Free courses in South Africa: 3 good options to get started today

Three free training programs that accept residents of South Africa, what each one teaches and how to enroll.

🇿🇦 What do you want?

FREE

How to sign up for the free course›

FREE

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Each course has different age and enrollment rules. Choose a guide above and see if it works for you. 👆

There are free and legitimate courses for people living in South Africa: artificial intelligence training for unemployed youth, self-paced cybersecurity courses and Google digital skills courses.

This guide explains each option, who can participate and how to enroll on the official website, at no cost.

How it works

Choose the courseSee which matches your age and goal.

Enroll on the official websiteThe button in each guide takes you there.

Study and completeOn your phone or computer.

🆓

Freeall 3 main options

🇿🇦

For South Africaaccept residents

💻

Digital skillsAI, security, marketing

📱

Onlineat your own pace or in 1 week

What you can learn

🤖

Artificial intelligencepractical use at work

🔐

Cybersecurityfrom scratch, no prerequisites

📣

Digital marketingwith free certificate

👨‍💻

Programmingbeginner courses

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Job interviewpractice with Interview Warmup

🏪

Small business1-week bootcamp

Who can apply

A phone or computer with internet access

An email or Google account

For CAPACITI: must be 18 to 34 years old and have a South African ID

💡 Tip: Start with the course you can finish this week. One completed certificate is worth more on your resume than three half-finished courses.

Everything you need to know

CAPACITI: AI for unemployed youth

CAPACITI offers the AI Skills Accelerator, a one-week program, fully funded, with practical AI and digital skills for unemployed South African youth.

The form asks for age between 18 and 34, a 13-digit South African ID number and the province where you live.

Cisco Networking Academy: cybersecurity

At Cisco Networking Academy, self-paced courses on netacad.com are free. Introduction to Cybersecurity has no prerequisites and gives you a digital badge upon completion.

Instructor-led classes offered by partner schools may be charged by the institution.

Grow with Google: digital skills

Google offers free courses for Sub-Saharan Africa, from online marketing to programming. Fundamentals of Digital Marketing is free and comes with a certificate.

Google Career Certificates, made on Coursera, are normally paid. Don't confuse them.

Other options to explore

WeThinkCode_ trains programmers in 16 months, full-time, with selection by online test and bootcamp. Accepts people aged 17 to 35 with no programming experience needed. Check the conditions on the official website.

On Alison you can study for free, but the certificate is paid. There's a free learning record instead.

How to protect yourself

Always enter through the official address. None of these free courses ask for your bank password.

If someone charges you to guarantee your spot in a free course, be suspicious.

Official source: registration is always done on each institution's website. This guide only explains how they work.