29 Nov 2021
Key Facts
Qualification purpose
Prepare for further learning or training and/or develop knowledge and/or skills in a subject area
Qualification Grading Type
Pass
Assessment Methods
Why choose this qualification?
The qualifications reflect the latest government thinking on basic digital skills and the Basic Digital Skills Framework.
These single unit qualifications are designed to support learners to develop the digital skills that will support them in getting into work and performing their job roles effectively. While they can easily be offered as stand-alone bite-sized awards, the new qualifications could also be usefully combined with other units or qualifications into meaningful packages of learning. For example:
- Learners for whom English is not their first language who are seeking to improve their employability prospects might combine an ESOL qualification with a Digital Skills for Work Award.
- Learners on a JCP programme might be offered a package of units that combines Digital Skills for Work with relevant bite-sized English and Maths units.
The single unit within each qualification is also included within a revised suite of employability qualifications.
Rules of Combination
Learners must achieve the single mandatory unit.
Units
Learners must achieve the single mandatory unit.
Digital skills for work
What is the purpose of this qualification?
The Basic Digital Skills Report 2018 published following a Digital Skills survey conducted by Ipsos Mori (commissioned by Lloyds Banking Group) found that around 4.3 million (8%) of the UK population have no Basic Digital Skills and 11.3 million adults (21%) do not have all five Digital Skills of:
1. Managing information
2. Problem solving
3. Communicating
4. Creating
5. Transacting.
Having no or lacking digital skills is a barrier for adults in their careers. The report found that those without/lacking digital skills:
- earn on average £13,000 less than those with all five digital skills
- are less likely to progress in their careers
- miss out from significant savings that can be made through online transactions
This small, single unit, qualification has been developed to support learners to develop digital skills within a work-related context. It is based on the Essential Digital Skills Framework.
What skills, knowledge, or understanding does this qualification develop?
Learners will develop their digital skills to help improve their performance at work.
Progression & entry requirements
There are no entry requirements.Funding information
There are now two main sources for funding information, a straightforward ESFA Qualification Search and the more detailed Find a Learning Aim website.
The new Find a learning aim (FALA) service provides a search tool that you can use to check the funding status of any qualification, framework, unit, standard or T Level:
View this qualification on the ESFA’s Find a learning aim website
The Education and Skills Funding Agency search provides funding information on qualifications. It does not provide funding information for units, non-regulated activity and work placements, for this information please use Find a learning aim (FALA).
View this qualification on the ESFA Qualification Funding Search
How to find a learning aim
If you’re not sure how to use the new find a learning aim website, we’ve created a handy walkthrough to help you:
How to Use: Find a learning Aim
We have done our best to collate and summarise the key information, and wherever possible we alert our providers to changes in funding policy.
This funding information is provided in good faith and it is always advisable to check directly with the funding agencies before committing to delivery.