There are hundreds of thousands of refugees worldwide who are living in a kind of limbo while they await the processing of their asylum application. Sometimes this can take years. In Ireland, as in many other countries, asylum seekers cannot work, nor can the majority of young people access third level education due to a lack of finances. Alison provides an opportunity to those who are unable to work, or study in traditional third level institutions, to pursue their interests and up-skill, offering hope for the future and a whole world of possibility.
Princess Khumalo from Zimbabwe arrived in Ireland in 2014, and is currently residing in a direct provision centre. “Before coming to Ireland, I was in the casino industry for 24 years. I invested all my time in my work and never found the time to study. With so much time at my disposal now, I have been spending a lot of that time studying on Alison, which has given me the opportunity to realign my goals by filling in the missing puzzle in my career.”
Princess came across Alison when searching for diplomas online. Having chosen to study a Customer Service course initially, as customer service was familiar to her from her life in the casino industry, she soon discovered that she was looking to push the boundaries of her knowledge by studying something she had no previous knowledge of.
“Then I found the Diploma in Project Management, which really challenged me. It felt like the missing part of the puzzle for me,” she says.
“This is one of the things I love about Alison. There are so many courses from which to choose from, that you will always find one that you will feel passionate about,” adds Princess.
Studying at her own pace, she says she found the study materials were sufficient to allow her to finish the diploma with ease, but it was still challenging enough to hold her attention. “When I finished, I just wished that Alison offered it at a degree level.”
With over 1000 free courses to choose from online, from languages to IT, and from soft skills such as photography to diplomas in business, Alison offers invaluable educational support to those who need it most.
