Essential Digital Skills CPD programme - The Education and Training Foundation

The Education and Training Foundation (ETF) provides a comprehensive Essential Digital Skills (EDS) CPD programme for teachers, trainers and leaders involved in the delivery of Essential Digital Skills Qualifications (ESDQs).

Adults aged 19 and over with no or low digital skills are entitled to take fully-funded EDSQs under the Adult Education Budget, in line with the entitlements for English and maths.

ETF’s CPD programme is designed to support Further Education (FE) and Skills staff with ESDQ delivery. It includes 20 online modules, all of which are aligned with the Department for Education’s (DfE’s) EDS framework and the associated national standards. The modules are available for free via ETF’s learning platform.

Student and teacher working on a desktop computer

You can find out more about them – and some additional EDS resources – below.

(Please note: the EDS CPD programme used to be hosted on a platform called ‘Enhance’, so you may see references to this in some of the resources.)

The five areas

The online modules cover the five areas identified in the national standards:

Using devices and handling information – using devices, finding and evaluating information, managing and storing information, identifying and solving technical problems
Creating and editing – creating and editing documents and digital media, processing numerical data
Communicating – communicating, sharing and managing traceable online activities
Transacting – using online services, buying securely online
Being safe and responsible online – protecting privacy and data, being responsible online, digital wellbeing.

View the EDS online modules

Additional resources

In addition to the online modules, trainers can access a range of free resources.

Scenarios

These are designed to embed practical and contextualised activities for life and work into the support offered through the online modules:

Scenario	Skills area	Related modules	Resource links
1: Searching and Evaluating Returns	Using devices	Finding and evaluating information	Download pdf Download accessible Word document
2: Using the Cloud	Using devices, Being safe and responsible	Managing and storing information, Protecting privacy, Protecting data, Digital wellbeing	Download pdf Download accessible Word document
3: Working with digital media	Creating and editing	Creating and editing documents, Creating and editing digital media	Download pdf Download accessible Word document
4: Devices – planning for efficiency, managing problems	Using devices	Using devices, identifying and solving technical problems	Download pdf Download accessible Word document
5: Communicating and sharing online	Communicating, Creating and editing	Communicating and sharing online, Creating and editing digital media	Download pdf Download accessible Word document
6: The digital footprint and online identity	Being safe and responsible	Managing traceable activity online, Protecting privacy, Behaving responsibly online	Download pdf Download accessible Word document
7: Use and interact with online services	Transacting	Using online services	Download pdf Download accessible Word document
8: Transacting and buying online	Transacting	Buying online 1, Buying online 2	Download pdf Download accessible Word document
9: Protecting personal privacy, devices and data online	Being safe and responsible	Protecting privacy, Protecting devices and data	Download pdf Download accessible Word document
10: Promoting wellbeing in using technology	Being safe and responsible	Digital wellbeing	Download pdf Download accessible Word document

Learning Plan Guides

Some groups of learners may need additional support with ESDQs because of particular needs and/or the constraints of their learning environment. These groups include:

English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) learners
offender learners
‘Preparation for Life and Work’ (PLW) learners
learners with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

ETF has created learning plan guides to support your work with these learners. Each guide:

identifies parts of the national standards and the online modules that are particularly appropriate for the group, as well as those that are challenging and (in some cases) cannot readily be delivered in the particular context
suggests teaching approaches and signposts materials and resources that are effective for this context.

Learner group	Resource links
ESOL learners	Download pdf Download accessible Word document
Offender learners	Download pdf Download accessible Word document
PLW learners	Download pdf Download accessible Word document
Learners with SEND	Download pdf Download accessible Word document

Videos, blogs and case studies

For more support with EDS, you can also access a wide range of:

To keep in touch with the programme developments, please contact enquiries@etfoundation.co.u k.