We use digital skills every day in all areas of life. Improving your digital skills will help you to develop confidence in using devices and software applications to carry out tasks at home, at work and when online.
If you’d like to advance your digital skills and achieve a qualification to boost your CV, then this Level 2 Digital and IT Skills for Life and Work course could be just what you’re looking for. This course will help you to deepen your understanding of a range of Microsoft Office software in addition to further understanding the digital skills and characteristics required to support employment.
You’ll start your learning by coming along to an appointment with one of our Learner Experience Advisors who will do some skills checks and help you to decide on your next steps. They will be able to advise around the most suitable course for you to attend and can provide further information around time scales.
There are two steps to this course. In the first step, you will gain a Level 2 Award in Digital and IT Skills. We generally expect that most learners will need around 18 sessions to complete this first step, dependent on your skills check results. If you choose to move onto the second step of the course to strengthen your qualification, you will gain a Level 2 Certificate in Digital and IT Skills. We generally expect the second step to take an additional 24 sessions to complete.
To support you to achieve your qualification there is an expectation that you will complete a minimum of 2 hours of independent study per week. This will all be explained by your tutor within your weekly sessions and ensure that you have the support you need to achieve your goals.
For the first step to the qualification, you will choose from 2 out of the 3 modules below.
Word Processing Software
You will learn the variety of tools and options available within word processing software, maximising their use to create, edit and produce a wide range of creative and professional documents. You will explore tools to use for improving accuracy and efficiency.
Spreadsheet Software
You will develop an understanding of spreadsheet software tools and techniques to be able to produce spreadsheets for home and work-related tasks. You will explore advanced formulae and functions to process data and how to apply automated tools to enhance productivity.
Presentation Software
You will gain an understanding of the skills and tools required to develop slides using presentation software, creating, editing and developing effective presentations for different purposes and tasks. You will cover design templates and options and how to apply techniques to ensure presentations are accurate and accessible.
When you move onto the second step of the qualification, you will complete the remaining module from the choices above in addition to the following modules:
Desktop Publishing
You will discover tools and options available in desktop publishing software. Page layout and design principles will be explored, and you will create and develop a variety of professional publications for different purposes and audiences.
Digital Skills Career Progression
You will explore the importance of digital skills in the workplace and how digital skills are required in many types of job roles. You will learn digital skills that are valued by employers and identify your own career/progression goals, creating a plan of how you will develop your digital skills to meet them.
At East Riding Adult Learning and Employability, we pride ourselves on the support we give to our learners, from the very first phone call, right through to achieving your learning aims and beyond to ensure that you have the skills, knowledge and resources you need to reach your goals.
When you enrol onto your digital course, your tutor will work with you to give you advice on the best ways to develop your digital skills and which level of qualification you should work towards. They will discuss with you all of the support we have available and together you will plan out your learning journey.
All of our courses take place in small, friendly and welcoming classes, where you will have the opportunity to take part in activities to practice your skills independently and as part of a group.
You’ll have regular 1-1 time with your tutor to discuss your progress and identify opportunities for further development. Your tutor will work with you to make sure that you always have the support you need to achieve your learning aim and to give you information about other opportunities you can access, whether this is developing your maths or English skills or exploring options that are relevant to your wider goals. They’ll make you aware of other resources you can access, such as employability programmes to help you to get the job you want, or one of our other courses that will support your creativity, health or wellbeing.
You should have good basic computer skills and be familiar with using Office products, although you don’t need to have any qualifications in this area already or be an expert! You must be committed to attending the sessions and achieving your qualification.
If you are going to be completing the course virtually, you will need to make sure that you have access to a computer or laptop to complete your learning and attend the sessions.
We recommend that you have a notebook and pen at the ready to support you along your journey. We will provide computers for you to work on within your sessions at one of our learning centres, but you should have access to a computer or laptop at home if you are completing the course virtually.
When you’ve completed your learning, you will have the opportunity to discuss your next steps with our team. If you have completed the first step of this course, you may choose to continue and strengthen your qualification. Alternatively, you might choose to continue improving your digital skills by attending some of our community learning in other digital areas. You might choose instead to develop your maths or English skills or to work towards a qualification in these areas. You could also consider our employability course offer where you will learn a range of employability skills such as interview preparation and CV writing.
You can find more information on the Financial help and additional support page or you can contact us to talk about this and any other support we can provide.