Vodafone offers free online learning resources to support customers during the Coronavirus crisis

Vodafone Foundation expands digital learning platforms to help children in Europe and Africa

Vodafone is making a new range of online educational and training support available to customers and employees for free, including online e-learning courses from Udemy and extended access to Perlego’s online library of academic text books and publications as part of Vodafone’s commitment to support society during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis.

Vodafone Foundation, Vodafone’s philanthropic arm, is also widening the reach of its digital learning platforms that already bring curriculum-based quality education to over a million out-of-school learners across the globe.

Vodafone has partnered with Udemy – the world’s largest destination for online courses – to make available a curated selection of more than 150 free online video courses covering business and productivity, technology, personal development and wellness.

In addition, Vodafone customers will also be offered six weeks free access to Perlego, the world’s largest online academic and professional library allowing people to learn anything, anytime.  Perlego offers a growing library of 300,000+ titles from the leading educational publishers, in addition to mainstream publications on management and business.

Vodafone Group CEO Nick Read said: “With so many of us at home during these difficult times, we want to ensure that our customers and employees have the opportunity to practice new skills and extend their learning and development.  Vodafone will be offering customers free access to some of the best online learning resources, giving them the chance to learn and develop while away from their offices, colleges and schools.”

Both offers will be progressively rolled out to Vodafone customers in Europe and Africa from 1 April 2020, with Vodafone markets announcing the services via e-mail, SMS and the My Vodafone app.

Vodafone has also made a wide selection of additional e-learning courses available to its own employees, including programmes to improve home working and managing teams remotely in addition to courses on building resilience and managing stress.  Vodafone is also encouraging employees to develop their technology and project management skills online and has offered free access to popular adult language learning courses.

Vodafone Foundation helps young people continue their education

In Africa, more than 1.1 million young people are accessing free online learning materials through the Instant Schools and Vodacom e-school programmes. These digital learning platforms are endorsed as a recommended tool for home learners in Ghana, DRC, Tanzania and in South Africa where 76,000 new subscribers have registered to use e-School this month.

In Europe, primary school users of Vodafone Spain Foundation’s DigiCraft digital skills programme have doubled in a week, whilst in Romania, 97% of students with remote access to ‘School in a Box’ continue to participate in class. In Greece, the Foundation are enhancing their Generation Next platform – which has supported 61,000 adolescent learners to date – to include visual classrooms and online labs to challenge students to participate in ‘DIY’ STEM activities from home.

Andrew Dunnett, Vodafone’s Group Director of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Sustainable Business and Foundations, said: “As the COVID-19 outbreak prevents millions of children around the world from attending school, digital learning platforms assume an even greater importance, ensuring children continue to develop and equip themselves for a brighter future. We remain committed to working with our partners to enable as many young people as possible to continue their education.”

Through Instant Network Schools, Vodafone Foundation is also the largest connected education partner of UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. The digital learning programme has connected more than 86,500 refugee students to a quality education to date, and will be scaled over the next 5 years to benefit half a million young refugees, host communities and their teachers, improving the quality of education in some of the most marginalised communities in Africa.