New Skills Academy Discount Codes July 2025

There’s a peculiar kind of hopefulness embedded in online learning platforms. Somewhere between the promise of a new skill and the reality of sitting through a 25-module Pet Psychology course on a Sunday afternoon is the story of human optimism - our belief that watching PowerPoint slide transitions about animal behaviour might, just maybe, change our lives. New Skills Academy is one of many education-for-hire platforms carving out space in this world. Its pitch is clear: low-cost, low-friction certifications delivered online, with the cheerful suggestion that learning Excel or cupcake frosting could make you a little more employable - or, failing that, a bit less bored.

A Discounted Universe of Possibilities

New Skills Academy is currently offering 79% off most of its courses with the code GOALS79. That means the overwhelming majority of the platform’s listed £100 diplomas end up costing just £21. This is good news, though perhaps not for your inbox - accessing the bigger deals may involve signing up for newsletters that promise career inspiration but tend to deliver reminders of your unfinished Yoga and Wedding Planning certifications.

The courses themselves cover nearly every conceivable interest. There are 900+ to choose from, a number that sounds exhaustively curated until you realise there's a standalone Bootcamp for Cupcake Artistry and a surprisingly detailed Floristry Academy Diploma. There are courses you might expect (Accounting, Excel, Teaching Assistant Training) and others that sound like they were generated by a late-night brainstorming session during a low-level existential crisis (Mindfulness Diploma Meets Life Coaching Certificate meets Pet Nutrition Fundamentals).

The Format: Competent, If Uninspired

Each course is broken down into several short modules (usually around 10 to 30), structured to be consumed on any device. Lessons are generally text-heavy with minimal interactive features. A few include PDFs, quizzes, and the occasional robotic narrator guiding you through a PowerPoint aesthetic that has not evolved much since approximately 2008. You won’t find peer discussion forums or live tutors on Zoom here - this is education as solitary confinement, but slightly more empowering.

You do get tutor support "if you need it," although the extent of this assistance is somewhat vague. The courses are CPD certified, which is helpful if your employer recognises Continuing Professional Development points. Whether your HR manager considers an online Nail Technician Diploma equivalent to a professional training course is another matter.

Refund Policy and Access

Courses come with lifetime access, so there's no ticking clock forcing you to complete modules before a deadline. A perk if you’re prone to procrastination; a curse if you are hoping virtual accountability will somehow teach you commitment. The refund window is short - 14 days from purchase - which won’t get you very far into a 28-module Garden Design and Maintenance Diploma, so choose wisely. Or at least, not impulsively.

The Excel Course Test

As a kind of litmus test for seriousness, we looked at the Complete Microsoft Excel Course (£180 RRP, usually also available at that 79% discount). It consists of three bundled courses, each progressing from beginner to something vaguely approaching intermediate competency. It covers the basics: formulas, pivot tables, conditional formatting. It's fine. Competent, but uninspiring. You’ll learn a lot more by making your own Excel budget and Googling your mistakes, frankly - but New Skills Academy does streamline it all into one place, minus the distractions of Reddit threads from 2012.

Lower Stakes Learning

Is this the place to take a professional-level cybersecurity certificate? Probably not. But New Skills Academy isn’t trying to be HarvardX. It’s more like the educational equivalent of a low-key buffet: a little bit of everything, whatever looks appetising, and a low risk if it turns out that Dog Grooming for Beginners isn’t your calling after all.

Should You Buy It?

At £21 a pop with the GOALS79 promo code, it’s hard to call most of these courses a bad deal. They’re not rigorous, but they aren’t misleading either. For casual learners hoping to put "Certificate in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy" on their CV - even if it's more hobbyist than clinically usable - it scratches the right sort of itch. And for freelancers looking to brush up on admin software, pick up a CPD-accredited qualification, or finally learn what floristry involves without leaving their living rooms, there are worse ways to spend the cost of a takeaway.

Just remember: signing up for the Newsletter gets you a free CV and Interview Skills course. A neat irony, considering you’ll probably need it to explain to your next recruiter why your LinkedIn page says you're also certified in Pet Psychology and Interior Design.

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