Short courses and microcredentials are designed to help you build a specific set of skills that will make an immediate impact on your career, all while saving valuable time and money.
At UTS, we love degrees, but we also recognise that it isn’t right for everyone and you don’t always need a whole degree to learn something new. Short courses can refresh your qualifications, enhance your resume and introduce you to new skills.
More and more people are choosing to improve their career opportunities with a short course or microcredential to achieve their professional goals sooner. In roughly 10 weeks, a short course can help you to upskill, save time, money and make an immediate impact on your career. Not sure how?
Here are eight ways short courses can provide opportunities for you to take control and advance your career ambitions.
1. Helps you stand out
Finding a good, preferably high-paying job in Australia, or anywhere for that matter, is an intense competition against other skilled professionals.
If you want a competitive edge and to stay ahead of your peers, it’s generally standard career advice that additional education and training is your way to stand out. In fact, most employers will look upon your applications more favourably if you spend your spare time upskilling. It shows that you’re self-driven and proactive - two of the most valuable qualities a potential employer will look for.
As a job seeker, completing job-oriented short courses is about more than just adding to your resume or CV, although it can be a big factor in getting to the top of the pile. It’s also about helping you meet the growing list of in-demand skills and knowledge in the 21st century such as information technology, social media and business analytics.
2. Flexibility
Flexibility is undeniably one of the biggest benefits of studying via short courses, particularly online short courses.
You get to pick and choose new skills to learn that will help you get ahead in the workplace, all without the financial commitment of a postgraduate or bachelor's degree. You decide exactly what modules and skills your money is being spent on from a huge range of study options.
This kind of course is designed primarily for professionals who want to learn something new or update their skills in the short term but don't have the time or resources to commit to studying full-time, especially alongside a full-time job. You can make it fit around your schedule, priorities and preferred study methods with courses just a few days long to six months or more. Plus, it’s sure to help with your time management skills too.
3. Gets you job-ready
With short courses, you demonstrate your eagerness to learn and other skills like time management and strategic thinking. This is exactly what employers want, especially if you’re just coming into a new company or role armed with new knowledge. By making this good first impression and starting strong, you’re opening yourself up for the long-term benefits of being known as proactive.
If, for example, you’re either new to the industry or have been out of work and are re-entering the workforce, taking a short course on your area of expertise can help you demonstrate that you have kept up with industry trends and are ready to begin working again.
With the wide range of short courses available, you’re sure to find one that can get you ready for a new (or returning) career in just a matter of weeks.
4. Enables you to reach your goals
Personal and career development is not only about accelerating your career, but it’s also about actively investing in yourself. One of the best things any professional can have is a growth mindset.
More and more job roles require multi-disciplinary workplace skills. As an example, you could have been hired as a communications manager, but find your role heavily relies on project management fundamentals. In this case, it might be worth taking an Agile Project Management or Six Sigma online short course so you can do your job more efficiently and confidently.
5. Unlocks more opportunities
The more you learn, the more you open yourself up to life’s opportunities. This isn’t just a motivational quote, it’s a fact in the professional world. When you learn a new skill, you develop your career and signal to your leadership and management that you’re ready for more responsibility or new challenges. This progression is usually the key to higher salaries.
From a formal education perspective, learning pathways like ours give you the opportunity to use courses like our microcredentials as building blocks toward achieving higher-level qualifications that may further increase your career prospects and progression.
6. Plugs knowledge gaps
You will never know absolutely everything there is to know about a particular subject or skill, no matter how much you study. This is because it’s all changing at all times, particularly in fast-growing industries. That’s why it’s natural to have gaps in your knowledge, even if you’re great at your job.
By choosing to study short courses, you can fill any gaps in your existing skills and bring yourself up-to-date on specific topics whenever you need to. Whether you’ve had some time out, need a refresher or simply think there’s more for you to learn, it’s worth exploring the courses available. Who knows, you may find something new.
7. Reinvent yourself
Sometimes a complete change is the best way to move forward in your career, but naturally, that can be a terrifying risk to take. Whether you want to turn a hobby into a professional career or just want to change careers and industries entirely, your first step is making sure it’s right for you.
One of the benefits of short courses is that you can sample a skill or industry before you commit. We even offer free taster courses that make it entirely risk-free to dip your toes in a new idea and explore industries you wouldn’t usually come in contact with.
With a career change, short-term courses also offer a place to start off small and build a foundation. While you probably have plenty of transferable skills already, depending on the industry you wish to enter, you’ll need specific, practical skills. For example, for a project manager to move into a computer science role, they’ll likely need upskilling in more technical areas and vice versa.
8. Creates networking opportunities
One thing that makes university short courses so valuable (as opposed to other training organisations and education providers), is that they’re a great way to build relationships and network with other current students, researchers and professionals in your field or even from completely different backgrounds.
Not only is it worth gaining inspiration from your network, but you might find future mentors, employers or job contacts down the road, or get the chance to collaborate with some of Australia’s leading industry practitioners with vast experience and expertise. By learning with UTS, you benefit from its vast alumni network. You might even make a few friends too!
Why choose UTS Open for your short course?
UTS Open enables you to take advantage of the university's world-class curriculum, academics, and industry connections to further your professional development and achieve your career goals. Find your course today.
