GALWAY, IRELAND - 2026-06-08
Alison, one of the world’s largest free empowerment platforms, has graduated over 1.5 million people in Northern Europe. The achievement reflects sustained demand for flexible, practical education across a region where digital readiness, professional mobility, and lifelong learning are increasingly central to career resilience.
The milestone matters because online learning is no longer a fallback option for people who cannot access traditional education. For many Alison Learners, it is a direct route to stronger workplace skills, recognised learning outcomes, and greater confidence when applying for work and preparing for emerging career demands.
A Regional Milestone With Practical Career Impact
Northern Europe has some of the world’s strongest education and digital economies, yet the need for accessible upskilling remains urgent. Eurostat’s Digitalisation in Europe - 2025 edition reports that only 56% of EU citizens had basic or above basic digital skills in 2023, despite the EU target of 80% by 2030. The European Commission’s State of the Digital Decade 2025 report also highlights digital skills as a continuing barrier to progress in areas such as AI and cybersecurity.
Against that backdrop, Alison’s 1.5 million Graduates in Northern Europe point to a clear behavioural shift: people are continuing to seek short, flexible, and skills-based learning. The milestone shows how free online learning can complement national education systems by giving adults immediate access to courses they can start, complete, and evidence quickly.
Free Learning That Meets Ambition Where It Is
Alison’s model is built around access. Learners can study fully online, at their own pace, without tuition fees, choosing from thousands of free online courses across professional, technical, business, healthcare, language, and personal development topics. For people who want recognised proof of progress, Certificates and Diplomas help turn completed learning into something they can show employers, clients, and professional networks.
That practical structure is especially important in a region where career pathways are evolving quickly. As employers look for evidence of adaptability and current capability, Alison gives millions a way to keep building skills without waiting for formal enrolment cycles, employer-sponsored training, or expensive retraining programmes.
Graduates Reflect The Direction Of Lifelong Learning
The 1.5 million Graduate milestone does more than mark course completions. It shows that Learners across Northern Europe are using free online education to take ownership of their next step, whether that means improving job readiness, strengthening digital confidence, exploring a new field, or building a broader foundation for long-term employability.
For Alison, the milestone reinforces the platform’s wider mission: to make learning available to anyone with the motivation to improve their skills, regardless of income, location, or starting point. As skills needs continue to evolve, the ability to learn, certify progress, and apply new knowledge will remain central to how people stay prepared for opportunity.
Ends
Resources
Alison provides a range of online learning and career development tools focused on developing skills and improving employability. For Learners in Northern Europe, relevant resources include free online courses in areas like Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, Project Management, Business Operations, Healthcare, and Sustainability.
Additional resources include Aptitude Tests, which help Learners assess core abilities, and a Resumé Builder designed to support CV creation and job applications. Learners can also use the Career Guide to explore career paths and the Alison App to support flexible learning, including Offline Learning where available.
Media contact
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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 Numerical, 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.
