GALWAY, IRELAND – 2025-12-18
Alison, the world’s largest free online learning and career development platform, has reached 2.5 million registered Learners in Nigeria. This marks a significant step in the country’s shift toward skills-based learning and self-directed career development.
As Africa’s most populous nation with one of the youngest workforces in the world, Nigeria faces both a challenge and an opportunity in preparing its citizens for the job market. According to research by the World Economic Forum, each year, an estimated 3.5 million young Nigerians enter the labour market, creating one of the largest youth workforce waves globally and underlining the need for practical skills that align with employer demand.
Building Job-Ready Skills for a Changing Nigerian Job Market
The milestone reflects a clear shift in how Nigerians are approaching employability. Rather than relying on qualifications alone, professionals increasingly seek flexible, practical education that helps them perform better in their current roles, compete for higher-level positions, and advance within their chosen industries. This focus is shaped by labour-market realities: while official figures show relatively low headline unemployment rates, broader measures that include time-related underemployment, where people are working fewer hours than they’d prefer or in roles that underuse their skills, indicate that around 15% of the Nigerian labour force was either unemployed or underemployed in recent surveys by Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics.
In response, Nigerian Learners are prioritising skills that support real workplace performance. Through Alison, they are building core professional capabilities such as communication, problem-solving, time management, and operational understanding – skills that employers consistently value across sectors, including hospitality, services, business, and entrepreneurship. Alison’s free courses, developed through a CPD-accredited production process and created by expert Course Creators, allow Learners to strengthen these skills in a structured and credible way.
Unlike traditional education pathways, which can be constrained by cost, location, and rigid entry requirements, Alison’s free online learning model enables Nigerians to build relevant skills at their own pace while balancing work and personal responsibilities. Combined with career tools such as aptitude tests and certificates that help Learners demonstrate capability, Alison is supporting millions of Nigerians as they build confidence, strengthen employability, and pursue more stable and rewarding career opportunities, whether through progression in existing roles or transition into new ones.
“Alison Has Improved My Work Style and Given Me Confidence” – Murphy’s Story
Beyond Learner registration numbers, the milestone is reflected in real career progression across the country. For many professionals, online learning directly shapes how they work, apply for roles, and progress in their careers.
One Alison Learner who reflects this impact is Murphy Oyameda, a hospitality professional based in Abuja, Nigeria. Raised in a military barracks, Murphy learned discipline and resilience from an early age. After losing his father during the civil war in Liberia, he focused on building a stable career that could support his family.
Starting as a kitchen assistant, Murphy progressed through multiple roles in the hospitality sector, including waiter and supervisor. Today, he is a trained Banquet Coordinator and recently secured a new role as General Manager at a hospitality business in Nigeria, following further upskilling through Alison.
After completing courses in Hotel Management and Time Management, Murphy credits Alison with strengthening both his practical knowledge and professional confidence.
“Alison has improved my work style and has equally given me confidence to pick a better job at a higher level, because I am well-equipped with hospitality knowledge now,” Murphy said. “The learning format is so convenient and engaging.”
He added that the skills gained have had a direct impact on his day-to-day work:
“I now interact with so much confidence when dealing with hospitality management issues.”
Murphy is currently continuing his studies in Hospitality and Tourism, with a long-term goal of securing a role in a five-star hotel, reflecting how Nigerian Learners are using flexible online learning to build long-term career pathways, not just short-term credentials.
Empowering Nigerian Learners to Improve Their Workplace Confidence
Alison’s milestone in Nigeria points to a broader shift in how people are approaching career development. Rather than viewing learning as a one-time step, Nigerian Learners are using flexible, accessible education to continuously strengthen their skills, demonstrate their capabilities, and improve their confidence in navigating an increasingly competitive job market. By removing cost barriers and focusing on workplace-relevant courses and assessments, Alison supports Learners as they prepare for progression, career change, or new opportunities both locally and beyond.
From major cities to smaller communities, 2.5 million Nigerian Learners are showing how access to practical learning tools can translate into stronger performance at work, clearer career direction, and greater long-term mobility, reinforcing the role of open education in supporting real-world outcomes at scale.
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Resources
Learners in Nigeria can explore Alison’s free online courses across high-demand areas, including Hospitality, Business, IT, Customer Service, Leadership, and Health & Safety.
To fit learning around work, family life, or personal commitments, Learners can download the Alison App for Android or iOS and learn on the go.
Listen to Nigerian Graduates share their stories of success on Alison’s Testimonials page.
Media Contact
For further information, contact the media team at [email protected].
About Alison
Alison is a global leader in free online learning and skills development. With over 50 million registered Learners across 193 countries (as of October 2025), Alison empowers individuals, communities, and organisations to upskill quickly and effectively – at zero cost.
The Alison platform provides immediate access to over 6,000 free, CPD-accredited courses, covering essential areas such as Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Cybersecurity, Digital Marketing, Project Management, Business Operations, Healthcare and Sustainability. Courses are created by a mix of independent experts and global leaders, including IBM, Stanford and Microsoft.
For organisations, Alison offers a Free Learning Management System (LMS) that enables unlimited Learners to access thousands of courses with no upfront cost. A premium version with advanced analytics and customisation is also available. Alison's offering includes a full suite of assessments and psychometric tools, including a Workplace Personality Assessment, Mental Health & Wellbeing Assessment, English Language Proficiency Test, as well as Numeracy, Verbal, and Abstract Reasoning tests.
To further support career development, Learners also gain access to a Career Guide, a Resumé Builder, and the ability to study offline through the Alison App.
In 2026, Alison will launch a Global Recruitment Service to directly connect skilled, motivated Learners with hiring employers. The platform is also expanding its reach with multilingual versions, starting with complete Spanish, French, and Hindi offerings — reaffirming its mission to make education accessible to anyone, anywhere.
Founded in 2007, Alison pioneered the concept of free, large-scale online learning and is recognised as the world’s first MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) platform. Today, its mission continues: to break down barriers to learning, helping people gain skills, build confidence, and improve their lives — no matter where they live or what they earn.
