A new CPD programme to help teachers in colleges and adult learning institutions prepare for the delivery of the new essential digital skills qualifications has been announced.
The Education and Training Foundation (ETF) has been commissioned by the Department for Education (DfE) to develop and manage the delivery of the new programme to help prepare providers for the new qualifications, which were unveiled by apprenticeship and skills minister Anne Milton last month.
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New entitlements
The courses, which will be free for adult learners, will aim to improve the digital literacy of adults, and could include topics such as writing emails, buying items online and how to protect one’s privacy.
According to the ETF, the organisation will “manage expert partners, chosen through a tendering process, to provide blended training and support to teachers and trainers in England to develop their skills, understanding and confidence to teach adults the new digital offer”. Training modules and a toolkit for teachers will be held on the ETF’s Enhance Digital Teaching Platform from early 2020.
Skills for life and work
Anne Milton said: “We want everyone to have the digital skills they need for life and work. The Education and Training Foundation’s training for teachers for the new ‘essential digital skills’ qualifications means thousands of adults will get the chance to develop new skills that they can use in their everyday lives and to get on in work. I look forward to seeing the new qualifications in action next year.”
Vikki Liogier, head of learning technologies at the ETF, said: “As the national workforce development body for the FE sector we are delighted to be working with the Department for Education in tackling the digital divide and digital exclusion.
“This development is part of the most significant change to the basic digital skills framework since its original publication in 2015, supporting adults in safely benefiting from, participating in and contributing to the digital world.”
