If there is one area of life in which many could benefit from upskilling, it is digital literacy. Our ability to find, evaluate and communicate information using digital platforms is important in today’s world, and honing these skills is an ongoing process. But what if you did not encounter these skills in your school career? Or if it has been several years since you were a student in an educational establishment - and are suddenly faced with the demands of a virtual learning environment or workplace digital skills that are currently way beyond your experience?
Developing digital skills
Vikki Liogier, the Education and Training Foundation’s National Head of EdTech and Digital Skills, is sympathetic to the plight of learners whose digital skills may need developing. She said, “In today's digital age, Further Education plays a critical role in ensuring individuals possess essential digital skills for lifelong learning. As technology continues to advance and transform the workplace, it is imperative that individuals can adapt and keep up with these changes."
David Redden, Product Manager for English, Maths, Digital Skills and Skills Assessment at NCFE, the third biggest technical and vocational awarding organisation in the UK, is clear about the need for digital skills to be a high priority for FE right now. He explained, “We know there are over 11 million adults in the UK who lack the basic digital skills to operate in work, life and education (Source: Lloyds Digital Index Report). With the transformation of the digital world we live in now, there’s a big danger of people being left behind due to a lack of digital skills. We see banking moving online, shops moving online, and a more recent push for GP appointments to be booked online. Lacking the skills to access these services can potentially put people at a huge disadvantage on a social and economic level.”
FE’s role in improving digital literacy
Perhaps because FE colleges and settings are so much more than just an education provision, they are best placed to build digital skills in their local communities. Redden sees FE colleges as “a community hub that protects young people who may not have a support network at home. They do a lot of work with communities who have fled warzones and famine to seek refuge in this country and provide education for those older adults who didn’t have access due to parenting or work. This places FE Colleges in a key role to ensure those most in need of digital skills can access them.”
The fact that the government has ensured adults are legally entitled to funding for these qualifications is positive, but does not meet the challenge of engaging the learners to come along and study in the first place. Reaching out to people who may not know the extent to which their digital skills need boosting is key. As Redden explained, “There are barriers from social embarrassment, pride, and mistrust, to bad past experiences. The nature of FE colleges in providing a sanctuary to these people means they can gain trust and encourage participation to help provide improvement in digital skills.”
It is vital that local employers are a part of the conversation about improving digital skills. Local provision should ideally support local need in an accessible environment. “FE colleges also have strong connections with employers through their apprenticeship provisions and local schools. This is key as those two parties both have access to the type of people we need to connect with to improve skills. Parents particularly are at risk of being left behind their children, but through employers and school parents’ evenings there are opportunities to recruit adults and improve their core skills to support learning at home with their children. With the increase of online digital tools being used for homework purposes, we need to remove the barriers for parents in supporting their children with their education.”
Essential skills for a modern age
There is an immense potential to be gained from investing in the improvement of digital skills. For Liogier, this can be transformative. She said, “Further Education programmes transform lives, offering opportunities to not only learn basic computer literacy, but also more advanced digital skills relevant to specific industries. Furthermore, they provide access to cutting-edge technologies that may not be available in traditional educational settings. These programmes also help individuals explore various avenues of learning based on their interests and career goals."
Gone are the days when we can get away with saying, “I don’t do computers!” All students, regardless of the subjects they take, necessarily need to study digital skills on an ongoing basis. And there can be few jobs which do not require a reasonable standard of digital skills.
"The acquisition of essential digital skills allows individuals to remain competitive in the job market and progress professionally throughout their lives. Therefore, continuing education in digital skills is indispensable as the rapid pace of change persists in the world we live in today,” Liogier explained.
What can FE do next?
Positive next steps in the sector might usefully be reaching out to their communities more effectively in order to increase uptake on digital literacy courses. As Redden explained, “I would encourage FE colleges to engage with the parents of their pupils and link up with employers to increase awareness of the digital skills courses available to them for free. Only two out of five adults are aware that they are entitled to free education, regardless of their circumstances (source Learning & Work Institute). With their vital access to these people, FE colleges can create a path to learning that can improve their quality of life and access to further support.”
FE colleges are so well placed to play a significant role in the improvement of digital skills in their wider communities. They have the infrastructure and digital equipment in place to support the teaching and learning of these qualifications in large numbers, and work closely with awarding organisations to ensure they have up to date access to resources and support to maximise attainment. “They also have access to initial and diagnostic assessments to understand the starting point of learners, so they’re not going over content they already know and can provide a programme of learning tailored to each individual,” Redden said.
Without the efforts of the FE sector, the landscape of digital skills in our communities would be in far greater need, but there is clearly still work to be done in reaching out to and supporting learners from every corner of society to improve, and continue improving, their digital skills.
Find out more…
- The ETF provides support to teachers, trainers, leaders, governors, and employers in addressing the digital agenda. It aims to enable them to fully leverage digital learning in their respective roles and to equip FE colleagues with the necessary skills and knowledge to succeed in the digital age. Its professional development programmes – including those specifically focused on edtech and digital skills– are dedicated to meeting the unique needs of each individual or organisation.
- Home | NCFE
About the author
Elizabeth Holmes
After graduating with a degree in Politics and International Relations from the University of Reading, Elizabeth Holmes completed her PGCE at the Institute of Education, University of London. She then taught humanities and social sciences in schools in London, Oxfordshire and West Sussex, where she ran the history department in a challenging comprehensive. Elizabeth specialises in education but also writes on many other issues and themes. As well as her regular blogs for Eteach and FEjobs, her books have been published by a variety of publishers and translated around the world. Elizabeth has also taught on education courses in HE and presented at national and international conferences.