Introduction to Digital Skills
Step into the digital world with confidence
At City Lit, we offer a welcoming range of beginner-friendly courses designed to help you:
- Build essential digital skills on your computer, smartphone, or tablet
- Boost your confidence, whether you're working from home or in an office
- Stay connected with family and friends through online communication
Whether you're completely new to technology or just need a refresher, our introduction courses give you a solid foundation. You’ll learn how to use a computer, browse the internet safely, get the most out of your smartphone, and protect your personal information online.
Once you’ve completed these courses, you can progress to accredited qualifications or explore more specialised programs like Microsoft Office.
Our experienced and creative tutors are here to support you every step of the way—at your pace, on your terms. We’re here to help you become a confident, capable digital citizen.
Free courses available
Most of our courses are FREE if you earn less than £21,157.50 a year or receive JSA or ESA (WRAG). Our Essential Digital Skills for Work course has no fee at all.
Courses are available in person at City Lit or as live online interactive classes. For online learning, you’ll need a computer with a microphone, camera, and internet connection. Check out our guide to online learning to get started.
Ready to take the first step?
Join thousands of learners who’ve transformed their digital lives. Start your journey with City Lit.
- Learning to use your smartphone (Android)Course start date: Mon 17 Nov 2025 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Does your smartphone confuse you? Are you unsure how to make the most of its many features? Understanding and navigating your way round a smartphone is now as important as being able to use a regular computer. This short course will help you understand your Android smartphone, troubleshoot problems and use some of the most popular apps. By the end of the course you will be confident you can use or find out how to use the key features of your phone.
This course is FREE if you are employed and on a low wage or you are claiming benefits. For more information Click here
Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £30.00 - Getting started in digital skills: learning about your smartphone (complete beginner)Course start date: Tue 18 Nov 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Does your smartphone confuse you? Do you want to learn more about it so you use more of its features? This course will help you and also provide you with a solid background to develop the rest of your digital skills. You will learn how a smartphone works, how to change some of the settings, use some of the most popular apps and troubleshoot some common problems. And you will learn how to do all this safely. By the end of the course you will be confident you can use or find out how to use the key features of your phone.
This course is FREE if you are employed and on a low wage or you are claiming benefits. For more information Click here
Full fee £49.00 Senior fee £39.00 Concession £25.00 - Becoming confident on Excel 365 (beginner)Course start date: Wed 26 Nov 2025 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Are you new to Excel? Have you used Excel a little but lack confidence? Are you unsure about what you use Excel for? On this course, you will learn the key basic functions of Excel so you can begin your journey towards handling, analysing and presenting data effectively. You will learn the main functions of Excel and associated terminology. You will focus on how to create simple worksheets, enter data, present it in a logical and functioning way with formatting that makes it easy to read. You will work on using Excel in place of your calculator to make basic calculations and you will practise turning this data into simple charts and graphs. By the end of this course, you will confident enough to create your own weekly budget calculator. To do this course you'll need to be able to use a mouse, keyboard and basic computer functions.
This course is FREE if you are employed and on a low wage or you are claiming benefits. For more information Click here
Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £55.00 Concession £35.00 - Getting started in digital skills: becoming confident on Facebook and Instagram (complete beginners)Course start date: Fri 28 Nov 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Have you heard of Instagram but never used it? Have you tried it but are still unsure about its features? Is TikTok something you access but never really use? Then this is the course for you. It will start you on your journey towards digital communication in a supportive environment and help you learn the different ways you can connect to friends, family and the wider world and join the one billion users worldwide. And you will learn to do so safely and securely.
This course is FREE if you are employed and on a low wage or you are claiming benefits. For more information Click here
Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £55.00 Concession £35.00 - Becoming a confident online citizen: developing your problem-solving and research skills for inside and outside work (foundation)Course start date: Fri 9 Jan 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Finding, researching and evaluating information online is an essential skill inside and outside of work - whether you are using your computer, smartphone, CHATGPT or digital assistances. On this course you will learn research and problem-solving skills on different devices. You will work on completing everyday life and work tasks so you discover how to search online effectively, find information and images on different databases, use filters, and search within a specific website or social media platform. You will work on refining your searches on search engines, on CHATGPT and other digital assistants, both verbally and in writing. You will focus on how to evaluate the evidence you find as well as the security of the data you are finding. Finally, you will work on finding information and files on your hard drive and across your devices via the cloud. By the end of the course you will have learned not only key digital skills but also transferable skills such as problem-solving, research and analytical skills.
This course is FREE if you are employed and on a low wage or you are claiming benefits. For more information Click here
Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £50.00 - Becoming confident with online communication: Zoom (beginner)Course start date: Thu 15 Jan 2026 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Are you new to Zoom? Have you started to use it but are unsure about some of its functions? Do you need to use Zoom at work, in your studies or to communicate with friends and relatives? Zoom is now as essential to communication as texts, emails, smartphones and PCs. This course will take you from the basics of being on Zoom as a participant and a host, including how to join meetings and set them up. You will learn what to do in both circumstances, what appropriate etiquette is, how to use chat and other features such as breakout rooms, how to share your screen, take control of someone else's screen and how to make sure you don't do something on Zoom that you shouldn't. By the end of this course, you will be able to comfortably host a meeting with friends or work colleagues, communicate, privately share and collaborate on projects or ideas.
This course is FREE if you are employed and on a low wage or you are claiming benefits. For more information Click here
Full fee £29.00 Senior fee £23.00 Concession £15.00 - Becoming confident with digital skills: file management and Windows 11 (beginner)Course start date: Thu 15 Jan 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Are you able to find the files you need on your PC or on your work's shared drive? Do you know how to search for
missing files? Have you got a system to organise your work or home files? Files are the essential components of
computer use and it is vital to manage them well, especially as cloud use becomes more common. On this course you will learn how to navigate Windows 10, essential to good file management, as well discover more about files, become confident with the terminology and develop strategies for saving, organising, navigating and searching files of all types. You will also learn how to back up your files so you never lose them!
This course is FREE if you are employed and on a low wage or you are claiming benefits. For more information Click here
Full fee £109.00 Senior fee £87.00 Concession £55.00 - Becoming confident on ChatGPT: successful online searching and making the most of AI-powered chatCourse start date: Thu 29 Jan 2026 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Are you looking to enhance your online searching skills and make the most of AI-powered chat tools like ChatGPT, Co-pilot and Google Gemini? This course is perfect for providing a solid foundation in downloading, installing, and creating accounts for some commonly used AI tools, along with practical applications.
This course is FREE if you are employed and on a low wage or you are claiming benefits. For more information Click here
Full fee £69.00 - Becoming confident with digital skills and AI chat: on your computer and online (beginner)Course start date: Tue 10 Feb 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
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This course is FREE if you are employed and on a low wage or you are claiming benefits. For more information Click here
Full fee £159.00 Senior fee £127.00 Concession £80.00 - Becoming confident on Windows 11Course start date: Wed 25 Feb 2026 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Are you new to Windows 11? Do you know how to navigate your way round it and take advantage of its many features. Knowing how to use Windows 11 is essential for your digital skills work. This course will help you get to grips with this new operating system so you can use it efficiently and effectively.. It will open doors to the main elements of the software, as well as some of its less accessible applications and tools.
This course is FREE if you are employed and on a low wage or you are claiming benefits. For more information Click here
Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £50.00 - Learning to use your iPhoneCourse start date: Mon 9 Mar 2026 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Is your iPhone confusing you? Are you unsure how to make the most of its many features? This short course will help you understand your phone, troubleshoot problems and use some of its most popular features and apps. By the end of the course you will be confident you can use or find out how to use the key features of your phone.
This course is FREE if you are employed and on a low wage or you are claiming benefits. For more information Click here
Full fee £49.00 Senior fee £39.00 Concession £25.00 - Digital skills for business: how use Teams and SharePoint for successful collaboration (intermediate)Course start date: Mon 23 Mar 2026
Location on this date: Online
Collaborating within the workplace is more important than ever. In almost all jobs you need to coordinate work, build relationships and cope with complexity this entails. Microsoft Teams is an essential digital tool to enable this. This course you will help you develop your collaborating skills by learning how to use Teams' key features, and why, when and how you should use them. You will practise how to set up Teams and channels and what you use these for. You will learn how to use files in Teams, how to collaborate and co-author them, how you can keep track of collaborations and sync your files across different devices You will also focus on how Teams relates to SharePoint and OneDrive, and how manage your files efficiently. You will also focus on how to use the calendar effectively, how to conduct meetings and use the some key meeting features. You will also look at how to integrate other apps into Teams such as planner to help you coordinate work and create efficient working relationships. Teams is a fantastic means of collaboration but maintaining control across your working relationships can seem daunting. By the end of this course you will be clear and confident in how to coordinate these relationships so you are productive and efficient.
This course is FREE if you are employed and on a low wage or you are claiming benefits. For more information Click here
Full fee £109.00 Senior fee £87.00 Concession £55.00 - Becoming a confident online citizen: staying safe and protecting your data on your PC and smartphone (foundation)Course start date: Tue 7 Apr 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Hacking, ransomware attacks and data theft have become common criminal activities, as much a threat to personal security as more traditional anti-social behaviours. Securing and protecting our digital lives has becomes as essential as locking the doors of our homes. On this course, you will learn the importance of staying safe online and how to do so. You will focus on how to choose appropriate online names and email addresses, use secondary email accounts to increase security, and create and manage passwords across devices and accounts. You will focus on how to your digital activity leaves traces, how your history of activities online is accessible and what you can do about this. You will learn about different types of digital authentication, your right to be forgotten under data protection law, deleting social media accounts and posts. accepting or rejecting cookies and unsubscribing from mailing lists. By the end of the course, you will be a much more confident and secure digital citizen.
This course is FREE if you are employed and on a low wage or you are claiming benefits. For more information Click here
Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £50.00 - Getting started in digital skills: becoming confident on your computer and online (complete beginner)Course start date: Fri 17 Apr 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Are you completely new to computers and the Internet? This course will help you get started on using a computer and the internet. You will learn all the basics and the key terms you need to starting becoming confident on a computer and online. You will learn about different files and how to create and save them. You will learn how to write and send simple letters and emails. You will develop your internet skills so you can find information and complete online forms. Finally, you do all of this while learning how to remain safe online and to keep your files secure.
This course is FREE if you are employed and on a low wage or you are claiming benefits. For more information Click here
Full fee £89.00 Senior fee £71.00 Concession £45.00 - Becoming confident on the cloud: a new way of sharing and managing your files - OneDrive and Google drive (foundation)Course start date: Fri 17 Apr 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
The digital world is changing from sending emails to sharing files. Attaching files, sending them, downloading them, working on them, saving them, re-attaching and re-sending them is becoming a thing of the past. Instead, with cloud computing, you can share and collaborate on files either at the same time or separately without any emailing or downloading. Join this course and learn how to do this and stay on top of your file management. Learn how to use OneDrive and Google Drive to create, store, share and collaborate on different types of documents on your PC as well as other devices. Discover also how to maintain security while syncing your devices and accounts. By the end of this course, you will have grasped what cloud-computing means and be confident of exploring it further.
This course is FREE if you are employed and on a low wage or you are claiming benefits. For more information Click here
Full fee £109.00 Senior fee £87.00 Concession £55.00
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