The timing of the conference coincides with the East African Community’s work towards a regional strategy for Recognition of Prior Learning. The Inter-University Council of East Africa is leading this process which aims to recognise the skills and experience people have acquired outside of traditional academia.

This includes providers like Alison, which has facilitated over 23 million learners worldwide, with more than 4,000 courses currently available for education or skills development.

The company’s CEO, Mike Feerick, is using the opportunity to meet and hear the experiences of those who have been empowered by the platform’s radical offering. In 2021 alone, over 7 million learners in Africa studied free courses on everything from basic English and languages to management skills, nursing and marketing, advancing their education or equipping themselves to pursue their career dreams.

With e-learning being remote by nature, Harvard graduate Feerick has relished the prospect of getting to know learners in person and has taken a road trip across Kenya and Uganda en route to Rwanda. “Our goal is to hear as many stories as possible from Alison graduates about how they came to Alison, what they studied, and how free study helped empower them in the workplace or through personal development,” he explains.

“We have been inspired by the people we’ve met and by hearing how our courses have helped them overcome barriers to learning. They’ve also given me lots of ideas for we might develop Alison services further, to assist them further in their careers, and also assist those in their community to upskill and develop themselves through our free online services.”

He describes the appetite for learning and upskilling among people he has met so far as ‘simply extraordinary’.

The Alison team, including members from Africa, Ireland and Pakistan, will be running a workshop during the eLearning Africa conference in Kigali Conference Centre on May 11-13, where Feerick is a keynote speaker. They are excited about meeting learners, instructors, schools and businesses and discussing the Diploma and Certificate courses, career development tools, how you can earn and learn with Alison or how you can empower your business.

Apart from courses, Alison is packed with features to help learners, like its popular Workplace Personality Assessment and the Welliba Workplace Wellbeing Survey, while the app makes learning on the move easier than ever. Along with career guidance, new features include a resume builder, and the company has recently launched an Affiliate program where learners can earn as they learn by referring their friends and family to the site.

Stay up to date with Mike Feerick and his team as they travel through Eastern Africa, meeting learners along the way. Follow their journey on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and the Alison Blog.

For further information see https://alison.com/campaigns/alison-sponsors-elearning-africa-2022

Visit the official conference website for more information: www.elearning-africa.com

Mike Feerick - Founder and CEO Alison

Alison CEO Mike Feerick and Alison graduate Brian Masinde on Good Morning Kenya.