Susan Frappell is a 23-year old based in Nuneaton, Warwickshire. She was an apprentice and used Alison.com in her spare time around her studies to gain a diploma in customer service.
As a result, Susan secured a job in store support at the head office for a health food retailer which she had previously applied for five times. She has since gone on to secure a promotion at the company and now works as a manpower planning coordinator.
“In 2016 I was doing my apprenticeship in admin which involved a mix of study and working at a learning centre. However, I always wanted to work in customer service. I found my dream job, at the head office of a health food retailer. I applied for the same role five times but was unsuccessful each time. I was not disheartened as I knew I had a lot of transferable skills but I lacked qualifications.
So, during my spare time, between studying and working, I researched online learning sites and came across Alison.com. I was excited to discover it offered a diploma in customer service – so I enrolled right away. I had looked into other e-learning platforms but Alison.com is by far the most comprehensive and the mix of video and copy suits me. I like it because of the variety of courses, the learning is very focused and you can gain both certificates and diplomas. What’s more, the courses are free.
I fitted studying for the diploma around my apprenticeship and work. I have always enjoyed learning and was very studious at school. I knew that by expanding my knowledge I was investing in my future career prospects. After I completed my customer service diploma, the role I had previously gone for came up again. I applied, but this time I was able to put the diploma on my CV. I had an interview and this time I got the job! I was so happy and the employer was impressed with my willingness to learn and determination.
I have now been with the company for four years and I have gone on to gain a promotion as a manpower planning coordinator. I still use Alison.com and have completed courses in a variety of subjects including: touch-typing, project management and accountancy. I have also recently studied operations management to prepare me for my new role.
I think there is a misconception around online learning and that you have to go through a formal education, such as gaining a degree, to be successful. Whilst I see there is value in that for certain professions, I urge anyone who is considering upskilling or wants a career change to consider e-learning. Thanks to studying online with Alison.com I secured my dream job.”
About Alison
Alison is one of the world’s largest and totally free to use employment empowerment platforms, with 17 million learners. It is the global leader in free learning for basic education, workplace skills and psychometric testing with three million graduates of its 2000 courses. Alison also enables subject-matter-experts to freely publish on its platform enabling a new era of free knowledge and skills transfer within businesses.
