Top 23 Free Online Courses in the Philippines

Free Online Certificate Programs and Courses

If you are in the Philippines and you are looking to enroll in some free online certificate or non-certificate courses, we have got you covered in this article, sit back and read.

The online education industry in the Philippines has experienced rapid growth, especially during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. This pandemic-driven growth is expected to double in pace over the next seven years as the Philippine government is steadily embracing online education.

Currently, there are tens of online education platforms and institutions operating in the Philippines, this new development has increased the accessibility of quality education in the Philippines. For more information on courses in the Philippines, see Courses with High Salary in the Philippines.

Are There Free Online Certificate Courses in The Philippines?

There are many free online courses in the Philippines with certificates, these courses are either offered by government agencies or by private agencies based in the Philippines or in foreign lands.

The government of the Philippines has opened its arms wide to welcome the new development, thus online courses and programs are abundant in the Philippines, with many new courses becoming available on a daily basis.

Enrolling in free online courses in the Philippines is easier than it has ever been, with many Massive open online courses (MOOCs) now available in the Philippines, all you need to do is to find a course of your choice and enroll in it.

9 Websites that Offer Free Online Courses in the Philippines

Top 3 Challenges of Online Education in the Philippines

  • Too expensive for the average individual
  • Widely ineffective
  • Disruption of Routine

Too Expensive for the Average Individual

With the Philippines being a developing with low access to the internet and computers, it is very expensive for an average couple in the Philippines to afford mobile data subscriptions so that their children and wards can enroll in online classes. It is even more difficult for parents who live under the poverty line, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Parents who live below the poverty line also find it difficult to afford the cost of electricity which is an essential asset for online lessons. They also find it difficult to afford quality smartphones.

Widely Ineffective

Online education in the Philippines is not as effective as classroom education, this is mainly because the tools and software used for these online classes are cheap and basic. As a result of this misfortune, teachers find it difficult to communicate with students and make lessons make less meaning to the students.

When students enroll in online classes, they are left to watch videos and read texts and only get to speak to the instructor for a limited time, and in some cases they never do.

Disruption of Routine

Online education in the Philippines does disrupt routines as in the case of Adelaide Dolar who has to run to her neighbor every morning asking to charge her mobile phone so her children can participate in online lessons. She also had to delay her business routines as she turned into a tutor and guide for her children whom teachers didn’t have enough time for.

Story reference: Distance learning in the Philippines: A year of hits and misses.

The following list contains the 23 courses, click or touch on any one of them to jump to the section on this document:

Top 23 Free Online Courses in the Philippines

Here are some free online courses that are available in the Philippines:

Agro-entrepreneurship

Institution offering course: TESDA.

This agro-entrepreneurship entrepreneurship course teaches the skills needed to perform many duties in the agro-business sectors, such as identifying and analyzing business opportunities, managing financial transactions, and carrying out feasibility studies on production.

When you complete this course, you will be qualified to work as a marketing manager or production manager in the agricultural industry.

There are five topics in this course:

  • Introduction to agro-entrepreneurship
  • Accessing market opportunities
  • Establishing the farm production plan
  • Handling finances
  • Marketing farm produces

For more information about the course, see Agro-entrepreneurship.

Public Service Values in Times of Adversities

Institution offering course: Civil Service Commission.

This course teaches students the most 4 most important virtues a public servant must possess: excellence, integrity, patriotism, and spirituality. This is one of the government free online courses in the Philippines. It is aimed at training the next generation of disciplined and nationalistic leaders.

There are six topics in this course:

  • Introduction
  • Patriotism
  • Integrity
  • Excellence
  • Spirituality
  • Integration of these essential values

For more information about the course, see Public Service Values in Times of Adversities.

Aquaponic Food Production

Institution offering course: TESDA.

Aquaponic food production as a course aims to teach students the best practices of aquaponic farming: the merging of aquaculture and hydroponic farming. Aquaponic farming brings about the rearing of plants and fishes in a symbiotic relationship.

Topics in this course:

  • Introduction to aquaponic farming
  • Setting up aquaponic systems
  • Maintaining aquaponic systems

For more information about the course, see Aquaponic Food Production.

Information and Communication Technology

Institution offering course: TESDA.

This course focuses on teaching students web development using CSS3 and HTML5, this course is only meant for front-end web developers and students who want to become front-end web developers.

This course has only 1 topic: Web development using HTML5 and CSS3.

For more information about the course, see Information and Communication Technology.

Digital Literacy

Institution offering course: TESDA.

Digital literacy is offered by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, the aim of the course is to help students acquire the knowledge and technical know-how of the basic computer programs and some intermediate-level programs.

This course contains two topics:

  • Wi-fi 101 and the digital thumbprint program
  • Microsoft digital literacy

For more information about the course, see Digital Literacy.

Organic Agriculture Production

Institution offering course: TESDA.

Organic Agriculture Production teaches students the basic skills they need to flourish in the organic agriculture industry with the Philippines as a case study.

Through this course, students will gain knowledge on the production of organic extracts used in bodily and medical care. This course also contains information on the production of organic fertilizers and vegetables. It also teaches students the essential skills for poultry farming.

Topics in this Course:

  • Introduction to organic agriculture
  • Formulating organic concoctions and extracts
  • Producing organic fertilizers
  • Producing organic vegetables
  • Raising organic chickens

For more information about the course, see Organic Agriculture Production NC II.

Massage Therapy

Institution offering course: TESDA.

This course was created to train massage therapists on the best approaches and techniques of massage therapy. This course teaches 3 variations of massage techniques: Swedish, Shiatsu, and Thai massage techniques.

Topics in this course:

  • Foundations of massage therapy
  • Fundamentals of massage therapy
  • Performing Shiatsu massage
  • performing Swedish massage

For more information about the course, see Massage Therapy NC II.

Caregiving to the Elderly

Institution offering course: TESDA.

The aim of this course is to teach people the best ways to provide care services to the elderly. The course is ideal for healthcare workers, especially those who work in elderly care homes. In this course, students will learn the best ways to give care to weak and ailing elderly individuals.

There are six topics in this course:

  • Introduction to caregiving
  • Developing the ability to recognize the aging process
  • Participating in the implementation and monitoring of the client’s care plan
  • Performing caring skills
  • Performing special care procedures
  • Assisting client in administering prescribed medication

For more information about the course, see Caregiving to the Elderly NC II.

Barangay Health Service

Institution offering course: TESDA.

Barangay health service course was developed to teach students the best community nursing practices. The course is suitable for community nurses and people who are interested in community nursing.

This course is made up of six topics:

  • Introduction to barangay health services
  • Assisting household to identify problems and promote health and wellbeing
  • Sharing knowledge and skills among members
  • Monitoring the health status of household members
  • Safekeeping of equipment, materials, and medical supplies
  • Maintaining a record of health activities

For more information about the course, see Barangay Health Service NC II.

Plumbing

Institution offering course: TESDA.

Plumbing is one of the government-free online courses in the Philippines offered through TESDA.

Students who enroll in this course will learn the basics of plumbing and they will also learn to estimate the cost of plumbing material in different situations. The situations include maintenance, construction, large-scale maintenance, and large-scale construction.

Topics in this Course:

  • Introduction to plumbing
  • Preparing estimation of materials for multiple plumbing units
  • Performing multiple plumbing units installation and assembly
  • Performing leak testing
  • Performing plumbing repair and maintenance work

For more information about the course, see Plumbing NC II.

Scriptwriting for a Video Material

Institution offering course: University of the Philippines Open University Multimedia Center.

Supported languages: English.

This course teaches how to write scripts for videos, the teaching focuses on scriptwriting for educational videos. This course is a pre-requisite for the next course: Creating Educational Materials Using PowToon.

At the end of this course, students should be able to write educational video scripts like professionals.

Creating Educational Materials Using PowToon

Institution offering course: University of the Philippines Open University Multimedia Center.

Supported languages: English.

This course teaches how to use the online animation tool PowToon to create educational materials. This course contains detailed information on how to use PowToon to create professional-looking animations for educational purposes.

After this course, students will be able to use PowToon to create educational videos suitable for kids and adults alike.

Business Analytics Concepts and Frameworks

Institution offering course: University of the Philippines Open University.

Supported languages: English.

Business Analytics Concepts and Frameworks is a free online created by the University of the Philippines Open University to help students understand the kind of frameworks and foundations that runs successful businesses of this era. It also teaches the best business concepts that are powering the most successful businesses in the world.

Students who enroll in this course will learn and understand the analytics data management approaches that ensure a business overcomes its challenges.

Introduction to Information Security

Institution offering course: Faculty of Information and Communication Studies, UPOU.

Supported languages: English.

This cause teaches about the vulnerabilities and security risks in cyberspace, this course contains information on how to protect your websites, files, and data from cyber-attacks. Students who take this course will learn how to detect vulnerabilities in devices and web applications, and also learn how to fix these vulnerabilities.

Blended Teaching and Learning Using OERs

Institution offering course: University of the Philippines Open University.

Supported languages: English.

This course was specially designed for teachers, with the Philippines as a case study. In this course, teachers will learn the most effective way of using Open Educational Resources (OERs) in their classroom lessons for the best results.

Creating Learning Materials Using Screencasting

Institution offering course: University of the Philippines Open University Multimedia Center.

Supported languages: English.

Creating Learning Materials Using Screencasting is a course developed by the multimedia center of UPOU. This course helps teachers gain the technical knowledge and skills they need to use screencasting for teaching.

Monetary Policy in the Asia Pacific

Institution offering course: The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

Supported languages: English, French, European Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.

This course teaches about the monetary policies of the countries in the Asian Pacific. It also teaches how these affect these countries’ finance, import, and export trade.

In this course, students will understand liquidity policies and the role they play in the economies of the Asian Pacific countries. They will also learn the challenges these countries are facing as regards the implementation of effective liquidity policies.

For more information about the course, see Monetary Policy in the Asia Pacific.

Understanding the Child Better

Institution offering course: University of the Philippines Open University.

Supported languages: English.

This course helps people gain a better understanding of children’s behavior and psychology. This course serves as a basic course for facilitating child development and rights. In this course, students will learn the best ways to support and protect children, especially those with special needs.

Teaching and Learning with Modern ICTs

Institution offering course: University of the Philippines Open University.

Supported languages: English.

Teaching and Learning with Modern ICTs is a course developed by the University of the Philippines Open University, the aim of this course is to teach teachers the best ways to integrate modern computer technologies into their classroom lessons for increased efficiency.

In this course, teachers will learn about the modern ICT technologies that can help them improve their teaching practices. They will also learn how to implement and incorporate these technologies in an online setting.

Cyber Security Policy for Aviation and Internet Infrastructures

Institution offering course: University of Colorado.

Supported languages: English, European Portuguese, French, Spanish, and Russian.

In this course, students will learn the different cybersecurity policies that are in place in the world’s aviation industries and internet infrastructures. This flexible course takes less than 10 hours to complete and is fully delivered online.

There are 4 topics in this course: (1) aviation infrastructure and transportation roadmap, (2) applied transportation roadmap, (3) internet infrastructure and CARMA, and (4) applied CARMA.

For more information about the course, see Cyber Security Policy for Aviation and Internet Infrastructures.

Asian Environmental Humanities

Institution offering course: University of Zurich.

Supported languages: English, European Portuguese, Simplified Chinese, French, Spanish, and Russian.

In this course, you will learn about the cultures and beliefs guiding environmental landscapes and affecting their appreciation and depreciation in Asia. This flexible course is meant for people with little knowledge of the course, students who complete the course will also get a certificate.

The course is made up of 5 topics: (1) the roots and routes of Asian environmental thought, (2) entangled landscapes, (3) Indian religious approaches, (4) the environment in India, and (5) east Asian environmentalism.

For more information about the course, see Asian Environmental Humanities.

Tagalog Filipino for Beginners

Institution offering course: Stay Curious Media Ltd.

Supported languages: English.

This course is for English speakers who want to learn the Tagalog Filipino language. This is ideal for non-Tagalog speakers who live in the Philippines or have plans of moving to the Philippines permanently. This course is also open to those who are curious and wish to learn Tagalog Filipino.

For more information about the course, see Tagalog Filipino for Beginners.

Introduction to Teaching English as a Second Language

Institution offering course: Alison.

Supported languages: English.

This course was designed with the aim of teaching English Language teachers the best practices and effective techniques they can use to teach for better results. This course is ideal for teachers of the English Language who are working in the Philippines.

There are 3 topics in this certificate course: (1) the learner, (2) student comprehension, and (3) teaching and assessing.

For more information about the course, see Introduction to Teaching English as a Second Language.