These days the job market is more competitive than ever. Anything that can give you an edge, no matter how subtle, over everyone else has to be a good thing.

Here are eight TAFE NSW courses ranging from Certificate II to Diploma level that are available fully online. The advantage of online study is that you can do it at times that are most convenient for you. If you already work fulltime, you can still improve your qualifications without having to take time off work to do so. Go ahead - put yourself ahead of the curve.

Cert II in Retail Services

This course is a great starting point if you want to work in a retail store but have little or no experience. You will learn basic practical skills and operational knowledge such as communicating with customers, using retail technologies and stock maintenance. This qualification will give you the ability to perform in roles such as frontline team member, customer service assistant and point-of-sale operator.

Cert IV in Hospitality

If you're interested in working in a supervisory role in restaurants, hotels, motels, clubs, pubs, cafes and coffee shops, this course can help put you ahead of your competitors and over the line. You'll learn the necessary skills and industry knowledge to work as a skilled operator in a variety of hospitality contexts. This qualification allows for multi-skilling and for specialisation in accommodation services, food and beverage and gaming.

Cert IV in Business Administration

This qualification could be a handy dealmaker in a wide variety of administrative jobs. You'll learn how to oversee the day-to-day operations of an office, administer projects, organise meetings, prepare and edit correspondence, reports and presentations. You may also provide some leadership and guidance to others. In short, a great feather to have in your cap.

Cert IV in Work Health and Safety

Work health and safety is an important aspect of the modern working world across a broad range of different industries. So any formal qualification in this area could really give you a leg up. This course will help you develop the technical knowledge and practical skills you'll need to provide WHS advice and assist with improving safety in the workplace.

Cert IV in Veterinary Nursing

Lots of people love animals but not many people have a formal qualification in animal care. In this course you'll develop the skills and knowledge you need to work in a team environment with veterinarians, veterinary nurses and other support staff to provide quality care to sick and injured animals.

Cert IV in Community Services

This qualification will give you the knowledge and skills to work with people in a range of areas including domestic violence, homelessness and community work. The course covers areas such as the legal and ethical aspects of practice, direct client services, work health and safety and community development.

Diploma of Leadership and Management

People who aspire to leadership and management roles don't necessarily have any formal qualifications in this area, so this course could help put you ahead of your competitors. You'll learn how to initiate and make sound judgement in planning, organising, implementing and monitoring workloads to meet organisational requirements. This includes how to conduct a risk analysis, manage a project, develop an innovate work environment and implement new systems.

Diploma of Project Management

This qualification will give you the basic skills to lead projects into the future and will give you practical training based on the latest industry thinking. You'll learn how to initiate, plan, execute and evaluate projects in a variety of contexts and across many different industry sectors. The course covers managing project scope and timelines, costs and human resources, project risk and project integration.