Soft skills are as important to long-term success as hard skills, and online courses can be a great way to learn.
Since the start of the new year, SiliconRepublic.com has covered soft skills in a variety of ways, for example in pieces covering meta skills and the must-have soft skills for 2026. So, what better way to continue that trend than to explore some of the free and relatively inexpensive courses that can enable a professional to sharpen up those soft skills?
Alison
Online learning platform Alison has a free Soft Skills for Professionals course aimed at professionals looking to either find a role or excel in one via a range of interpersonal skills. The course description states that participation will teach students 10 soft skills that professionals will need in their working lives, for example in communication, adaptability, flexibility and negotiating, among others.
There are four modules and the average time it takes to complete the course is typically between one and three hours. To complete the course and receive a certificate, students will need to achieve more than 80pc in their assessments.
Coursera
While payment down the line may be required, learning platform Coursera offers several free trials for its soft skills courses. Professionals can avail of courses such as Developing Interpersonal Skills, Foundations for Interviewing with Confidence, People and Soft Skills: Essential for Professional Success, and People and Soft Skills Assessment.
Depending on the course, the time needed to complete learning could range from one week to several months, with the free trial giving you time to figure out if a course matches your ambitions. Courses are aimed at everyone from beginners all the way through to those looking to learn specialist knowledge.
Great Learning
For professionals in the IT space, Great Learning’s Soft Skills for IT module is an ideal learning opportunity. Modules include: an introduction to soft skills; soft skills and their importance; soft skills to possess; effective communication; and team work, alongside others.
The free course starts at beginner level, takes around 1.5 hours, tests users with a range of quizzes and awards the student with a certificate upon completion of the course. Great Learning states that the course will help professionals to be noticed by recruiters, earn a job and showcase their skills online.
Skills Connect
Skills Connect, which is an initiative developed by Skillnet Ireland, offers a number of free programmes designed to enable jobseekers to get back into the workplace. The strategy offers free training to help jobseekers develop the technical and soft skills that employers are looking for today. Additionally, some of the programmes offer practical work placements or projects. To apply, participants will have to meet certain criteria, which can be found on the group website.
OpenLearn
OpenLearn, a free educational platform operated by The Open University, has a diverse range of free soft skills courses open to students and professionals. Courses are relatively flexible, but the website suggests committing roughly three hours a week to study for a period of around eight weeks. However, you can commit as much or as little time as you have available, as materials exist online. Course titles include Succeed in the Workplace and Effective Communication in the Workplace.
According to OpenLearn, professionals and students will come away able to properly and effectively communicate in the workplace, with the ability to manage different personality traits, social attitudes and scenarios that require emotional intelligence. Its website says: “Everyone can benefit from some focused training and development to help them realise their full potential. OpenLearn has a number of courses you can study to enhance your soft skills right now”.
So, if you have the time and want to expand your professional capabilities and workplace relationships, why not consider taking up a course in soft skills? You might soon find that it gives you an unexpected edge.
Don’t miss out on the knowledge you need to succeed. Sign up for the Daily Brief, Silicon Republic’s digest of need-to-know sci-tech news.
