Continuing professional development

We offer a series of high-quality online courses, specially designed for professionals, that lead to formal continuing professional development (CPD) accreditation.

Studying CPD courses means both academic and practical qualifications do not become outdated, allowing you to continually up-skill, regardless of your occupation, age or educational level.

These courses are designed to be flexible so you can study at a time convenient to you.

Our online CPD courses

Aeroecology: Exploring Biodiversity with Radar

This course is designed to help scientists, researchers and ecology enthusiasts develop skills in using radar to explore biodiversity.  

You will explore the origins and evolution of radar from a military technology to a powerful tool with multiple scientific applications, including aeroecology. You will then be introduced to studying global biodiversity trends and learn how to evaluate traditional methods and emerging technologies used by scientists to monitor the natural world.

Sign up for Aeroecology: Exploring Biodiversity with Radar on Coursera

Renewable Energy: Sustainable Electricity Supply with Microgrids

This course explores global approaches to electrification via a national grid, off-grid, micro and mini-grids and reflects on the barriers to affordable, clean and fair access to electricity.

You will then delve deeper and discover microgrids. You’ll learn how and when to use them, how to plan for one and consider the socio-economic and environmental implications of their usage. 

This skills-based course will enable you to conduct a feasibility study for creating your microgrid in a small village and assessing its impact. 

Sign up for Renewable Energy: Sustainable Electricity Supply with Microgrids on FutureLearn

Renewable Energy: Achieving Sustainability through Bioenergy

This course will help you understand the principles of bioenergy, one of the most diverse and readily available sources of renewable energy.

You’ll learn how to harness this form of green energy to achieve sustainability. You will also explore the social, economic and environmental implications of bioenergy and get to know how it is used around the world.

This skills-based course will enable you to create real-life energy solutions and help you develop as a professional.

Sign up for Renewable Energy: Achieving Sustainability through Bioenergy on FutureLearn

Leadership in Arts Fundraising

Effective leadership is vital for successful fundraising in the arts and culture; a sector that heavily relies on external funding as part of its income mix.

This three-week course delivered by industry experts is designed to help you understand your role as a leader in developing and embedding fundraising with your arts organisation. 

You’ll learn how to evaluate the effect of your organisational culture and stakeholders' roles on the effectiveness of your current fundraising and explore techniques that help you develop organisational resilience and economic growth at all times. 

This online course will be of interest to anyone working or aspiring to work as a senior decision-maker in the arts and cultural sector.  

Sign up for Leadership in Arts Fundraising on FutureLearn

Essentials in Arts Fundraising

External investment and philanthropy have always been crucial for arts and culture organisations. As the sector recovers from the pandemic, fundraising is more important than ever.

This online course, led by experts in the area of arts fundraising, will let you pick up practical skills to help you fundraise from a variety of sources and build resilience, even in times of crisis.

This course will be useful to anyone working in the arts and culture industry who wants to take their first steps in fundraising or requires a refresher. 

Sign up for Essentials in Arts Fundraising on FutureLearn

Food Safety and Nutrition: A Global Approach to Public Health

This three-week course explores some of the key challenges of ensuring food safety faced by researchers, policymakers and individuals worldwide.

You’ll investigate some well-documented food scandals and scares as well as hidden or chronic exposures to contaminated food before you learn about innovations designed to counter food safety risks.

This course draws from innovative research into food safety and nutrition conducted by the University of Leeds, Jiangsu University in China, and The Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology in Tanzania.

Sign up for Food Safety and Nutrition: A Global Approach to Public Health on FutureLearn

A Nutritional Approach to Agriculture and Food Security

Modern agriculture and global food systems have become very complex and do not always provide people with affordable and nutritious food.

This course presents current research, which aims to place nutrition at the heart of the food system and will help you to develop skills to implement and evaluate nutrition-sensitive interventions yourself. 

This course is based on research led by experts in agriculture, nutrition and environmental sciences from the University of Leeds, the University of Pretoria and FARNPAN.

Sign up for A Nutritional Approach to Agriculture and Food Security on FutureLearn

Climate Change and Resilience in Food Systems

Even small climate changes can have large-scale consequences in agriculture and food systems with devastating effects on the people and their economies.

In this course, you will learn strategies designed to mitigate the impact of climate change, develop resilient food systems and create sustainable development in local communities. 

Sign up for Climate Change and Resilience in Food Systems on FutureLearn

Essential Skills for Your Career Development

Take charge of your career development and identify the skills you need to plan and achieve your career goals.

Sign up for Essentials Skills for your Career Development on FutureLearn

Communication and Interpersonal Skills at Work

Improve your communication skills at work and learn how to navigate positive collaboration in the modern workplace. In this course, you’ll learn the importance of matching your communication style with your work and project goals and learn how to manage and control challenging conversations.

Sign up for Communication and Interpersonal Skills at Work on FutureLearn

Computer Programming for Everyone

Discover the art of computer programming and learn what code can do. In this course, you’ll find out how and why people program computers. Using an introductory block language for coding, you’ll discover the kinds of problems that computers can help you solve. You’ll explore different types of coding languages and discover a variety of useful applications of code. 

Sign up for Computer Programming for Everyone on FutureLearn

Training and Learning Online

Training online or completing online courses as part of your work is very different to face-to-face learning as it often involves independent study and a different set of skills.

This online course has been developed to help you develop effective online learning strategies that work for you.

Discover how to learn from different media, how to communicate online or contribute to online discussions and how to effectively collaborate with others. 

Sign up for Training and Learning Online on Coursera

Innovation Management: Winning in the Age of Disruption

Learn how to manage innovation in this course developed by world-renowned academics in strategy and innovation from the Leeds University Business School and IBM.

Understand why organisations need to establish an innovation process and manage innovation systematically.

Sign up for Innovation Management: Winning in the Age of Disruption on Coursera

Improving Healthcare Through Clinical Research

Explore how medical treatments are discovered, tested and evaluated to improve healthcare for all. 

You will work through case studies and examine how research contributes to the treatment of major diseases, such as cancer and dementia, examining the process of conducting research and the ethical questions raised. 

This course has been certified by the CPD Certification Service as conforming to continuing professional development principles. By completing the course you will have achieved 16 hours of CPD time.

Sign up for the Improving Healthcare Through Clinical Research course on FutureLearn

Exploring Anatomy: The Human Abdomen

Explore the human abdomen and its many complex structures through stimulating discussions on surgical procedures.

This will help you to apply your understanding of basic anatomy to common clinical scenarios and introduce you to research being undertaken at the University.

Sign up for the Exploring Anatomy course on FutureLearn

Blended Learning Essentials: Digitally-Enriched Apprenticeships

This course aims to enrich apprentices’ experience using digital technology and open up opportunities for your organisation. 

You’ll learn how to weave in digital resources across the whole apprentice journey and how to develop your designs for a digitally enriched apprenticeship programme. 

Join Blended Learning Essentials: Digitally-Enriched Apprenticeships on FutureLearn

CPD collections 

Digital Marketing: Coding, UX and Creating Digital Content 

This course collection is designed for marketing professionals or anyone interested in increasing their digital marketing skills. Each course within this course collection explores an aspect that is central to digital marketing.

You will acquire basic coding skills for the web and discover the importance of user experience when creating an app.

You will also explore the basics of SEO, how to create online content and how to design an effective social media campaign. 

Sign up for Digital Marketing: Coding, UX and Creating Digital Content on FutureLearn

Problem Solving in the Digital Age

This course collection explores how you can use techniques and digital tools to find solutions to problems in the workplace.

You will build your decision-making skills by discovering techniques like design thinking and using data to make more informed decisions. You will learn how to determine which problem to tackle first and how to create a persuasive plan to get your colleagues on board.

As part of this collection, you will also discover human-centred design and how to create a successful product by focusing on people's needs. 

Sign up for Problem Solving in the Digital Age on FutureLearn

Skills to Succeed in the Digital Workplace

This course collection will allow you to improve your digital skills and build resilience in the modern workplace.

You will discover the foundations of a successful career in the digital workplace and pick up skills that will allow you to improve your career prospects.  

You will learn how to adapt and be resilient in the modern workplace and pick up skills that will allow you to collaborate in a remote team, present your work effectively and use social media to boost your employability. 

Sign up for Skills to Succeed in the Digital Workplace on FutureLearn

Blended Learning Essentials for Vocational Education and Training

This course collection is designed to help teachers or anyone supporting learning in the vocational education and training sector understand the benefits of blended learning and how to use technology effectively to support learners. 

Each course within this collection focuses on a different dimension of blended learning starting with basic methods, and moving on to tackling challenges to enable you to implement it in your practice and improve your learners' digital skills. 

This collection provides you with a flexible way to enhance your knowledge. 

Sign up for Blended Learning Essentials for Vocational Education and Training on FutureLearn

How do these courses work?

These courses can be accessed on FutureLearn or Coursera. No previous knowledge or experience is required.

There are extra benefits to upgrading to these courses, including:   

  • Go at your own pace with unlimited access to the course. Organisations can also use the course material as a staff development resource and training.
  • Ensure you’ve mastered the material with access to tests on the course.
  • Evidence of your professional development when you complete the course with a Certificate of Achievement, available in both digital and printed formats.

You can find more information on the FutureLearn and Coursera course pages.