Course content

This course will help you build and extend your digital skills. It will help you prepare for jobs in different roles in the digital space. It will also help you in creative industries and other industries where digital skills are needed. This could be jobs such as finance, marketing and machining.

The course includes a required unit along with optional units. These units relate directly to the skills, knowledge, and behaviours that are expected by employers. They cover a wide range and use of different digital technologies, systems, and software. It includes Microsoft Word and Excel. You'll learn about cybersecurity and how this affects individuals and groups. You'll learn what you can do to keep yourself and others safe.

The course is aimed at learners who want to gain employment or move into a role where they can apply their digital and IT skills. This is an accredited course. Following a successful assessment you'll achieve:

• Level 2: Certificate in Digital and IT Skills (Gateway)

This course will enable you to:

Build skills to create and edit basic documents in Word and Excel. Software specific skills are then introduced which focus on work related documents and build independent study skills. Key areas include:

• Word. you'll build on/extend word-processing skills and be able to maximise the tools within word-processing software. You'll learn how to prepare, process and produce a wide range of documents accurately.
• Excel. you'll develop/extend your understanding of spreadsheet software tools. You'll learn techniques to be able to produce complex spreadsheets. You'll learn how to apply advanced formulae and functions (IF, MIN, MAX, AVERAGE, COUNT). They can be used to process data and use automated tools to make you more productive. You'll gain skills in presenting spreadsheet data in different ways, using numbers, text, and graphs.

Assessment is portfolio based with evidence to support skills and knowledge. There are four modules in total.  The other two modules are:

• Cybersecurity: Learn about cybercrime and the risks and effects it has on individuals and groups. You'll discover routine protective methods used to maintain cybersecurity. This includes the principles of vulnerability and penetration testing and user access control.
• Digital Skills Career Progression: understand how vital digital skills are in the workplace. It shows you how changes in employment have led to an increase in demand across a number of sectors. You'll learn about the different types of job roles where digital skills are needed. You'll also learn the traits that are valued by employers to build a successful career in today’s digital economy. You'll also identify your own career goals and plan how you'll grow your digital skills to meet your goals.

You'll also build the following skills for work:

• Work as part of a team, sharing ideas and helping peers to complete a task.
• Have a good attitude to plan your own work and complete it within a timeframe.
• Be a good listener and follow instructions accurately.
• Be able to adapt the way you work when things change or you need to switch to a different task quickly.
• Be resilient and be able to stick with a task. Even if things don’t go to plan you should learn from setbacks.
• Literacy and numeracy skills will be supported throughout the course.