DGC bids to boost digital knowhow across region

25/01/2023
Joanna Campbell

Dumfries and Galloway College is delighted to launch new courses designed to help boost people’s digital skills.

These courses are brand new to the college and have been developed to respond to the digital skills needs of businesses across the region, as evidenced in the Digital Economy Business Survey (DEBS) of July 2021 and the Digital Economy Maturity Index.

Data extracted from the DEBS report for Dumfries and Galloway stated that 27% of respondents indicated that they needed to improve “Basic digital technology skills, such as emails, internet navigation, Microsoft Office and Excel”.

In addition, 8% of respondents stated that they needed to improve their cyber security skills.

Along with the DEBS data, additional research into the digital skills needs of businesses across the region has indicated that organisations need upskilling in the area of data analysis and digital leadership and management.

The college hopes to attract employees from private, public and third sector businesses as well as sole traders to book on to the digital courses.

The online short courses on offer are:

  • Introduction to Data Analysis using Excel
  • Introduction to Power BI
  • Digital Leadership and Management
  • Introduction to Cyber Security
  • Basic Digital Technology Skills
  • Introduction to Microsoft Office – 1 day course
  • Introduction to Excel – 1 day course
  • Intermediate Excel – 1 day course
  • Advanced Excel – 1 day course

All courses will be instructor-led training sessions, involving group discussions and exercises, with the first course starting on February 15 

Keira Lindsay, a trainee accountant at Shaw Plant SQ, Sanquhar, said: “These look like great courses, with excellent functional training that can be used in daily working life. “

College Principal Joanna Campbell said:

“By offering these new courses, we hope to provide people with an opportunity to improve their digital skills, which are becoming increasingly essential in the workplace.

“Dumfries and Galloway College is delighted to play a pro-active role in helping students, employees – and also employers – gain more experience in current and future technology and this will ultimately benefit everyone.”

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