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Corporate Professional Development (CPD) courses

Why study our CPD courses?

  1. Who are they aimed at?
  2. What is provided?
  3. How long do they take?
  4. LAW Courses
  5. 10 Hour Courses
  6. 20 Hour Courses
Get ahead

Get ahead in the world of work

Whether you’re working your way up in an organisation, looking for a new challenge or running your own company our Corporate and Professional Development Programme contains a range of leadership, management and specialist subject courses which can help you develop the skills, knowledge and attributes required.

Gain skills

Gain management skills and knowledge

Our courses provide the skills and knowledge you will need in your role as a manager or aspiring manager and will help build your confidence and reassure you that others are in the same situation. We will share ideas, practical tips, and tried & tested tools for you to think about in your own context and adapt to suit you. There will also be activities to help you connect the theory with your practice. 

Who are our CPD courses aimed at?

Whilst our courses are aimed at people in work, they are also very relevant and useful if you are currently seeking employment.  We suggest that if this is the case, you reflect on any previous experience in the workplace or select an organisation with which you are familiar. We also provide specialist subject courses which focus on specific areas.

Our portfolio of courses consists of:

'LAW' The first of our law courses is an introdcution to the UK immigration system and the laws that support it. It is suitable for anyone with an interest in this aspect of law, and is likely to be of particular interest to anyone considering becoming an immigration adviser. The second course, also created with our partner organisation HJT Training, is intended to help those interested in becoming an immigration advisor and to prepare for their OISC level 1 exam.

‘10 HOUR COURSES’ These courses are typically 10 hours in length aimed at individuals, entrepreneurs and managers in any type and size of enterprise, and in any industry sector. There is one assessed part to all 10 hour courses in the form of a quiz covering a range of topics at the end of the programme where you will be tested on the main learning points delivered throughout the course and on passing this you will be able to download a digital badge and a certificate as a record of your learning.

‘20 HOUR COURSES’ These courses are typically 20 hours in length aimed at individuals, entrepreneurs and managers with some knowledge and experience in the subject looking to further develop the depth and reach of your expertise within your organisation or community. These courses have the benefit of a group forum and specialist learning advisors available to offer support and advice.  There is one assessed part to all 20 hour courses in the form of a Practice Based Assignment (PBA), to demonstrate how you have applied, or are intending to apply, the theories and models you have learnt. Once completed and successfully passed you will be able to download a certificate of completion and digital badge.    

 

Programme

Learning 
hours

Cost

Group
forum

Learning 
adviser

Self-paced
An introduction to UK immigration law &
becoming an immigration advisor		 15 FREE No No Yes
Foundations of immigration law (OISC Level 1) 60 £249 No No Yes
10 Hour Courses 10 £150 No No Yes
20 Hour Courses 20 £250 Yes Yes Yes

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Additional features of our courses:

  • Examples from experienced managers or subject experts to help you contextualise the topics and better understand how issues can arise.
  • Theories and models created by researchers and practitioners based upon both research and experience. These can be used to help frame your thinking to come to conclusions about the best way forward. You will have opportunities to apply some of these to help you better understand your situation.
  • Access to a work portfolio tool within all 20 hour courses that allows you to upload activities throughout the course that will contribute to your Practice-Based Assignment (PBA). The portfolio tool will enable you to store and easily locate your work. It is also a collaborative space to share your work with other learners. 
Relating study to work

Relating your study to your work

The overall aim of each course is to help you be more effective in your role. To get the best out of your course(s), you should continually relate what you are studying to your practice at work. Your work context and all aspects of your organisation and the people there form a rich learning environment. You can learn by comparing the ideas from the course with what is happening in practice. 

While the actions of others are useful for learning, the most important area for reflection and learning is your own practice.  Each course will therefore ask you to reflect on your experience and current practice to help you understand the issues where you may need to develop. If you are not currently in work, you can reflect on previous experience and practice.

How much time

How much time do I need?

You have the option of either 20 hour courses or 10 hour courses. The duration of our LAW courses will vary. All courses have been carefully designed so you can choose your own pace of learning and you have the flexibility to study at the times and pace that suit you. You could complete your course in an intensive time frame or in short sessions over a couple of months, however we feel that you will get more out of each course if you undertake all the activities relating the concepts into your own context, and you may well benefit from revisiting the materials and activities even once you’ve completed the course. Sometimes work and life presents opportunities to try things at once, other times you may want to wait for the right time. 

Payment methods

Payment methods

You have the following payment options for registering on our CPD courses:

Card payments  We accept credit or debit cards from American Express, Mastercard, Visa or Visa Electron. You can use your card to pay online through the CPD Learner Dashboard, once you have set up an account, select the course required and follow the payment instructions.

Sponsorship  If your employer is willing to sponsor by paying some or all of your course fees they can do this either by paying by card or by emailing CPD-Support@open.ac.uk and providing a purchase order and/or requesting an invoice.  This can be particularly beneficial if your employer is looking to sponsor a group of learners.

Bank Transfer  If you or your employer/sponsor prefer to pay by bank transfer, please email CPD-Support@open.ac.uk with details of your course and we will provide you with our bank details.

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CREATE portfolio

 Our Law courses cover immigration law to allow you to develop a particular interest or deeper knowledge of this subject.

 As with our 10 and 20 hour courses these are work-based with insights from subject matter experts and trainers with experience in setting and marking OISC examinations. Duration and prices vary for these courses.

An introduction to UK immigration law and becoming an immigration advisor
This FREE course has 15 learning hours of self-paced study and is designed to introduce UK immigration law and advice to anyone with an interest in this area, and will be of particular interest to anyone considering becoming an immigration adviser. 
Register now                                        Find out more

Foundations of immigration law (OISC Level 1)
This course is designed to equip learners with the skills and knowledge required to prepare for the OISC (Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner) Level 1 examination. 

Register now                                         Find out more

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Relating study to work

These are 10-hour self-paced courses which you work through at your own speed. We don’t expect you to have any prior knowledge or experience of the subject.

To demonstrate and provide evidence of your learning, you will be invited to complete an of end of course quiz to test your understanding and knowledge. Upon passing you will obtain a certificate of completion and a digital badge.

Introduction to business and workplace coaching
Coaching is highly valuable to any manager, professional or volunteer working within a person or team focussed role, to enable and support others to thrive in their lives and work. In this course you will have the opportunity to undertake coaching practice and develop coaching experience by interacting with those around you. 
Register now                                         Find out more

Analytical thinking for resilience
We need to apply analytical thinking to engage with complex issues and to tackle problems in an effective way wherever we work. In this course you will have the opportunity to develop these exciting skills which will allow you to improve your impact and work more effectively with others. 
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Storytelling for the future of work
Stories are an integral part of social and organisational life. Understanding the purposes they are used for and what they can achieve, can help your professional development. This course enables you to understand stories in the workplace and the implication these have on organisational management. 
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Behavioural insights for the future of work
In human-centred thinking, people are perceived to be the organisation so we need to understand how and why people interact with each other diferrently. In this course you will explore the value of appreciating different identities and diversities in the workplace, focus on behaviour models and how to apply them.
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Collaboration for the future of work
Organisations where collaboration is part of the culture tend to be more resilient and able to make the most effective use of the talents management. In this course you have the opportunity to develop specific skills and behaviours that will increase the probability of successful collaboration in your working life. 
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Evaluating financial performance
Within a business there could be a wide range of financial and non-financial performance information that is routinely collected and acted upon. In this course you will deal with performance measures that can be calculated from information in a business’s or public sector’s published, audited financial statements.
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Understanding financial statements
In business we need to understand how financial statements are prepared and audited and these differ depending on the organisation type. This course will help you understand and interpret the three types of statements: operations over the period, what the company owned and what they owed in that period how they generated cash and what they did with it.
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Managing in the digital era
Being a manager is a demanding job that requires skill, particularly in our everchanging digital era.

This course is designed to enable you to develop the skills you need to make your first move into management effective for both you, your colleagues and your organisation. 
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Creativity for the future of work

Creativity can be used to solve business and personal challenges. In this course you will learn how creative professionals in various fields apply creativity in their daily practice and working lives. You will have the opportunity to reflect on your own creative journey so far, whilst learning new tools, skills and approaches to add value to your teams and organisations.  
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Purposefulness for the future of work

When an individual or organisation focuses on making meaningful change with a clear purpose, it guides people through change and motivates them to engage. Whether you want to define purpose for yourself or your orgnaisation, this course will help you articulate and enact purpose, and bring more focus to your working life.  
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Design thinking in the digital era

A human-centred approach to developing user centred innovation with design thinking gives competitive advantage. This course is a hands-on learning journey that will help you develop the creative thinking skills you will need to innovate in an organisational context. You will learn how to innovate based on user insights, developing ideas and generate innovative solutions.  

Find out more

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CREATE portfolio

Studying these 20-hour courses at your own pace, you will have access to a Learning Advisor who will provide you with additional support and guidance.

To demonstrate and provide evidence of your learning, you will complete a number of activities as well as a Practice-Based Assignment (PBA), to demonstrate how you have applied or are intending to apply the theories and models you have learnt. Once completed and successfully passed, you will receive a certificate of completion and a digital badge.

Developing a coaching culture
A coaching culture is supportive and developmental, where we give and receive feedback that helps us learn and develop skills, attitudes and behaviours for the benefit of ourselves and others. Expanding on core coaching skills, working creatively & connecting with others to develop new insights and visions.   
Register now                                           Find out more

Managing a budget
By managing budgets you can use financial ideas in managerial decision making in your workplace. In this course you will have the opportunity to use financial techniques in managerial decision-making and to become more confident about dealing with finance professionals in their organisation.  

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Managing for change in the digital era
Being able to plan for, manage and implement change has never been more important for all types of organisations. During this course you will examine the need to apply a human centred approach to change management.
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Implementing policy to combat uncertainty
Throughout this course you will have the opportunity to consider how policies and the macroenvironment affect your organisation. You will also learn to use machine learning software to collect data and evidence.

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Developing business in the digital era
This course will enhance your knowledge of design & innovation for sustainability and added value creation in order to create your business design using a structured, iterative and repeatable process.

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Effective communication in the digital era
We all need excellent communication skills, particularly now in the digital era. In this course we explore approaches to communication at individual, organisational and society levels, enabling you to communicate more effectively in a rapidly changing digital society and economy.

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Developing strategy to combat uncertainty
This course looks at the role of strategies in building resilience to challenges many individuals and organisations face in modern reality. You will learn what a strategy is, who can be a strategist and how you can develop a strategic mindset.
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New courses due in 2023:

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