With technology constantly changing, it's important to hold the latest certifications - discover the IT courses that can take your career from beginner to professional level
An undergraduate degree or apprenticeship will get your foot in the door as you begin your information technology (IT) career. However, gaining additional knowledge through postgraduate study, a short course, or online learning is a great way to stay up to date with the latest technological developments.
This is especially important, as employers in the IT industry expect candidates to hold professional certifications to demonstrate expertise in specific:
- programming languages
- software packages
- methodologies.
After graduating, consider gaining some highly regarded industry certifications, such as those from non-profit industry bodies like CompTIA and (ISC)2, which demonstrate your technical skills to potential employers.
Agile for IT project management
To find a job in IT project management, you don't need a Masters degree, but it's a good idea to gain professional qualifications in the best practice methodologies used in the industry. The most popular of these is Agile.
Agile courses are available throughout the UK, such as through BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT.
The BCS Foundation Certificate in Agile is suitable for:
- business and IT professionals
- leaders and managers looking to understand Agile practices
- product owners, software testers and developers working in an Agile environment.
Upon completion, you can carry out various tasks, use your initiative, and schedule work for yourself and others.
BCS-accredited providers offer training for the one-hour multiple-choice exam, which costs £200, including the £35 remote proctoring fee (2026). The course usually takes three days of classroom-based learning, and the fees are typically set at between £500 and £2,000. There are no entry requirements for this certification.
After completing this foundation course, you can look to achieve practitioner status. BCS offers Agile Scrum courses for project managers and others interested in implementing Agile practices across their organisations.
Other project management certifications available from online training providers include PRINCE2 (PRojects IN Controlled Environments) Agile courses for those using the PRINCE2 methodology for managing their projects.
Learn more about the role of a project manager and discover how to become a project manager.
Cisco certifications
Providing the most popular certifications for network engineers, market-leading technology firm Cisco offers four technology pathways depending on where you're up to in your career.
These are the four main levels of Cisco certification (although there's also a Specialist training programme):
- Entry - Cisco Certified Support Technician (CCST).
- Associate - Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA), CCNA and Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) Cybersecurity, CCNA, CCNP, and Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) Automation certifications.
- Professional - CCNP Enterprise, CCNP Collaboration, CCNP Data Center, CCNP Security, CCNP Service Provider, CCNP Wireless, CCNA and CCNP Cybersecurity, and CCNA, CCNP, and CCIE Automation certifications.
- Expert - CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure, CCIE Wireless, CCIE Collaboration, CCIE Data Center, CCIE Security, CCIE Service Provider, Cisco Certified Design Expert (CCDE), and CCNA, CCNP, and CCIE Automation certifications.
The CCST certification allows you to demonstrate that you have the skills and qualifications to take on an entry-level IT role. The short modules prepare you for higher-level qualifications, for which you'll need more experience. The exams are taken online.
Find out more about Cisco certifications at The Cisco Learning Network.
Meanwhile, if you're a network engineer looking for a globally recognised certification not provided by a particular IT firm for its own products, consider the CompTIA Network+ qualification.
Cloud computing courses
If you're interested in becoming an expert in cloud computing, one option is to take a postgraduate course. You'll first need to have studied computer science or a related subject at an undergraduate level, although applicants with relevant professional experience may also be considered.
Masters programmes typically take one year to complete when studied full time, and course fees are around £10,000 for UK students.
For example, fees for the one-year, full-time MSc Cloud Computing from the University of Lincoln are set at £10,700 in 2026/27. The same course at the University of East London (UEL), which involves one year of study followed by a one-year industrial placement, costs £11,640, plus a placement fee of £3,500.
Search for postgraduate courses in cloud computing.
While this will give you a strong grounding in the topic, recruiters look for candidates who understand the cloud platform their company uses. Therefore, working towards professional qualifications may be the best way to develop your skills, especially if you aren't interested in the research element or are put off by the cost.
Online or short courses lasting one to three days usually cost hundreds (rather than thousands) of pounds.
To see what's available, visit the training websites of major cloud providers, including:
Cyber security courses
For those who want to work in a cyber security analyst role, further study and professional qualifications in cyber security are available.
In most cases, postgraduate courses at UK universities take one year to complete if studied full time.
Entry requirements tend to include a degree in a computing-related subject, but your application may be considered if you can demonstrate your interest in cyber security through work experience.
Masters-level study will prepare you for a career in the industry or further study in the form of a PhD.
Search for postgraduate courses in cyber security.
The UK intelligence agency GCHQ, through its National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), certifies a number of Masters and Bachelors courses. Successfully completing an accredited programme will help you to stand out when applying for jobs.
Once you begin your career, gaining professional qualifications will enable you to progress. The UK Cyber Security Council announced that the profession has been awarded Royal Chartered status. This means that those working in cyber security will be able to attain professional titles, including:
- associate
- chartered
- principal.
The Chartered Institute of Information Security (CIISec) provides assessments in the following specialisms:
- Cyber Security Audit and Assurance
- Cyber Security Governance and Risk Management
- Secure System Architecture and Design
- Security Testing
Cyber security certifications are also available from ISC2, an international membership association for industry professionals.
Another widely recognised qualification is the CompTIA Security+ certification. You can study this and other CompTIA courses through an accredited learning provider such as ITonlinelearning or The Learning People.
Read more about cyber security training.
ITIL 4 for IT service management
A career in IT service management (ITSM) involves ensuring that an organisation's IT services are delivered effectively, efficiently and reliably to customers.
In addition to a degree in an IT-related subject, employers expect you to have, or be willing to work towards, professional qualifications.
The most popular and globally recognised best practice certification in this area is ITIL (IT Infrastructure Library) 4 from PeopleCert.
ITIL certifications are available at foundation, managing professional and strategic leader levels, with two extension modules available to prepare you for the future. The ITIL 4 exams can be taken in the UK through an approved training provider.
ITIL 4 may prove useful for IT technical support officers and information systems managers.
Learn to code
If you want to work as an applications developer, you'll need qualifications that demonstrate your coding skills.
Employers look for at least an:
- HND (Higher National Diploma)
- foundation degree
- degree in IT, computer science or a related subject.
The key to becoming a software developer is to learn and practice one or more of the most in-demand programming languages, including:
- C#
- C++
- iOS/Swift
- Java
- JavaScript
- PHP
- Python
- Ruby
- SQL.
You can get started with coding courses on a learning platform like Codecademy.
Once you've secured an entry-level job, you may want to work towards professional qualifications, such as Oracle's Java certifications.
Postgraduate courses are available, particularly in the rapidly growing field of mobile app development. With a Masters, you'll learn about programming for Android, iOS and HTML5 for the mobile web and get hands-on practice at developing your own apps.
You'll typically require a degree in computer science or a related subject to get a place on a course, and in some cases, you'll also need to demonstrate existing programming skills.
Alternatively, explore video game careers if you're considering becoming a game developer.
Microsoft courses
Products made by Microsoft are used by countless organisations around the globe, and official Microsoft credentials demonstrating expertise in one or more of these are looked on favourably by employers.
Microsoft certification categories are now role-based, with beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels available based on the fundamental products required for each learning path.
For instance, Azure certifications are linked to job roles such as administrator and developer.
Oracle certifications
Oracle offers globally recognised qualifications for its products through the Oracle University portal.
Oracle is best known for its database software and for owning the Java programming language. The Oracle certification programme includes options for the following exams:
- Java
- Oracle Database
- Oracle Cloud Enterprise Performance Management (EPM)
- Oracle Cloud Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
- Oracle Cloud Human Capital Management (HCM)
- Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI)
- Oracle Cloud Supply Chain Management (SCM).
Well respected in the IT industry, Oracle certifications are available at a number of levels, including:
- Foundations - To gain basic knowledge of core concepts and services, you'll work towards becoming an Oracle Certified Foundations Associate. Whether you have a technical or nontechnical background, this level is ideal for those who want to validate their understanding and take on an administrator, developer or implementer role.
- Associate - Recognising the foundation and intermediate level skills of an Oracle Certified Associate, you'll need a technical background and an understanding of Oracle technologies. The training will prepare you for roles such as administrator, architect, developer, or data scientist.
- Professional - Focusing on advanced skills and a strong foundation in Oracle, the Oracle Certified Professional certification requires you to be skilled in Oracle concepts and able to apply them to real-world scenarios. You could use the certification to become a consultant, architect, or developer.
Software testing courses
By identifying bugs and other issues through manual and automated testing, software testers ensure that products created by developers are fit for purpose.
Postgraduate study isn't necessary, as launching your career in this area is usually possible with a diploma or degree in a computing-related subject. However, taking professional qualifications will allow you to progress further and demonstrate your skills to employers.
BCS offers a number of software testing certifications at both foundation and higher levels. The foundation qualifications are aimed at anyone involved in software testing or entering this field. For the more advanced certifications, it's recommended that you first complete the ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level and undertake some accredited training.
Web development courses
When looking to become a web developer, you'll need to decide on an area of specialisation and the programming language(s) you'll focus on.
Working on front-end code like HTML5, JavaScript, and CSS will give you a basic understanding of website structure, but you'll likely want to move on to back-end languages such as Python and Ruby on Rails.
To get started, you may wish to consider the Front-End Web Developer Professional Certificate from W3Cx.
If you're more concerned with the aesthetics and usability of a website, you could take a web design course. There are many online course providers offering introductions to this field. For example, Codecademy runs web design courses at beginner and intermediate levels.
There's some overlap with the marketing sector, so discover how to get into digital marketing.
Study an IT course online
Once you know which IT certification you want to work towards, you can take fully online courses, as well as hybrid programmes that also include some classroom-based study, to get up to speed with the theoretical knowledge you'll need to pass the exams.
These typically take one to five days to complete. Exams are often multiple-choice and last one to two hours.
Your employer may be willing to fund these IT training courses. The fees may include the cost of taking the exam itself, or you may have to pay for the assessment separately through the official provider. Be sure to check this before committing.
Both free and paid-for online courses in IT are available throughout the UK with organisations such as:
Find out more
- Explore big data courses.
- Discover the full range of IT graduate jobs.
- Consider doing an IT apprenticeship.