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Digital skills have become increasingly important in recent years. The rise of social networking, the move to online service delivery during the pandemic, and remote working all show that charity staff need basic digital skills.

 

Luckily, there are lots of free courses and resources out there that you can access in your own time and teach yourself. For individuals, self-teaching has lots of benefits including being able to study at your own pace and fitting it around your work. The benefit for charities is that they can train staff easily at no cost to the organisation.

 

But this doesn’t mean that charities can just leave staff to get on with training by themselves. It’s vital that managers allow team members to do training during office hours, so they’re not having to do it in the evenings. It shouldn’t be seen as a chore or a burden on someone’s time.

 

To encourage people to do training, you need to show them the value and the learning opportunities it provides. It’s also important to praise colleagues for developing themselves and offer incentives and rewards.

 

Here is a round-up of free digital skills training courses and resources:

 

 

Government courses

 

The government offers free digital courses to help people progress in the workplace. Courses cover a range of topics, including Microsoft Outlook, social media, graphic design, digital marketing, and coding.

 

The government also offers free digital bootcamp courses in different areas of the UK. Topics include artificial intelligence (AI), software development, and cloud computing. The courses run for up to 16 weeks.

 

 

Courses with Accenture

 

Accenture Digital Skills is a free, interactive series of courses run by the professional services company, Accenture, and FutureLearn. Topics cover web analytics, social media, and AI.

 

the courses aim to equip people with the skills they need to gain a new job or start a business. They vary in length. Most are six to ten weeks long but there are also shorter two- and three-week courses.

 

 

Digital skills courses with Google

 

Google Garage allows you to pick a subject you’re interested in, create a learning plan, and then study at your own pace.

 

You can track your progress throughout, and you’ll receive an accredited certificate at the end. Most courses are free and include topics like building an online strategy and analytics.

 

There are also free virtual workshops run by Grow with Google OnAir. Topics cover data analytics and using YouTube to grow your business.

 

 

Microsoft Learn

 

Microsoft offers training on its different products. Each course is made up of several modules with one or two exams to complete at the end. You can either opt to teach yourself, which is free, or pay for an instructor-led course.

 

 

LinkedIn training

 

The professional networking site offers free courses to help you develop new skills. These include digital courses such as learning how to use Skype, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams.

 

 

Free Courses in England

 

This course provider offers a level one certificate and level two certificate in digital skills. Level one covers topics such as maintaining safety and security when using data and devices and creating documents with word processing software. To pass level one and progress onto level two, you must successfully complete four mandatory units, and one of two optional units.

 

To pass level two, you need to complete all four units:

1. Using and managing information
2. Keeping yourself and others safe when using digital devices
3. Communicating and collaborating online
4. Digital career development

 

 

Lloyds Bank Academy training for charities

 

Lloyds Bank Academy gives charity staff the chance to take part in free training and improve their confidence in a range of skills. Lessons and webinars cover digital skills, such as designing and improving your website and building your social media and digital strategy.

 

 

Learn coding with Codeacademy

 

This training provider offers free coding classes with feedback from peers. It covers a range of different programming, including Python, Ruby, Java, JavaScript, jQuery, React.js, AngularJS, HTML, Sass and CSS. If you enjoy the courses, you can sign up for Codeacademy Pro for $19.99 a month (£14.74). This gives you access to more teaching support.