Mental health awareness training online in the UK: where to study and what employers look for

What employers look for in an online mental health awareness certificate

Your employer decides what mental health and wellbeing training its staff need, based on its own risk assessment. HSE says employers have a legal duty to protect workers from stress at work by assessing the risk and acting on it. When an employer looks at an online certificate, these are the things that matter:

• It records what you did. The certificate names the course, the hours of learning and the completion date.
• It can be checked. A unique certificate number and a verification link let HR or a manager confirm it quickly.
• The content is current. It follows current UK law and official guidance on work-related stress and on disability under the Equality Act 2010.
• It is refreshed on schedule. A recommended refresh-by date shows when the next update is due.

Lift College's certificate does each of these. It names Mental Health Awareness Training, shows 1 hour of learning, your completion date and a recommended refresh date 3 years later. It carries a unique certificate number and a verification link, and it is issued as a PDF the same day you pass. The course covers HSE's six Management Standards areas and the Equality Act 2010, and your free refresher gives you the latest version when it is due.

What the Lift College course covers

The course has 6 short modules, 1 hour in total, with a knowledge check after each one.

1. Understanding mental health: what mental health is, how it can change over time and why talking openly helps reduce stigma.
2. Spotting the signs: changes in mood, behaviour, work or attendance that may mean someone is struggling, and why you should not guess at a diagnosis.
3. Starting a conversation: choosing a good moment, asking open questions, listening well and agreeing next steps together.
4. Stress and the law: the HSE definition of stress, the employer's duty to assess and act on stress risks, and the six HSE Management Standards areas.
5. Support and adjustments: when a mental health condition can be a disability under the Equality Act 2010, and simple adjustments that help people stay in work.
6. Getting help and self-care: where to point someone for help, what to do in a crisis, and how to look after your own wellbeing.

The final test is multiple choice, 80% to pass, with unlimited free retakes. By the end you can recognise common signs that someone may be struggling, start a supportive conversation, signpost people to NHS 111, Samaritans and Shout, and look after your own wellbeing at work.

The law and guidance it is written around

The Lift College course page cites three pieces of UK law.

• Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974: section 2 says "It shall be the duty of every employer to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all his employees." HSE says this includes protecting workers from stress at work.
• Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, regulation 3: employers must make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks to their employees' health and safety. HSE says this includes work-related stress.
• Equality Act 2010: a mental health condition can count as a disability if it has a substantial, long-term adverse effect on day-to-day activities. Employers must then make reasonable adjustments. Acas explains that the effect must last, or be expected to last, at least 12 months.

How online mental health awareness courses compare

Prices and details below come from each provider's own course page, checked 11 October 2026. Where a page does not state something, the cell says "Check provider".

Who it suits

Lift College's Mental Health Awareness Training suits every employee, plus managers and team leaders who support their teams. It fits well if you:

• want to support colleagues who may be struggling
• manage a team and want to have better wellbeing conversations
• work in a high-pressure role such as care, education, retail or hospitality
• want to understand how work-related stress is managed
• are taking part in a wellbeing programme your employer is building

You need to be 16 or over. Access lasts for as long as Lift College offers the course, and never less than 3 years from purchase. Ask within 14 days of paying for a full refund if you change your mind. Rolling it out across a team? Ask about team enrolment.

For related workplace topics, see our guides to bullying and harassment training online and equality and diversity training online. Browse every course in workplace compliance or all CPD courses, or start Mental Health Awareness Training today.