Remote Work Certificate
Purdue Extension Community Development has partnered with Utah State University Extension to offer the Remote Work Professional certificate course, a 1-month specialized training which combines online work with interactive workshops. This educational program is designed to equip workers with the tools and skills needed to work from home as a remote worker, freelancer, or entrepreneur. Specific objectives and outcomes for each module of the course are identified at the beginning of each set of modules. The program consists of nine core modules, delivered in a self-paced, online format, and four interactive workshops.
Remote work is any form of work in which you are not required to regularly commute to and work from a centralized location. Since 2005, remote work has grown by 173%. This means that regardless of where you live, there are work opportunities which you can take advantage of today.
course requirements
You will need access to a laptop or desktop computer with a working web camera, speakers and microphone (a headset with microphone is also acceptable). Tablets and smartphones are not sufficient to be successful in this course. Chromebooks are not supported.
You must also have broadband internet (DSL, Cable, Fiber, etc.) with minimum speed of 8Mbps download and 2Mbps upload to participate in the video workshops. You can check your Internet speed using http://www.speedtest.net
You need to possess proficiency in basic computer functions. This includes:
- Send an email, with an attachment
- Download or upload a file to your desktop
- Do basic tasks in a word processing and spreadsheet program
What you will learn
The program consists of nine core modules with the following objectives:
Module
Work Day
Summary:
Learn more about the components of an average day in the life of a remote worker, including mobile office, flexible schedule, and equipment.Objectives:
Computer, webcam, and audio are set up with a professional background. Meeting and schedule are successfully coordinated and added to calendar.
Module
Communication
Summary:
Discuss the unique strategies and requirements of virtual communication, including styles, tools, and empathy.
Objectives:
Messages are professional, clear, and accurate. Agenda and report are detailed and complete. Actively participate in meeting my contributing often.
Module
Workflow
Summary:
Understand the processes of task management, including projects, delegation, goals, and tracking.
Objectives:
Project management tool successfully set up. Project includes discrete tasks, timeline, dependent tasks, and participants. Can update project regularly.
Module
Productivity and Time Management
Summary:
Evaluate the strategies for effective independent personal management, including productivity, motivation, and scheduling.
Objectives:
Tracks time including detailed information. Daily priorities match task/project/team priorities. Schedule shows effective time management.
Module
Teams
Summary:
Learn about how teamwork occurs in a virtual work environment, including trust, project collaboration, and "netiquette."
Objectives:
All phases of team collaboration are completed and collaborative task is finished. Participated actively and facilitated others' involvement.
Module
Compliance
Summary:
Discuss the legal precautions of working online, including information security, risk prevention, and office compliance.
Objectives:
Password manager installed. Security checklist is complete and accurate. Can identify common security risks.
Module
CRITICAL THINKING
Summary:
Understand how to problem solve autonomously, including finding resources for solutions, earning trust, and filtering information.
Objectives:
List of resources are credible. Solution steps are clearly and accurately outlined. Resolution is succinctly summarized.
Module
virtual careers
Summary:
Evaluate and prepare for virtual career options, including personal branding, virtual job search processes, and remote industry options.
Objectives:
Format for portfolio is clear; work portfolio is complete; work portfolio has been successfully shared and reviewed.
Module
remote job development
Summary:
Design the remote career of your choice and prepare a proposal for your Program Coordinator.
Objectives:
Program outcomes for all modules have been reviewed and evaluated; agenda for meeting with Program Coordinator is clear and complete.
Follow the steps below to enroll and complete the program.
- Apply
Apply for the course. The course is 1-month in duration, and you will be supported by a Purdue Extension program coordinator (coach). Applications are approved on a first-come, first-served basis. Once payment of $199 is received you will be accepted to the program. There will be no refunds. On occasion, scholarships are available. Until July 31, 2025 the discount code of RBDG_Grant is available to be used for Indiana residents. Participants will pay $50, and the rest is covered by a grant. Please email Tanya Hall (tjhall@purdue.edu) for additional scholarship inquiries.
- Watch your Email!
Once you have been accepted, paid, and registered, one of our program coordinators will reach out to you to introduce themselves and ensure you have received access from Canva. Canva is an online learning platform that will send out an automated email for the course approximately one week before the course begins.
- Complete the Course
Our program coaches will help you throughout the course. Complete the required coursework and attend the weekly online workshops.
- Career Coaching
Meet for a one-on-one career coaching session with your program coordinator. We'll follow up with you to hear when you find remote work and/or how the course has helped you.
2025 Course Dates
|
Start Date |
End Date |
Registration deadline (5 PM EST) |
Virtual Workshop Days (Thursdays) |
Virtual Workshop Times (1 hour) |
|
January 6 |
February 5 |
December 30, 2024 |
January 9, 16, 23 & 30 |
3 p.m. or 8 p.m. EST |
|
February 3 |
March 5 |
January 28, 2025 |
February 6, 13, 20 & 27 |
3 p.m. or 8 p.m. EST |
|
March 3 |
April 2 |
February 25, 2025 |
March 6, 13, 20 & 27 |
3 p.m. or 8 p.m. EST |
|
April 7 |
May 7 |
April 1, 2025 |
April 10, 17, 24 & May 1 |
3 p.m. or 8 p.m. EST |
|
May 5 |
June 4 |
April 29, 2025 |
May 8, 15, 22 & 29 |
3 p.m. or 8 p.m. EST |
|
June 2 |
July 2 |
May 27, 2025 |
June 4, 11, 18 & 25 |
3 p.m. or 8 p.m. EST |
|
August 4 |
September 3 |
July 29, 2025 |
August 7, 14, 21 & 28 |
3 p.m. or 8 p.m. EST |
|
September 1 |
October 1 |
August 26, 2025 |
September 4, 11, 18 & 25 |
3 p.m. or 8 p.m. EST |
|
October 6 |
November 5 |
September 30, 2025 |
October 9, 16, 23 & 30 |
3 p.m. or 8 p.m. EST |
|
November 3 |
December 3 |
October 28, 2025 |
November 5, 12, 19 & 26 (Wednesday workshops!) |
3 p.m. or 8 p.m. EST |
Throughout the course, the assignments and modules you complete are designed to equip you for a virtual career by producing results applicable in the virtual business world, including:
- Designing a digital work portfolio
- Mapping a career development plan
- Coordinating a virtual meeting
- Preparing a cloud-based agenda and meeting report
- Strategizing a project and workflow plan
- Using a problem-solving checklist
The following is a list of remote-friendly tools that are integral in distributed company operations that students are introduced to during the certification:
- Time Zone Conversion (e.g., World Time Buddy)
- Internet Speed Test (e.g., Speedtest)
- Email (e.g., Gmail)
- Chat & Messaging (e.g., Slack)
- Video call (e.g., Google Meet or Zoom)
- Project Management (e.g., Trello or Asana)
- Spreadsheets (e.g., Google Sheets)
- Calendar (e.g., Google Calendar)
- Time Tracking (e.g., Harvest)
- File Sharing (e.g., Dropbox)
- Video conference (e.g., Zoom)
- VPN (e.g., Windscribe)
- Password managers (e.g., 1Password)
- Help function (e.g., Google Drive Support)
- Research (e.g., Google Search)
- Professional Networking (e.g., LinkedIn)
- Website Development (e.g., Wix)
- Freelancer Markets (e.g., Upwork)
- Education Platforms (e.g., Skillshare, Pluralsight)
- Virtual Job Board (e.g., FlexJobs)
In addition to hard skills, participants are also trained on the soft skills that are vital to success when working autonomously and with long-distance teams, such as:
- Written communication
- Verbal communication
- Problem solving
- Critical thinking
- Time management
- Accountability
- Flexibility
- Attention to detail
- Knowledge management
- Risk management
- Collaboration
- Goal setting
- Emotional intelligence
- Organization
Upon graduation, each student will be presented with a certification of completion to add to their work portfolio and will then be supported by Purdue Extension program coordinators as students start to develop the virtual career of their choice.
Fully remote employees can work for any employer or for themselves. Purdue Extension would like to help our program participants know who are the Indiana businesses that hire remote workers, whether it be fully remote or hybrid schedules. If you could identify yourselves via completing this online survey, that would help us when career coaching our program participants.
Utah State University also has a course for organizational leaders or managers to help with managing remote employees and designing remote jobs. The Certified Remote Work Leader course is offered bi-monthly and eligible for recertification credit(s) for any of HR Certification Institute’s (HRCI.org) eight credentials, including SPHR and PHR.
If your business is navigating how to implement a hybrid-remote strategy, be sure to check out the Hybrid Remote Operations course offered by Utah State University. This 10-moduel learning experience will equip business leaders with the necessary tools and skills to effectively introduce, manage and optimize remote and hybrid teams to achieve organizational goals.
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