IBM Free Badges and Certificates
IBM offers digital credentials (badges, certificates) for free or low cost via its learning platforms (such as IBM SkillsBuild, IBM Training, IBM Developer, edX in collaboration) to validate skills learners gain through courses, projects, or assessments.
A few key aspects:
- They are digital/online credentials, not physical paper certificates.
- IBM uses a third-party platform (Credly) to issue and manage many of these badges.
- Badges include metadata (information about the issuer, what was required to earn it, date, scope) which makes them verifiable.
- These credentials are “industry-aligned,” meaning IBM designs them to reflect skills relevant for tech, cloud, AI, data, etc.
IBM’s free credentials are often part of SkillsBuild, a free learning/skills platform targeting learners, students, and professionals.
Here’s a selection:
The “Accelerating Deep Learning with GPUs” course is a free, self-paced learning opportunity offered by IBM through CognitiveClass.ai. This course is designed to help learners understand how to leverage GPU hardware to enhance the scalability and efficiency of deep learning models.
IBM offers a free, self-paced course titled “Introduction to Open Source” through its CognitiveClass.ai platform. This course is designed to provide learners with foundational knowledge about open source software, its significance, and how to contribute effectively to open source projects.
This is a beginner-friendly, free online course designed to teach you the basics of text analytics, the process of extracting meaningful insights from unstructured text data like emails, reviews, social media posts, or articles. It’s offered by IBM via CognitiveClass.ai.
The Applied Data Science with R course is a beginner-friendly, free online program offered by IBM through CognitiveClass.ai. It is designed to help learners develop practical skills in data science using the R programming language.
The Big Data Foundations – Level 1 badge is awarded by IBM through its CognitiveClass.ai platform. This foundational-level credential signifies a basic understanding of Big Data concepts, their applications, and the need for integration and data governance.
IBM’s free and low-cost digital credentials, including badges and certificates, provide learners with industry-aligned, verifiable recognition of their skills in emerging technologies such as AI, cloud, data science, and Big Data. Through platforms like IBM SkillsBuild, CognitiveClass.ai, IBM Developer, and edX, learners can access self-paced courses that build practical knowledge in areas ranging from deep learning with GPUs and text analytics to open source software, R programming, and Big Data foundations.