Essential Digital Skills

The Department for Education (DfE) announced last year that they were introducing an entitlement to fully-funded digital qualifications from August 2020. These qualifications are intended for adults with no or low digital skills and will give them the opportunity to undertake digital qualifications based on new national standards.

The DfE has now published the new national standards and we have started the process of developing qualifications based on these standards. The qualifications will be available at two levels: Entry Level 3 and Level 1 and will be based on five skill areas:

communicating
handling information and content
transacting
problem-solving
being safe and legal online

Consultation Focus Groups

We are now keen to consult with providers who may wish to deliver this entitlement to inform our Essential Digital Skills qualification offer. We have already held a webinar and conducted a survey. We are now holding focus groups across the country.

We have planned two focus groups for different stakeholders, one for managers/decision makers and another for practitioners so that we can better understand your needs and the needs of your learners. This is to support us to develop fit for purpose qualifications that will enable learners to develop the digital skills they need for life and work.

In the meetings with Managers/Decision Makers, we plan to

discuss the entitlement offer, the scope of the qualifications and the choices that awarding organisations have
discuss demand – volume, recruitment, your target learners
explore different delivery models, for example, stand-alone, together with ESOL, duration of courses, devices available

In the meetings with Practitioners, we would like to

discuss our ideas for assessment
gather feedback on the suitability of the assessment for your target learners and the practicalities of delivering these in different locations

Join in Person

We are planning to hold events on the following dates. The focus group for managers/decision makers will be in the morning at 10.00am. The practitioner group will be in the afternoon at 1.00pm. Lunch is provided at 12.00pm, between the morning and afternoon sessions, for all delegates.

9 September - Birmingham - Arden Hotel, B92 0EH

10 September – Manchester - Manchester Conference Centre, M1 3BB

12 September - London - Digital Skills Solutions, E15 4LJ

Join Online

Each focus group will also be made available online - please book the online option to ensure you receive instructions and links to join.

To register for a focus group, please ensure you select the ticket type that matches the correct date, location and attendee type.

After registering you will receive a confirmation for the ticket type(s) booked. Joining instructions will be sent by email one week before your chosen event, and a reminder email two days before the event.

Essential Digital Skills Focus Group