Essential digital skills for work (Level 1)

What is the course about?

This course will provide you with the digital skills you need to thrive in the information age. You will also study for the Essential Digital Skills for Work Level 1 (BCS) qualification. You will learn how to manage digital information, solve technical problems, create and edit documents, process numerical data, share information online, use online services, and stay safe and responsible. By the end of the course you will be able to demonstrate to employers you are digitally competent, and will have the confidence to progress to further qualifications or more in-depth digital and office skills courses.

What will we cover?

The course will cover these main areas with particular emphasis on a work context.

• Using digital devices to handle information, including finding, evaluating, managing and storing information
• Solving technical problems
• Creating and editing documents and digital media and processing numerical data – Word, PowerPoint, Excel
• Communicating, sharing and managing traceable online activities
• Making digital transactions – using online services and buying securely online
• Being safe and responsible online – including protecting privacy and data and maintaining and promoting digital well-being.

What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...

• use devices to handle information particularly in the workplace
• effectively search, find and evaluate workplace digital information
• manage and store workplace information using the key file management principles
• identify and solve basic technical problems
• create and edit documents and digital media – using Word, PowerPoint and Excel - in a workplace context
• perform key functions in Excel to process numerical data in a workplace context
• communicate share and manage traceable online activities
• use different online services including buying securely online
• identify and practise key aspects of safe and responsible online activity including protecting privacy and data particularly within a workplace context.

What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?

This is a Level 1 qualification for students at a general beginner level. For complete beginners, see our Becoming Confident courses. This course is ideal if you want to develop your overall digital skills for the workplace and prove your competence to employers by gaining a formal qualification. You will need to have a pre-course assessment before joining this course. See the Start Assessment button or contact universal.skills@citylit.ac.uk / (telephone temporarily unavailable).

You need to be able to attend every class and prepare for the exam outside the classroom. If you are not able to do this, please ask about our non-accredited course.

How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?

You will learn in a supportive and welcoming environment with an emphasis on your discovering how to do and complete tasks, with guidance from the tutor. You will work on your own and with other students on different tasks so you are always practising important in-demand life and work skills such as problem-solving, decision-making, prioritising, negotiating, collaborating and independence. You will learn in a step by step manner so you can complete challenging tasks in enjoyable and relaxing ways. Your tutor will also work with you individually so you know how to improve and how to work in a way that improves your learning. You will need to do work outside the classroom and use Google Classroom to help you.

Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?

You will need a pen, some lined A4 paper and a folder to keep your work in. Your tutor will provide handouts and a code for Google classroom so you can communicate with classmates and access materials, videos etc. online. Access to a PC outside the classroom is very helpful.

When I've finished, what course can I do next?

There are a variety of other courses you could do before, at same time or after this course. These include:
• Becoming confident with digital skills: on your computer and online (beginner)
• Becoming confident with online communication: Zoom
• Becoming confident in file management and Windows 10 on your PC (beginners)
• Becoming confident on the cloud: a new way of sharing and working with files (OneDrive)
• Becoming confident on the cloud: a new way of sharing and working with files (Google)
• Becoming confident in digital security: how to protect your data and privacy on your PC, Internet and smartphone
• Becoming a MORE confident digital citizen: online and on your computer
• Making sense of Windows 11
• Digital skills for the workplace: managing, storing and sharing data and files (intermediate)

The next qualification courses are:
• Award in Digital and IT Skills: word-processing, spreadsheets, presentations and databases (intermediate-level 2)
• Level 3 certificate in IT user skills (ECDL Advanced)
• Pathway to ECDL level 3

However, we offer a number of bridging courses towards the Level 2 qualification. These include:
• Essential digital skills for the workplace: Word, Excel and PowerPoint (foundation-level 1)
• Business Administration: Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access (intermediate-level 2)
• Digital skills for the workplace: using Excel (foundation)
• Digital skills for the workplace: analysing, handling and presenting data with Excel (intermediate)
• Digital skills for the workplace: how to present, organise and communicate data with Word (intermediate)
• Digital skills for the workplace: creating newsletters, reports and tables with Word (intermediate)

Ask your tutor or contact universal.skills@citylit.ac.uk / (telephone temporarily unavailable) for more details.
There also many English, maths and office skills courses you can do.