Education is key in Ireland having a strong recovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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When COVID\nfirst hit the Irish shores, every organisation in the country coped as\nbest as they could. We were told to protect ourselves, each other and\nespecially the most vulnerable in our society. We were given guidelines to\nfollow and sent home to stay safe. It wasn\u2019t too long before we all became all\ntoo accustomed to words like unprecedented times, social distancing and even\nradio hosts reminding us regularly to wash our hands. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many of us, organisations included, moved online in the\nhopes of adjusting to our \u201cNew normal\u201d that didn\u2019t feel normal at all. As the reality\nof COVID became clearer and lockdowns extended into and beyond the summer,\nthose businesses that couldn\u2019t move online had the unfortunate decision to\nclose their doors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As a society we\u2019re all accustomed to the online world. Even\nwith the impacts of COVID, the adjustment to moving to a more virtual\nenvironment should have been almost seamless. The reality, however, has been\nfar from it, with many sectors impacted. One of the affected sectors was\neducation. Every student, from primary school to third level was moved online,\neven creches started having an online presence. The feedback from many was that\nthis was a large adjustment and understandably so. Going from attendance to\nfully online is no small accomplishment. COVID tore down traditional education\nmethods, forcing educators to think outside the box and develop ways and means\nof teaching in an online environment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This increased demand in online and distance learning which has\nbeen accelerated by the global pandemic. However, it is long been a staple of\nfurther education in Ireland. The Open College has been providing online\nlearning since 2004 and in that time has grown to become Ireland\u2019s largest\nonline distance learning course provider. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As Ireland begins to emerge from COVID\u2019s shadow, a\nsuccessful recovery will be dependent on a skilled workforce. Many people who\nhave been affected by the pandemic have taken the resilient approach of using\ntheir time to upskill and retrain, utilising online and distance learning\ncourses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The added benefit of online education is the flexibility\nthat allows learners to study and grow in their own time and at their own pace.\nThe Open College provides over 90 accredited QQI courses in Healthcare,\nChildcare, Business, SNA, Law and many more. We also provide online degree\nprogrammes in Health & Social Care and Early Learning & Care all\ndelivered by expert educators through state-of-the-art user friendly platforms.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With the end of the pandemic in sight, The Open College will\ncontinue to help uphold Ireland\u2019s reputation of having the most educated\nworkforce worldwide. We will continue to strive for innovation and excellence\nin online education, deliver high standards in further education and provide a\nrounded learning experience for all of our learners. <\/p>\n\n\n\n