The World Bank Group is an international organization that provides grants and loans to low and middle-income countries in order to gain economic stimulus and put growth into momentum. The World Bank Group consists of five organizations of which the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development(IBRD) and the International Development Association(IDA) are collectively known as the World Bank. There are various world bank online courses as well to provide more knowledge about them.
Established just after World War II in 1946, the World Bank Group is an observing member of the United Nations Development Group and it focuses its activities on granting funds towards the development of health, agriculture, environmental conditions, industry, and better governmental infrastructure.
List of Best World Bank Online Courses And Certification Programs
Here is a list of the best world bank online courses and certificate programs that will help you in enriching your knowledge.
1. Unlocking Investment And Finance in Emerging Markets And Developing Economies(EMDEs) – World Bank Group
This course involves lectures from world-class experts in investment and finance for gaining the best advice in making financial investments in an emerging market or economy so that you can learn about the various tips and strategies necessary to excel in such markets.
This certificate course not only updates you about the latest financial trends and news but also provides an international platform for you to communicate and collaborate with policy experts in finance and development.
Course Highlights:
- Gain a Certificate upon completing this course.
- Recommended for investors seeking to invest for the first time in such emerging markets. Government workers may also join this course to learn about the various financial policies needed to create growth in an emerging economy.
- Learn to develop a Maximizing Finance for Development(MFD) approach.
- Learn about the roles and effects of public financing and aid in an economy.
- Learn how changes in the international markets affect domestic markets.
- Learn to apply your knowledge at an end-of-course project.
Course Duration: Self Paced
2. Appraising The Wider Economic Benefits of Transport Corridor Investments – World Bank Group
This online course utilizes studies from a number of case studies to bring to you the ways in which a sustainable, efficient, and well-equipped transport system can be of massive economic benefit and discusses the great gains that can be obtained by investing in such a system.
The course also shows you how transport systems affect cultural and environmental conditions along with teaching you the long-term benefits of a properly planned transport system by analyzing the major transport corridors in the world.
Course Highlights:
- Gain a Certificate upon completing this course.
- Learn how transport systems can create jobs, produce economic growth and reduce poverty.
- Learn how the transport corridor with the maximum wider economic benefits can be selected.
- Utilizes case studies to show the benefits of major transport corridors in the world on the economies of countries.
- Get informed of the risks involved in such corridors.
- Learn about funding and implementing such corridors.
Course Duration: Self Paced
3. The Future of Work: Preparing for Disruption – World Bank Group
In a world where major technological changes and massive developments in artificial intelligence and automation are taking place, this course informs you of the ways in which the demands for human skills will change due to the replacement of jobs. This course is third on the list of world bank online courses and will give you an insight into the world that lies ahead of you and will show you how human capital will become an indispensable asset in the future.
This course is the finalist of the edX Prize 2020 and will reveal to you the actual need for countries to invest in the skill development of their people.
Course Highlights:
- Gain a Certificate upon completing this course.
- Learn how employment and work are going to drastically change in the future.
- Understand what skills you require to develop in order to survive.
- Learn about the Human Capital Index and insurance schemes.
- Learn the various policy changes that can be undertaken by governments to adjust to such changes.
- Learn how the concept of human capital and social security will change in the future.
Course Duration: 4 weeks
4. Innovative Business Models for Expanding Fiber Optics Networks And Closing the Access Gaps – Udemy
This six-module online course utilizes one week each for discussing the methodology for establishing internet-related infrastructure, new trends in technology, business models most effective for optical fibre broadband internet deployment over national and international networks, and cross-sector infrastructure development.
By the end of this course, you will have learned about some business models through which such broadband infrastructure can be developed, deployed, expanded, and utilized efficiently.
Course Highlights:
- An introductory course.
- Gain a Certificate upon completing this course.
- Learn about the business models mentioned in the World Bank’s Innovative Business Models for Expanding Fiber-Optic Networks and Closing the Access Gaps report.
- Learn to assess demand and get to know about the various technologies that can be used to improve fibre broadband availability.
- Learn about the methodology used to analyze 70 internet infrastructure systems.
- Provides Policymaker-centred recommendations for promoting broadband development.
Course Duration: 6 weeks
5. Urban Rail Development – World Bank Group
The curriculum of this seven-module course shows you the importance of a railway network that is sustainable and environmentally friendly.
The curriculum of this course is based on The Urban Rail Development Handbook and brings to you the experience and expertise of the World Bank staff in the development of an economically beneficial railway network.
Course Highlights:
- Gain a Certificate upon completion.
- The course is divided into 7 modules.
- Get introduced to the steps necessary in the development of urban rail.
- Learn to judge if urban rail is to be established or not.
- Learn about the important aspects of rail governance.
- Learn to take into consideration the various impacts of establishing urban rail.
- Learn about designing and funding such a project.
- Learn from an experienced staff of the World Bank.
Course Duration: 7 weeks
6. E-Learning Course on Smart City – World Bank Group
The curriculum of this six-week course provides you with a full-scale study of the theoretical, political, economic, and administrative analysis and research to show the best real-life implementations of global smart cities. Besides giving you an overall introduction to the prospect of global smart city development, this course will show you a working model for developing a citizen-centred, collaborative and digitally-enabled smart city.
Course Highlights:
- Gain a Certificate upon completing this course.
- Beginner-friendly.
- Learn the fundamentals of smart city development.
- Get to know about various technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, the Internet of Things(IoT), and 5G mobility.
- Learn through case studies of various Korean smart cities.
- Learn how smart cities can be planned properly.
- Learn about the financing and implementation aspects of smart city development.
Course Duration: 6 weeks
7. From Climate Science to Action – Coursera
The curriculum of this four-week course focuses on teaching you effective climate change tackling strategies based on a specific geographic location such as Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, and South Asia. This course is seventh on the list of world bank online courses.
This course brings together scientists and policymakers for providing you with a synthesis of the recent scientific developments and research made in reversing climate change and climate-resilient development strategies. By the end of this course, you will have gained comprehensive knowledge about climate change and the ways in which it can be minimized during development.
Course Highlights:
- Gain a certificate upon completing this course.
- Recommended for beginners.
- Learn about the various trends and detrimental changes occurring in the world as a result of climate change.
- Learn about the effects of climate change in various sectors of industries.
- Learn about the various clauses in climate change agreements such as the Paris Agreement and the Conference of Parties(COP)22.
- Provides access to interactive videos, tools, assignments, quizzes, and discussion forums.
Course Duration: 4 weeks
8. Countering Trade-Based Money Laundering – Open Learning Campus(World Bank Group)
This self-paced course offered by the World Bank Group introduces to you the illegal practice of trade-based money laundering(TBML) where criminals misreport the quantity, quality, or price of goods and then transfer significant amounts of money or valued items from one country’s jurisdiction to that of another. This course will show you how allowing TBML can lead to terrorism funding and damage to reputation and will teach you the various ways in which such money laundering can be detected and hence prevented.
Course Highlights :
- Gain a Certificate upon completing this course and passing the final assessment.
- Recommended for trade finance and other bank managers.
- Get introduced to the practice of trade-based money laundering.
- Learn the various ways in which TBML can be prevented through the implementation of suited frameworks.
Course Duration: Self Paced
9. Data For Better Lives: A New Social Contract – Open Learning Campus(World Bank Group)
This course examines and lets you know about the various mentions in the World Development Report(WDR) and also teaches you how data and data governance can be used to drastically improve the lives of the poor.
Course Highlights:
- Learn about the various surveys conducted in the World Development Report(WDR).
- Learn how a new social contract for data governance can be used to improve the lives of the poor.
- A self-paced course.
Course Duration: Self Paced
10. Behavior Change for Health System Strengthening and Achieving Universal Health Coverage (Self-Paced) – Open Learning Campus(World Bank Group)
The curriculum of this course helps you learn about the effect of human behaviour on human health. This course is tenth on the list of world bank online courses and teaches you the leading behavioural risk factors such as unsafe sex, obesity, alcohol abuse, poor sanitation, and high cholesterol and their effects which include death and disabilities. This course will show you the ways of introducing healthy behavioural activities in lifestyles based on recent evidence-based research.
Course Highlights:
- Learn how unhealthy behavioural activities lead to disabilities and fatal injuries.
- Learn to study such behaviours in both high-income and poor countries.
- Learn why standard approaches in improving lifestyle result in failure.
- Learn the ways of eliminating such behaviour through new evidence.
Course Duration: Self Paced
11. Water Utility Financing(Self Paced) – Open Learning Campus(World Bank Group)
The curriculum of this five-module course provides you with an overview of the fundamentals of water utility along with teaching you to make it attractive for commercial financing. Further, this course contains course-assessment modules for ensuring proper revision of concepts.
This course will equip you with the knowledge necessary for utility financing and will help you uncover the creditworthiness of water utilities.
Course Highlights:
- Learn the fundamentals of utility financing.
- Get introduced to critical financial concepts.
- Learn about utility finance in practice and its reliability.
- Go through an assessment at the end of the course to revise concepts learned in the course.
Course Duration: Self Paced
12. Solid Waste Management – World Bank Group
The curriculum of this course offered by the World Bank Group explains to you how solid waste management(SWM) has started to become a major problem as low and middle-income countries continue to undergo urbanization and produce even greater amounts of solid waste. This course shows you how solid waste management directly affects public health, the environment, and people’s livelihoods.
By the end of this course, you will have discovered the benefits of proper solid waste management systems on people as well as the environment. Moreover, you will be able to learn the various ways in which such waste can be reutilized for energy generation and other purposes.
Course Highlights:
- Gain a Certificate upon completion.
- Get to know about solid waste management sectors.
- Learn to evaluate the various technologies that are to be applied in solid waste management while keeping in mind financial, technical, and operational capacities.
- Get to know about the innovations made in the sector of solid waste management.
- Uses practical tools and case studies to apply solutions to the sector.
Course Duration: Self Paced
13. E-Learning on Digital Agriculture – World Bank Group
This course is twelfth on the list of world bank online courses and will show you how Digital Agriculture Technologies(DATs) can be used to improve and increase your productivity, efficiency, and competitiveness, and improve the nutritional outcome of produce. You will also learn how such digital tools help in boosting on-farm production.
This course will provide you with a high-level overview of Digital Agriculture Technologies and will show you the agriculture data platforms already available to be used. Moreover, you will be able to remember the concepts learned in this course through many quizzes.
Course Highlights:
- Gain a Certificate upon completion.
- Gain an overview of Digital Agriculture Technologies.
- Get to know about the benefits of using Internet and Communication Technologies and their on-farm effects.
- Learn how ICT services can give you access to better financial information if you are a smallholder farmer.
- Learn how agricultural ICT services can increase market access.
- Learn to use DAT for crowdsourcing, remote sensing, and big data analysis.
Course Duration: 5 weeks
14. Trading for Development in The Age of Global Value Chains – Word Development Report 2020 – World Bank Group
This course will show you how Global Value Chains(GVCs) can be made more sustainable and inclusive. This course involves Bank economists explaining to you trading for development alongside teaching you how GVCs are significant for the global economy.
This course based on the World Development Report(WDR) will show you how GVCs can be segmentized or retrenched in the future as a result of trade conflicts amongst nations besides explaining to you how GVCs can stimulate sustainable economic growth.
Course Highlights:
- Gain a certificate upon completing this course.
- No previous knowledge is required.
- Recommended for beginners.
- Learn how Global Value Chains can be made more sustainable.
- Learn how improvements in the Global Value Chains can reduce poverty, and create jobs.
- Communicate with peers from around the world in discussions.
Course Duration: 5 weeks
15. Urban Upgrading for Inclusion, Sustainability, and Resilience in a Time of Global Pandemics – World Bank Group
This self-paced course based on the World Bank’s Urban Upgrading for Inclusion, Sustainability, and Resilience in a Time of Global Pandemics provides you with the conceptual and operational aspects of initiating and sustaining a slum transformation intervention. In a time when people living in slums have been further affected by the COVID-19 Pandemic, this course will support you to respond to the challenges faced by the slums and understand how an upgrade process can be implemented.
Course Highlights:
- Gain a certificate upon completing this course.
- No previous knowledge is required.
- An introductory course.
- Understand urban slums and their social, cultural, and economic characteristics and how they affect the local community and the city is affected as a whole.
- Learn about planning and financial informal settlement upgrading.
- Learn about the management of health outbreaks in slums and how social inclusion can be induced in upgrading these slums.
- Learn how to implement shelter needs in informal areas.
Course Duration: 9 weeks
16. Think Road Safety – Road Safety Training for External Partners – World Bank Group
This six-module course based on the World Bank’s “Think Road Safety – Road Safety Training for External Partners” provides you with a comprehensive overview of road safety and the impacts caused by injuries and deaths while utilizing global data on mobility and discusses the global plan of action for safety improvement.
By the end of this course, you will have developed valuable knowledge about road infrastructure and the implementation of a Safe System Approach through global examples.
Course Highlights:
- Gain a certificate upon completing this course.
- No previous knowledge is required.
- An introductory course.
- Learn why more than 90% of road deaths and injuries occur in low-income countries and how it is an economic burden.
- Learn about the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety (2011-2020), the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) target 3.6.
- Learn about the benefits of road safety impact assessments, audits, and inspections in ensuring road safety.
Course Duration: Self Paced
17. GREENTECH: Mainstreaming Technologies in Green, Blue and Clean Operations – World Bank Group
This course is seventeenth on the list of world bank online courses and is based on the World Bank’s GREENTECH: Mainstreaming Technologies in Green, Blue, and Clean Operations provides you with an introduction to the changes occurring in the environment due to various processes and activities and explains to you the meanings of green technology, a blue economy, and integrated GreenTech.
In addition to providing case study-based teaching, this course will help you to get to know about the various technologies that can be used to improve the environment.
Course Highlights:
- Gain a certificate upon completing this course.
- No previous knowledge is required.
- An introductory course.
- Includes videos, links, and articles.
- Learn about the global context for environmental problems and challenges.
- Uses case studies of the application of modern technology in the environment.
- Learn how marine and water resources can be used to fuel the “Blue Economy” in a sustainable manner.
- Learn how environmental conservation technologies can be integrated into certain sectors.
Course Duration: 4 weeks
18. Passive Urban Cooling Solutions – World Bank Group
This Course Based on the World Bank’s Passive Urban Cooling Solutions will provide you with information about the nature of rising urban heat and its challenges. Further, the course will help you to become aware of the Primer handbook and the various technical solutions to such rising urban heat.
Course Highlights:
- Gain a certificate upon completing this course.
- No previous knowledge is required.
- An introductory course.
- Recommended for policymakers and practitioners.
- Learn about what urban heating actually is and why it occurs.
- Learn about the specific practical solutions involving the application of technology to tackle rising urban heat.
Course Duration: Self Paced
19. Strengthening Geospatial Information Management: Using The Integrated Geospatial Information Framework (Virtual Knowledge Exchange) – World Bank Group
This four-week course focused on the World Bank’s “Strengthening Geospatial Information Management: Using the Integrated Geospatial Information Framework (IGIF)” will help you understand the socio-economic benefits of incorporating sustenance into development.
By the end of this course, you will have in-depth knowledge about Geospatial Information and how it is used to solve many complex problems such as hazard and risk management, sustainable transportation, and land administration.
Course Highlights:
- Gain a certificate upon completing this course.
- Utilizes case studies to show governance and institutional models for Spatial Data Infrastructures.
- Learn about data standardization and cutting-edge digital twin applications.
- Gain insights from professionals to develop effective communication and outreach campaigns.
- Learn about the benefits of geospatial information.
Course Duration: 4 weeks
20. E-Learning Course in Railway Financing – World Bank Group
This three-week online course is based on the publication “Railway Reform: Toolkit for Improving Rail Sector Performance” and it introduces to you the benefits of private investment in the railway sector.
By the end of this course, you will have developed the key skills necessary to attract private sector financing in railways and will also explain to you risk and risk mitigation. This course ranks twentieth on the list of world bank online courses.
Course Highlights:
- Gain a Certificate upon completion.
- Introductory course without any requirement for prior knowledge.
- Understand the difference between finance and funding.
- Learn about the ways in which the funding gap can be closed in the railway sector.
- Learn the various financial instruments used by railways.
- Understand the risks of private sector investment in railways and learn ways of mitigating them.
Course Duration: 3 weeks
21. The Hidden Side of Energy Access: Clean Cooking – World Bank Group
The curriculum of this course will explain to you how many households in the world still use rudimentary methods of cooking using charcoal and firewood due to the unavailability of modern energy cooking systems(MECS) which further harms the environment due to the release of harmful emissions.
The course will help you understand the ways in which clean cooking can be implemented, and its financing options and will provide you with recommendations for making clean cooking a reality.
Course Highlights:
- Gain a Certificate upon completion.
- Introductory course without any requirement for prior knowledge.
- Learn about the negative effects of traditional cooking practices.
- Understand the concept of MECS and the trends in the use of fuse stoves around the world.
- Get to know the “least-cost, best-fit” approach for financing such projects.
- Get recommendations for national governments, donors, development partners, and private investors.
Course Duration: 4 weeks
22. Policy Lessons from South Korea’s Development – World Bank Group
The curriculum of this course developed by the World Bank Group in collaboration with the Korea Development Institute helps you to examine South Korea’s past development and its current strategies in order to understand how this low-income, resource-poor country transformed itself into a high-income country with help of a highly-skilled workforce.
Course Highlights:
- Gain a certificate upon completing this course.
- Learn from expert academicians of the World Bank Group.
- Couse comprises 4 modules.
- Recommended for policymakers who want to know about t.
- Learn to examine the strategic development of Korea from a global perspective.
- Learn about the economic strategy devised for growth in Korea in the 21st Century.
- Learn about the ways of maximizing the productivity of an ageing workforce and strengthening safety nets.
Course Duration: Self Paced
23. Citizen Engagement: A Game Changer for Development – World Bank Group
This five-week online course will demonstrate to you how direct citizen engagement in the government causes proper administration and will show you how you can play an active role in shaping government policies.
Course Highlights:
- Gain a Certificate upon completing this course.
- Learn what citizen engagement actually is.
- Learn about its benefits in governance.
- Learn about the impacts of recent innovations and developments in technology.
Course Duration: 5 weeks
24. Digital Dividends: Strengthening The Analog Foundation of The Digital Revolution – World Bank Group
The curriculum of this course is twenty-fourth on the list of world bank online courses and will explain to you how the Internet as a whole affects the economy, the lives of the people, and all businesses in general. Further, in this five-week course, you will learn about the various challenges faced which prevent digital transformation and about the national policies that are related to Information and Communication Technology sector.
Course Highlights:
- Gain a certificate upon completing this course.
- Learn how the internet helps in the growth of an economy.
- Learn how countries can shape their policies so as to maximize digital development.
- Learn about the problems faced in continuing digital development.
- Learn about accelerating growth by supporting more trade so as to boost productivity.
- Uses clauses from the World Development Report(WDR) as a reference for teaching.
- Learn how the Internet can be made universal, affordable, and safe.
Course Duration: 5 weeks
25. Smart Cities for Sustainable Development – World Bank Group
This online course based on the World Bank’s “Smart Cities for Sustainable Development” uses data to show you how smart cities have used information and technology to become efficient, resilient, and inclusive.
Besides teaching you how technologies such as the Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, planning, and big data analysis can be used to form smart cities which focus on sustainability, you will learn to formulate strategies while keeping in mind variables of many sectors.
Course Highlights:
- Gain a certificate upon completing this course.
- An introductory course.
- Learn how smart city development can facilitate collaboration and open leadership.
- Learn how smart cities can use data in an integrated manner to improve productivity.
- Learn from GSCP-supported caste studies.
- Learn about the future of smart cities.
Course Duration: 4 weeks
