The Galway based free online education company Alison.com is doing away with ads on its platform for the next six months to help newly unemployed Irish workers upskill.
Alison.com has seen the popularity of its more than 1,500 Certificate and Diploma level online education courses explode in recent days, as people are forced to stay home during the current pandemic.
As part of their response to this, Alison.com has said that it is website advertising free without charge within Ireland for the next six months to assist newly employed Irish workers upskill.
It is estimated that up to 300,000 Irish workers face unemployment in the months ahead as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic.
Speaking at the announcement, Alison Founder/CEO Mike Feerick stated that the gesture is one Alison is happy to make.
“While advertising is how we fund the website worldwide, most of our team live and work in Ireland and know personally people whose employment has been jeopardised by the Coronavirus Pandemic crisis.
“Alison has over 1,500 free Certificate and Diploma courses, in subjects from Project Management, Languages, IT, to Health & Safety, Elderly Caregiving, MS Excel to free courses on GDPR.”
“If you have been laid off, it is an opportunity to build up and strengthen your workplace skills to enhance your chances for employment in the months and years ahead.”
The online education company is also partnering with the Irish Covidresponsejobs.com initiative supported by a consortium of Irish businesses including Sigmar Recruitment, the Irish Times and media Group Communicorp to mobilise the Irish workforce.
This seeks to connect those 300,000 people who are out of a job with employers still looking to hire during the Covid-19 crisis.
Sigmar Recruitment CCO Robert Mac Giolla Phadraig who is leading the initiative welcomed Alison’s involvement.
“As one of the world’s largest free learning platforms for the workplace, Alison presents excellent opportunity to newly unemployed in Ireland to upskill.”
“The learning content has been COVID curated for maximum impact across Business Skills, IT Skills, Mental Health and Personal Development.”
“We are also encouraging the restricted workforce to use down-time to up-skill for a quicker more effective rebound.”
Galway TD Ciaran Cannon also welcomed the announcement, saying that he is glad that in addition to helping Irish workers, this offer has also been extended to Irish Aid partner countries.
This will help the unemployed and those seeking to upskill in Ethiopia, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda, Vietnam and Zambia
“Alison is one of Ireland’s homegrown international brands, recognised by UNESCO for its valuable contribution to global education,” Ciaran Cannon said.
“I welcome Alison’s assistance to Irish workers and international workers, employed and unemployed at this time. This is exactly the kind of public private collaboration that will see us through this crisis”.
