Do Employers Accept Online Courses?

There was a time when employers would have been hesitant to accept online qualifications over someone who had attended college or university; however, in the last decade, this has dramatically changed—even more so amid COVID.

What has changed?

Even before COVID arrived, more and more employers were beginning to recognise the value of online courses. This is as a result of online course providers going above and beyond to ensure that an awarding body regulated and accredited their courses.

In doing so, they ensured that their courses were no different from those studied on campus, as the syllabus was the same. The only difference was that you would have studied the course material at home instead of in a classroom.

How can you ensure that you’re studying a regulated course?

The key is to do your research and make sure that the online course has been accredited by a recognised awarding body such as RQF. If you cannot find any trace or evidence that it has been regulated, then the course is unlikely to be recognised and won’t hold as much value with employers.

Another thing you can do is compare the syllabus of your online course to that of a college or university-taught qualification. Again, if it matches and has been regulated by the same awarding body, then you can feel confident that employers won’t pick others over you.

Should you do an online course?

There is no denying that online courses can make your life incredibly simple, especially if you want to return to education but still need to work.

With distance learning, you have the advantage of being able to learn at a time, pace, and location of your choosing while also being able to manage how you learn. For instance, instead of your lecturer only giving you a one-hour lesson to comprehend a subject before they move on, you can take as long as you need to absorb the information before continuing with your studies.

There is also the advantage that online courses are distinctly cheaper than attending a class. Why? Because your fees won’t be used to fund your lecturer’s salary. Instead, you can benefit from a smaller fixed fee that you can pay in instalments.

So if you’re considering returning to education, why not choose an online course today? Easier, cheaper and valued just as much as college or university-earned qualifications, you can learn on your terms.

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The Association of Learning provides high-quality, accessible online education. Collaborating with awarding bodies like AQA, Edexcel and OCR, they offer over 250 globally recognised courses. Highly rated with 4.7/5 on Trustpilot, they're listed on Reed Courses, FindCourses and more. Explore inspiring learner stories. Contact their friendly team for quality, flexible learning opportunities to upskill your career.

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