What’s better than an amazing L&D resource? Amazing free L&D resources! They’re like finding a forgotten twenty in your pocket or hearing your favourite song on the radio. For learning pros, discovering a powerful, no-cost tool is the ultimate win.
With this in mind, we’ve scoured the internet to bring you the ultimate list of totally free and surprisingly robust L&D resources. This guide includes courses, podcasts, blogs, downloadables, tools, and so much more.
Ready to expand your toolkit and your impact? Then please enjoy our carefully curated collection of the top 40 L&D resources. We’ve selected each one based on a set of specific and exacting requirements, which we’ll examine first.
The Ground Rules
You’ll be glad to hear that we haven’t just thrown this list together. In fact, to ensure this guide provides maximum value, we’ve applied a strict set of criteria to each and every resource included. This means each one had to be:
- Completely Free: We know that most L&D budgets are tight, so we’ve focused exclusively on resources that are free to access. This means you can grow your skills and knowledge without any further financial investment. We’ve also done our best to indicate where further paid options are available.
- Highly Valuable: Every resource was selected for its ability to provide clear, actionable insights and high-quality content. After all, we’re here to help you elevate your professional practices, which means you won’t find a single dud on this list.
- Up-to-Date: As you know, the L&D landscape evolves at lightning speed. Accordingly, we’ve prioritised resources that are regularly updated with current trends, data, and best practices. What’s more, we’ll do our best to keep this guide updated, so you never have to deal with yesterday’s news.
We’ve also included a variety of different categories, from formal courses to quick-access tools and thought leadership content. This means we have a learning resource available to match every possible professional need. Okay, let’s jump into the list!
40 Free L&D Resources
L&D Courses & Platforms
1. Alison
We’re kicking things off with a doozy! Looking to earn a bona fide diploma without spending a penny? Alison’s free Diploma in Learning and Development (L&D) is a game-changer. After all, it’s not just a brief introduction, it’s a comprehensive programme that covers everything from mastering needs assessments to crafting engaging L&D initiatives.
In turn, you’ll get a professional credential that you can share with your network!
2. OpenLearn
The Open University’s OpenLearn platform is an absolute treasure trove of information. Indeed, the ‘Education & Development’ category alone boasts 400+ free courses that you can filter by level, length, and even language.
While a lot of the content focuses on child-learning (as opposed to adult learning), you’ll find plenty of gold here for workplace training as well. Enjoy!
3. CIPD MOOCs
The CIPD (or Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development) is the definitive authority for HR and L&D professionals. As a result, their free Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are the perfect gateway into the profession. These courses offer a taste of the formal training that defines this industry. Topics include:
- HR Fundamentals
- People Management Skills
- Inclusive Management Skills
4. Coursera
Coursera is a true learning powerhouse, partnering with top universities and companies worldwide to deliver a vast catalogue of courses, including many in L&D. For instance, why not check out this Learning and Development course that forms part of the HRCI Human Resource Associate Professional Certificate?
While Coursera is known for its paid certificates and degrees, many individual courses can be audited for free, or accessed through a free trial.
5. Udemy
As with Coursera, Udemy offers a variety of L&D focused courses, including this 4.5 star Certificate Program in Learning and Development. In just five hours, this course will equip you with all the fundamental knowledge you need, spanning from high-level learning strategy to the practical application of learning technology.
While many courses require payment, the platform does offer a 7-day free trial for its Personal Plan. This means you have a full week to binge-watch and explore!
L&D Podcasts
6. The Business of Learning
Hosted by the mighty editorial team over at Training Industry, The Business of Learning is your go-to podcast for expert-led discussions on the most pressing issues in L&D. Correspondingly, you can expect high-level strategic insights on topics like emerging technologies, talent management, and AI in learning.
But what truly sets this podcast apart is its laser focus on the business metrics that matter — proving the real-world value of training.
7. Learning Uncut
Tired of conventional L&D advice?
Learning Uncut offers a breath of fresh air. This podcast, hosted by the inimitable Michelle Ockers, provides an honest and unscripted look at how real L&D professionals are solving business problems. Accordingly, it’s a fantastic listen for anyone who wants to gather fluff-free actionable insights.
8. The Learning Hack Podcast
The Learning Hack Podcast is your essential guide to understanding how learning and technology intersect. Helmed by John Helmer, this show cuts through the hype to explore what’s working (and what’s not) in ed-tech.
It features candid interviews with innovators and leaders in the field, including our very own Juliette Denny.
9. The Learning Leader Show
The best leaders are perpetual learners, and the best learners are natural leaders. On The Learning Leader Show, host Ryan Hawk interviews the world’s most thoughtful leaders to help uncover the strategies you need to build resilient teams, shape a winning culture, and drive relentless growth.
If you’re ready to take a step up, then this is the podcast you need to add to your queue.
10. The eLearning Coach Podcast
Looking for more of an instructional design focus? Then tune into The eLearning Coach Podcast, which offers a bounty of practical advice and psychological insights. In fact, each episode is a mini masterclass in making learning more effective, covering topics like cognitive psychology, visual design, and best practices for creating digital learning experiences.
Want more listening options? Find 20 more top L&D podcasts here.
L&D Blogs
11. eLearning Industry
Something of a titan in the L&D space, eLearning Industry is a must-subscribe site for anyone who wants to stay on the cutting edge of digital learning.
In essence, this platform is a massive, crowdsourced hub of high-value articles, whitepapers, and guides written by experts from around the world. Consequently, it offers a continuous stream of new content for you to explore.
12. The Learning Guild
The Learning Guild is a community-driven space for professional development. What’s more, their blog features a rich library of articles, research reports, and case studies that offer practical insights.
In short, this is the sort of authoritative information that can help you to make better business decisions and broaden your connection to the wider L&D community.
13. ATD (Association for Talent Development)
As the largest professional association for the L&D field, the ATD’s blog is an essential resource for keeping up with the industry. Sure enough, the content is diverse and authoritative, covering a range of topics from instruction design to leadership development and industry news.
If you’re looking to elevate your talent development practices, then this is a good place to start.
14. TrainingZone
TrainingZone is a leading UK-based resource that equips L&D professionals with the insights and tools they need to thrive in a future-ready workplace.
In addition, their blog focuses on the strategic side of L&D, covering topics like organisational culture and talent management. This means it’s a must read for anyone who wants to connect learning with business success.
15. Growth Engineering
While you’re building your own list of resources, be sure to bookmark and subscribe to Growth Engineering’s blog. With over 20 years of industry experience, we’re known for our focus on learner engagement, gamification, and social learning.
If you believe that learning should be anything but boring, our blog is the perfect fit for you.
L&D Downloadables
16. CIPD Factsheets
The CIPD also provides concise, evidence-based guides on a wide-range of topics in the form of fact sheets. With 80+ guides available, you have easy access to a valuable and credible industry resource. While some fact sheets are exclusive to members, a substantial number are publicly available.
Grab them while you can!
17. LinkedIn’s Workplace Learning Report
Every year, LinkedIn publishes its Workplace Learning Report, a detailed analysis of the key trends and data points shaping the L&D industry. Indeed, this report combines survey data, insights from global talent leaders, and analysis of behavioral data from LinkedIn’s massive platform.
All this primary data makes the release of the report feel like a real event. This unique foundation also means you get a clear picture of where the industry is heading on a yearly basis.
18. Blanchard L&D Trends Report
Another annual report, published by leadership development specialists Blanchard, this resource provides an essential pulse-check on the L&D and HR landscape.
It’s based on a survey of hundreds of learning professionals, and it offers a clear, data-driven look at the top challenges, trends, and investment priorities for the coming year.
19. Donald Taylor’s Global Sentiment Survey
Looking to understand what’s ‘hot’ in L&D? Curated by industry expert Donald H Taylor, this annual survey provides a unique, real-time snapshot of learning professionals’ collective opinions and priorities.
Furthermore, it’s a fascinating look at the trends gaining traction (and the ones fading away) as the L&D landscape continues to evolve.
20. The L&D Academy’s Free Resources
The L&D Academy offers a collection of free resources designed to help learning professionals enhance their skills and streamline their work. This includes a variety of workbooks, worksheets, and templates that have been tested in the field.
Why not get started with their Career Roadmap workbook?
21. Growth Engineering Checklists
If you’re a learning professional working on the front lines, our completely free, dynamic, and interactive checklists will be invaluable.
They break down complex projects — like implementing a new LMS or improving learner engagement — into actionable, step-by-step lists that you can mark off as you go. As a result, you won’t miss any critical steps along the way!
LinkedIn Groups for L&D Professionals
22. Learning & Development Professionals Club
With over 440,000 members, the Learning & Development Professionals Club is one of the most active L&D communities on LinkedIn. Consequently, it’s an excellent place to network, soak up inspiration, and get a pulse on the wider industry.
You’ll join peers from a variety of backgrounds all offering fresh perspectives and opportunities for lively discussion.
23. Learning, Education, and Training Professionals Group
Want access to an even bigger learning community? The Learning, Education, and Training Professionals Group boasts a staggering 1.3m members, ensuring there’s always a constant flow of fresh content.
This includes articles, videos, handy resources, and job postings, all focused on the wonderful world of education and training.
24. The Learning Guild Community
As we’ve seen, the Learning Guild is a community of practice that supports the design, development, strategy and management of organisational learning.
This LinkedIn group is an extension of that mission, providing a dedicated space for members to connect, share ideas, and engage in discussions that push the industry forward.
25. eLearning Industry
As one of the leading online publications for the digital learning community, the eLearning Industry LinkedIn group is a go-to spot for high-quality, curated content.
In effect, you’ll find an active forum for professionals to discuss the latest articles, trends, and resources from the eLearning Industry website and beyond.
26. Instructional Design Central (IDC)
For anyone with a focus on instructional design, this group is a must-join. Instructional Design Central (IDC) offers a vibrant community where practitioners can get answers to technical questions, share their work, gather feedback, and connect with other designers.
Regardless of your experience level, you’ll find a supportive environment and endless learning opportunities.
Free Tools for L&D Professionals
27. Canva
Need professional looking visuals for your eLearning content? Canva is a great place to start. This powerful graphic design tool empowers you to create stunning presentations, infographics, graphical elements, and more.
The free version offers everything you need to get started, while Canva Pro unlocks premium content options and additional AI features.
28. Trello
Being a learning professional means spinning a lot of plates. If you’re looking to get organised, then Trello is a great solution. Indeed, this project management tool provides a clear overview of your L&D projects, helping to simplify planning, tracking, and collaboration.
Better still, the free version of Trello offers up to 10 boards and unlimited cards and lists.
29. Google Workspace
Google also offers a powerful range of tools that are completely free for individuals and provide a seamless way to work with a team on any device. For example:
- Google Docs: Ideal for collaborative content creation and storyboarding.
- Google Forms: Perfect for creating quizzes, surveys, and needs assessments.
- Google Slides: A handy alternative to other presentation software.
30. Audacity
Audacity is a free, open-source audio editor and recorder. Hence, it’s perfect for creating and editing audio for podcasts (a powerful learning approach) or voiceover for eLearning modules.
What’s more, the software even lets you remove background noise and adjust volume levels to create high quality audio files without any cost.
31. ChatGPT
Wouldn’t it be nice to have a creative assistant who can handle repetitive tasks and generate new ideas on demand? Well, thanks to AI, now you can! ChatGPT, the widely-known large language model from Open AI, can act as a powerful co-pilot for learning professionals. In fact, you can use it as a research tool to draft training guides, learning pathways, and even post-training evaluations.
Keep in mind that there are a variety of powerful generative AI options available. For example, you may also want to explore Gemini, Claude, and Llama.
Psst. Looking for more tools? Here’s 72 options to explore!
Bonus L&D Resources
32. Subreddits
Think of Reddit as an undiscovered professional hub. After all, beyond the popular subreddits, you’ll find amazing L&D communities like r/instructionaldesign and r/learning. These groups offer a refreshingly candid space for discussion.
Accordingly, you can expect authentic feedback, lively conversations, and an abundance of useful resources from this highly engaged and passionate community.
33. Facebook Groups
LinkedIn isn’t the only social platform worth investing your time in. Indeed, beyond all the family drama and baby photos, Facebook is home to a variety of L&D communities where professionals can connect in a more informal setting.
Additionally, these groups are often more niche, focusing on specific topics like instructional design, leadership development, or eLearning tools.
34. Quora
Got a burning question that you need answered? Then look no further than Quora, a powerful knowledge-sharing platform that can be a valuable resource for L&D professionals.
You’ll get answers from a wide range of experts, including seasoned professionals and academics. It’s also an excellent way to share your expertise and establish yourself as an authority in your field.
35. Project Gutenberg
This one’s for the bookworms! Project Gutenberg offers an incredible digital library of over 70,000 free e-books, including classic works of literature, philosophy, and science. You can use these materials to upskill yourself, or even include them in your learning programmes, as long as you’re in a country where the content is in the public domain.
Need more reading material? Here’s our top 25 L&D books!
36. Video Series
When you want to learn on the go, a great video series can be the perfect resource. YouTube hosts a number of channels run by L&D practitioners, consultants, and organisations that create content on a wide variety of topics. To demonstrate, we’ve included some of the most engaging examples we can find as links below:
- The L&D Academy
- Academy to Innovate HR
- Devlin Peck’s Instructional Design Channel
- Harry’s Learning Lab
37. Learning News
Learning News is a dedicated news outlet for the L&D sector. Head here if you want to keep your finger on the industry’s pulse.
The site is editorially led, ensuring the content is well-researched and impartial, while also allowing commercial learning providers (like us!) to publish their own related news. This means you can easily keep tabs on what’s new in learning technology.
38. Local Networks
Don’t overlook the power of in-person or local L&D networks. In particular, organisations like the ATD, CIPD, and Learning Guild (see above) have local chapters that host events, workshops, and networking sessions.
As you’d imagine, these events are great for building relationships, expanding your reach, and even discovering local job opportunities. Happy exploring!
39. Tradeshows & Exhibitions
Similarly, tradeshows and exhibitions are a fantastic way to learn from industry leaders and network with peers. While the full conferences often require a paid ticket, the exhibition halls at many of these events are free to attend.
For example, if you’re in the UK, we’d strongly recommend attending Learning Technologies. Likewise, those in the US should set time aside for ATD’s annual exhibition.
40. The L&D Health Score
Looking to see how your team stacks up against the best? Growth Engineering’s Health Score is a powerful, free diagnostic tool designed to do just that. In essence, it analyses your learning programmes across key metrics, from learner engagement to content completion rates. You’ll then be assigned a grade, alongside personalised feedback and suggestions.
This type of practical, hands-on advice is invaluable and well worth your time investment.
Final Words
The world of learning and development is all about growth. Consequently, it makes sense that there are a variety of incredible, free L&D resources just waiting to be discovered. These tools and solutions prove that high-quality professional development doesn’t have to come with a hefty price-tag.
Whether you’re aiming to master a new tool, find a new community, or simply stay on top of industry trends, the power to grow and evolve is right at your fingertips. You’ve never had more information or opportunities available to you.
Of course, this guide is just the beginning. The learning landscape changes daily, so please help us keep this list current! What’s your go-to free tool? Please shout it out on our social channels and we’ll update this article as we go.
Now, stop scrolling and start learning. Your potential is unlimited!
Thanks for reading. If you’ve enjoyed this content, please connect with me here or find more articles here.
And we’ve saved one of the best free resources for last. The L&D Professional’s Handbook is packed with 165 tips designed to help you thrive in your job. Download it now!
