link: https://www.edx.org/course/cs50s-introduction-to-computer-science

b) Programming for Everybody (Getting Started With Python)

This is also a beginner-level programming course, for those who want to learn Python online. In this course, you will learn to install Python and write your first program. It is one of the best Python courses in Singapore and will teach you how to use variables to store, retrieve and calculate information. 

Course Link: https://www.coursera.org/learn/python

2. Web Development

Just as computer programmers make software for computers, web developers use computer languages to create beautiful websites and user interfaces. Here are the top web development courses worth taking a look:

a) Dash

If you want to learn HTML, CSS and JavaScript, Dash can show you the ropes and teach you how to design a modern website while having fun with it.

Course Link: https://dash.generalassemb.ly/

b) Introduction to HTML and CSS

If you want to learn web development from scratch, this course by Udacity will serve you well. This is a free course by Udacity for aspiring web developers.

Course Link: https://www.udacity.com/course/intro-to-html-and-css–ud001

c) Front End Developer

For those who want to become expert web developers, online degree courses by Udacity, known as a nanodegrees, will teach you everything about building quality websites and online applications. The duration of this course is four weeks and you need to put in five to ten hours each week. No biggie, right?!

Course Link: https://www.udacity.com/course/front-end-web-developer-nanodegree–nd0011

3. Academia

If you wish to learn academic topics, whether it’s an adult language, a diploma or tertiary module you’re struggling with, or even subjects like Math and Sciences for Primary, Secondary, or Junior College, SmileTutor offers it all via their online tuition platform.

4. AI and Data Science

We all realize that AI is a lucrative field because of its ability to automate and optimize a vast majority of jobs on the planet. Here are some top AI and Data Science courses:

a) Machine Learning

This AI course is offered by Stanford University and teaches the basics of data mining, machine learning and statistical pattern recognition.

Course Link: https://www.coursera.org/learn/machine-learning

b) Introduction to Big Data

This data science course is offered by University of San Diego and teaches the foundation of data problems, applications and systems. You get to work on various skills such as big data and apache hadoop.

Course Link: https://www.coursera.org/learn/big-data-introduction

5. Design

Steve Jobs once said that, “Design is not how it looks, design it how it works”. His philosophy has made Apple a trillion dollar company today. If you get inspired by beautiful designs and want to make your own, here are some courses for you:

a) Fundamentals of Graphic Design

This is one of the best Coursera courses by California Institute of Arts will teach you the basics of graphic design. You will learn how to make beautiful images worthy of going on the billboards; how to work with typography, composition, colors and shapes.

Course Link: https://www.coursera.org/learn/fundamentals-of-graphic-design

a) Basic 3D Animation Using Blender

If you love animated movies, you will love this 3D animation course from IIT Bombay. You will learn key framing, timing and animation using the open source Blender tool.

Course Link: https://www.edx.org/course/basic-3d-animation-using-blender

6. Cloud Computing

According to LinkedIn, cloud computing is the number one in-demand skills companies look for in their employees. Here is a brilliant course to learn this valuable skill online:

Cloud Computing by Stanford

You can learn cloud computing from an ivy league university sitting from the comfort of your home. It doesn’t get better than that. This course teaches you how software delivery has changed over the years from CD to SaaS. You will learn from none other than Silicon Valley CEOs.

Course Link: https://online.stanford.edu/courses/cs309a-cloud-computing

8. Top Online Courses Websites   

There are so many websites for online education that selecting the right one can be difficult. To make it easy for you, here are the top online courses websites:

1. Coursera

Coursera is number one on our list because it provides online courses on a wide range of subjects including specializations in many. On top of that, it has collaborated with some of the best universities to provide ivy league level education.

2. Khan Academy

Khan Academy is a non-profit that provides free online courses. It focuses on academic subjects like math, science, engineering and economics.

3. EdX

EdX is a non-profit platform that offers quality courses for free. Who would not want to take MIT and Harvard’s free online courses once in their lifetime. You can find quality courses on a range of subjects from computer programming to language and humanities. It also offers advanced programs such as online master’s degree, online certificate courses and MicroMasters program.

4. Udacity

Udacity focuses on offering skills that help people make their next career move. Professionals who want to take advanced courses will benefit especially from Udacity. Their nanodegrees are known for providing expert level knowledge on in-demand skills.

5. Code Academy

Do you want immediate feedback on your coding efforts? Code Academy has got you covered. With its straight-forward lessons and a proven curriculum, it is one of the best tools to become a better coder.

Other online learning sites worth taking a look:

• Udemy
• Lynda
• Skillshare
• Mooc
• Emeritus
• iTunesU Free Courses

9. Top Free Online Courses in Singapore Worth Taking a Look   

If you want to know what it is like to learn from an online course, a free course is the best way to start. Here are the best free online courses:

• Digital Marketing by Google’s Digital Garage

It is a dream of millions of tech employees to work at Google one day. Then why miss a chance to learn from the company itself?

Google’s digital garage offers free online courses in a variety of categories including digital marketing, data and tech and career development. You can check the full list of courses here.

• Sales Course by Hubspot

Hubspot offers high quality free online courses on various subjects such as inbound marketing, content marketing, online video marketing and social media. Since sales is one of the highest paid professions in the world, the Inbound Sales Certification from Hubspot is a no-brainer for aspiring sales professionals.

• Developer/Coder Courses

There are many websites offering free online courses on coding or development. Coursera courses on coding can impart you with marketable skills. Other than that Udacity, Alison and Udemy are the websites you should check out for courses on coding or software/app development.

Conclusion 

Online courses in Singapore are transforming the way people learn. Traditional education is extremely expensive and takes the best years of your life. 

Many university courses have become outdated because of the rapid changes in science, technology and other spheres of life.

In this ever changing landscape, if you want to be a highly competent professional, this guide will help you along the way.

But becoming a valued professional starts from good academic performance in school. Learn from our expert tutors to get ahead of the curve and lay a foundation for a bright future.