October saw an impressive milestone passed in a new, free online educational academy, developed by Drogheda-based organisation EurAV. Over 10,000 visitors in a month pushed EANE (European Academy for Nano Education) into one of the fastest-growing educational platforms in Europe. At the heart of EANE are micro-learning modules – lessons that are generally 3-7 minutes long. They each earn a credit – which is an achievement in itself – but those credits can be stacked with more credits to earn a certificate. Then those certificates can then be stacked until you earn a nano-diploma. And it’s all free of charge.
“People these days are busier than ever,” explains Head of Academy, Declan Cassidy. “I did my degree in Trinity and my post-grad at UCD and it was a chunk of my life with little time for anything else. If I had to do it today, I just wouldn’t be able to make the space in my life. With EANE, that 10 minutes waiting for a bus – or even five minutes waiting in line for a coffee – can be turned into a credit. Most courses are about 10 modules long and, after that, if you pass the assessments, you have a certificate that is aligned with the EU recommendations. The certs have a unique QR code that an employer or educational facility can verify in real time. And, if you earn six certificates in the same subject area, you earn a Nano-Diploma. These EANE qualifications can also be shared on socials such as LinkedIn. The vision is that you don’t have to shape your life around your education. Your education shapes itself around your life.”
While EANE was developed in Drogheda, Ireland, it is a European platform available in 14 languages, with more in the pipeline.
“The idea is to make sure that not only can people learn in their own language, but that the certification is available in multiple languages too,” explains Cassidy. “It means that someone in Ireland can earn a “Certificate in Corporate Social Media Design” and then apply for a job in Italy, where the certificate will show up to their prospective Italian employer as “Certificato in Progettazione di Social Media Aziendali” with all the details in Italian.”
The modules and courses available cover a wide range of subjects, from Advanced Driving Theory to Creating Your Personal Career Action Plan in the personal skills fiels, or from “Essential Editing Terminology” to “Camera Operation and Visual Composition” in the area of media.
“There is a lot of talk about ‘lifelong learning’ but once you leave formal education, that’s easier said than done,” said Cassidy. “We feel that the EANE.eu platform changes that by making free certified learning available, pretty much, to anyone, anywhere at any time.”
