LinkedIn Learning, formerly known as Lynda, is an online learning platform that offers video courses taught by industry experts on a variety of subjects like business, technology, and creative skills. With a LinkedIn Learning subscription through your company, you can access thousands of courses to help further your career and expand your skills. But how do you actually access this valuable learning resource if your company offers it? Here’s a quick guide to getting started with LinkedIn Learning through your employer.
Check If Your Company Offers LinkedIn Learning
The first step is to confirm if your company provides employees access to LinkedIn Learning. The platform is commonly offered as a corporate learning and development benefit. Check with your HR or training department to see if your organization has a business subscription. If they do, they should be able to provide details on how to access it. Some companies also promote the availability of LinkedIn Learning access through intranet portals, internal newsletters, training calendars, or direct manager communication.
Activate Your LinkedIn Learning Account
Once you’ve confirmed that your company offers LinkedIn Learning, you’ll need to activate your individual account. The activation process varies by organization but often starts by checking for a LinkedIn Learning app or portal through your company’s HR website or intranet. Through here you can register and create your account using your work email address.
Some companies may provide access by having employees sign up directly through LinkedIn Learning using their work email and having HR manually approve each request. Others automatically enable it for all employees when HR sets up the contract. If unsure, reach out to your training or HR contact for next steps. They can send instructions for creating a LinkedIn Learning account using your work email.
Sign In Through Company Portal
After you create your LinkedIn Learning account, you’ll primarily sign in and access courses through your company’s branded portal or dashboard. When launching from here, you’ll be automatically logged in using single sign-on through your work credentials. This allows your company to track learning progress and usage analytics.
The portal often lives on your company intranet homepage or HR site. For example, you may see a LinkedIn Learning tile or link to “click here to access courses.” Entering through the official corporate URL is required to get the full catalog of content available in your company’s subscription.
Use Mobile Apps
LinkedIn Learning offers mobile apps for iOS and Android to view courses on the go. After downloading, you can log in using the same company portal credentials. This enables you to download videos for offline viewing or listen to audio during your commute. Through the app you can also receive notifications about new courses and recommendations based on your learning history. Accessing through the mobile apps allows for flexibility to learn on-the-go or during pockets of free time.
Browse the Course Library
Once logged into LinkedIn Learning through your company, it’s time to start exploring the course catalog to support your learning and development goals! You’ll have access to the full content library included in your organization’s subscription. Courses are organized into categories like business, creative, and technology. You can browse content like:
- Leadership and management
- Project management
- Data and analytics
- Marketing and communications
- Accounting and finance
- Software and web development
- Graphic and web design
Search for Relevant Courses
With thousands of courses available, keyword searches are another great way to find relevant content. Try searching for your job role, current projects, or skills you want to develop. For example, search for “data analysis,” “presentation skills,” or “Excel formulas.” You can even search directly for application names like “Excel,” “Photoshop,” or “Tableau” to find software courses. Take time to search for topics that will help you achieve your goals and grow skills related to your role.
Get Learning Recommendations
For personalized course suggestions, check out LinkedIn Learning Recommendations on your homepage. This learning path displays recommended courses based on your job role, interests, and viewing history. It will continue to refine suggestions the more you use LinkedIn Learning. Your company administrator can also manually assign courses for you to develop certain skills.
Learn with Cohorts or Learning Paths
To take a more guided approach, enroll in a pre-packaged Learning Path. These are curated sets of courses focused on mastering specific skills like leadership, human resources, and many technical abilities. Learning Paths provide a roadmap to build expertise through a sequential, cohort-based learning experience. They assign you a collection of courses to progress through together over weeks or months.
Take Skill Assessments
Some topics on LinkedIn Learning provide supplemental skill assessments you can take before and after completing the video course. These short quizzes measure your knowledge and allow you to benchmark your progress in that area. Retaking the assessment after the course helps reinforce what you learned and quantify skill gains.
Integrate with LinkedIn Profile
An awesome benefit of LinkedIn Learning is that you can add completed courses to your LinkedIn profile to showcase your expanded skills. On your Course page, click the + icon to add any individual course or Learning Path to your profile’s Accomplishments section. Showcasing your professional development in this way can enhance your online profile.
Download Courses for Offline Viewing
LinkedIn Learning allows you to download courses to watch offline when you don’t have internet access. On a course’s details page use the download icon to save videos to your device. Downloaded courses will be accessible in the “My Downloads” section of the mobile apps or “My Learning” on the desktop site. This enables you to learn during commutes, flights, or other offline situations.
Speed Up Videos for Quick Learning
When you want to work through a course quickly, take advantage of the video speed controls. In the course player you can accelerate the video playback up to 2x to skip through information you already know. This allows you to focus on new material and finish the course faster. Don’t forget to slow it back down for complex topics.
Receive Course Certificates
After completing 100% of any course, you can instantly download a Certificate of Completion. This provides documentation you finished the training, which is useful for professional development tracking. Include it as supplemental material when applying for internal promotions or roles at a new organization to showcase your expanded skills.
Share Your Learning
Social sharing allows you to publicize the new skills and knowledge you’re gaining through LinkedIn Learning. On any completed course page, use the Share button to post your certificate to LinkedIn to notify your professional network. This helps showcase your commitment to continuous learning.
Track Progress and Usage
To monitor your own progress, select “Learning” in the top menu to see all your course activity in one place. You can track completion status, certificates earned, and hours spent learning. Your company administrators can also run reports on aggregate employee progress and course engagement to identify knowledge gaps or hot topics. They can use this data to optimize learning program development and content spending based on areas of need.
Get Caught Up with Playlists
If you’re new to a topic, leverage expertly curated playlists. These are collections of short courses focused on fundamental concepts about a specific subject, like accounting or IT security principles. Playlists act as a beginner’s course package to establish foundational knowledge. They provide an efficient way to get up to speed fast before taking on more advanced training.
Learn with Co-workers or Teams
Enhance your learning experience by using LinkedIn Learning collaboratively. You can create a group with colleagues, then assign and discuss courses. Shared learning encourages engagement through peer accountability and discussion. It enables you to learn as a team then immediately apply concepts together in your roles. Shared learning paths also build camaraderie!
Request New Content
If there’s a subject you want to learn that LinkedIn Learning doesn’t offer, you can request it! Use the “Suggest a course” link on any page to submit ideas for new topics or technologies you want covered. This feedback helps your company provide the most useful and relevant courses based on employee needs and goals. Your input directly shapes your learning programs.
Get Motivated with Reminders
To stay motivated, leverage LinkedIn Learning’s reminders and notifications. You can choose weekly email summaries of learning progress and suggested courses based on areas you’re focusing on. Enable push notifications on your mobile app to receive encouragement any time you complete a course or learning milestone. These regular communications keep learning top of mind.
Learn During Pockets of Free Time
With LinkedIn Learning’s bite-sized courses, it’s easy and productive to learn during pockets of free time throughout your day. For example, play a quick video during your lunch break or listen to an audio lesson during your commute. Many courses are under an hour, enabling you to fit learning in between meetings or while exercising. Small moments of learning truly add up over time.
Supplement with Additional Resources
Courses often include supplemental resources like exercise files, cheat sheets, and quick reference guides. These tools help you practice and reinforce skills learned. For example, an Excel course may provide practice data sets. A coding course may share GitHub project files. Leverage these assets to deepen your understanding and support real-world application.
Explore Interactive Learning Paths
Select courses on LinkedIn Learning provide an interactive learning experience using scenarios or simulations. These let you troubleshoot real workplace challenges and apply skills in a risk-free virtual environment. Interactive content immerses you in the learning process through ongoing decision points with feedback along the journey. Look for these to level up skills.
Learn Trending Topics
The LinkedIn Learning course library is continuously updated with new content in hot, in-demand subjects. Tap into timely pulse courses about technologies like artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data science and cryptocurrency. Learning emerging disciplines gives you a competitive edge and future-proof skillset. Check the homepage often for trending topics.
Take Some Time to Learn and Grow
With LinkedIn Learning’s massive, ever-expanding course library, the biggest challenge is simply finding time for learning in your busy schedule. Be intentional about setting aside dedicated time each week to take courses, even if just 30 minutes per day. Treat this time as an investment in yourself, your skills, and your career aspirations. Learning new skills will truly pay dividends for your future.
Conclusion
Following the tips above will help you maximize LinkedIn Learning as an awesome resource to gain new skills through your company’s subscription. Keep exploring the platform for courses relevant to your development goals. Learning in bite-sized pieces during spare moments adds up quickly over time for tangible skills gains. Consistent learning through LinkedIn positions you for success in your current role and future career.
Here is a summary of the key points:
Quick Tips for Using LinkedIn Learning
– Confirm your company offers access | – Activate your account with work email |
– Sign in through company portal | – Use mobile apps |
– Search or browse for courses | – Take assessments |
– Download for offline viewing | – Accelerate video speed |
– Add courses to your LinkedIn profile | – Track your learning progress |
– Learn collaboratively | – Request new content from LinkedIn |
– Set reminders and notifications | – Use supplemental resources |
– Find interactive courses | – Check out trending topics |
Using LinkedIn Learning to regularly expand your skills gives you an advantage in today’s competitive workplace. Follow the tips outlined above to get the most from your company’s learning platform subscription. Here’s to continuous learning and development!