With the demand for digitally literate employees, all adults regardless of age or ability can now access fully funded qualifications. If you feel left behind, looking to update your IT skills, or are thinking of making a career change, taking a recognised BCS qualification is a great way to update your skills and give yourself a head start in the jobs market.

Why take one of our courses?

For those with little or no digital skills, learn how to use technology for work safely, gain new skills and build your confidence to be able to work effectively in a digital age of work.

Boost your chances in the job market by achieving a recognised qualification, that proves your knowledge and digital competence to current and prospective employers.

Through our progression route of learning you can aspire to a better career and secure your place in the changing digital workplace.

You are digitally safe in our hands.

Our range of courses include:

New to digital - Beginners IT

Essential Digital Skills qualifications

  • Essential Digital Skills Qualification for Work (EDSQ) - Entry Level 3 - funded for all adults
  • Essential Digital Skills Qualification for Work (EDSQ) - Level 1 - funded for all adults

The EDSQs are mapped to the Department of Education’s national standards for basic digital literacy and cover five fundamental skill areas to give every adult the digital know-how for using devices safely and with confidence within the workplace, digital is now essential for most jobs today, across every sector and at every level (construction, retail, hospitality, healthcare, warehouse and delivery to name a few).

The BCS Essential Digital Skills qualifications focus on professional contexts and consist of two tests – one each for knowledge and skills.

Learn more about Essential Digital Skills Qualification for Work (EDSQ)

Early career - Intermediate IT

ICDL (previously ECDL) Level 1 & 2 Awards and Certificates

BCS UK training centres deliver a range of BCS qualifications to help get you digitally fit for the workplace, ICDL is recognised by employers and has been taken by over 15 million people from around the globe and a recognised benchmark of digital workplace skills. Gain a good foundation of widely used office-based skills knowledge using word, spreadsheets, presentation skills and databases.

Career development - Advanced IT

BCS Level 3 Certificate in IT User Skills (ICDL Advanced) (ITQ) - Funded, approved as part of the ‘Lifetime Skills Guarantee'

The BCS Level 3 Certificate in IT (ICDL Advanced) is a recognised global qualification and became fully funded in the UK from April 2021 for all adults in work or not, as part of the ‘Lifetime Skills Guarantee’. The qualifications available from the National Skills Fund mean all adults now have the opportunity to gain a new qualification for free, designed to help them to gain in-demand skills and secure jobs for today and tomorrow.

These qualifications are funded for any adult who doesn’t already hold an A-level or other full level 3 qualification, or for the unemployed (who already hold a Level 3 qualifications and/or on the minimum wage. It can also be taken as individual certified units (without funding).

The approved qualifications have been carefully chosen to help adults improve their job prospects and the ICDL Advanced Certificate from BCS is ideally suited for adults who may be digitally competent and who are looking to become a department expert, looking to improve their job prospects or progress onto higher education.

Not only do you gain a BCS Level 3 qualification in IT User Skills, this qualification carries 24 UCAS points towards higher education routes and on completion, you can gain the letters MBCS after your name with discounted BCS professional membership. This will give you credibility and instant recognition for your competency and will open doors to jobs where a level 3 certificate is a minimum requirement.

Learn more about the BCS Level 3 Certificate in IT User Skills (ICDL Advanced) (ITQ) 

Higher education

BCS Higher Education Qualifications (HEQ) (Levels 4, 5 & 6) - UK & International

Choose how you study your BCS Higher Education Qualifications to fit in with your other work-life-family commitments. HEQ is an affordable, modular and flexible programme that allows you to study at a pace to suit you and is examined at degree level. On completion you can upgrade to become a Professional member, carrying the post nominals MBCS after your name, giving you a fast-track towards Chartered IT Professional registration, the pinnacle of IT professionalism and industry recognition.

Learn more about BCS Higher Education Qualifications (HEQ)

Want the skills for work?

Contact a BCS Training Centre and ask for 'BCS digital qualifications'. Give yourself a head-start in the workplace with BCS, the trusted specialist for digital learning.

Our IT courses helped these people...

These short videos highlight how much is possible when you're inspired and motivated by digital learning.

Supporting the homeless through digital learning

Interviews with individuals at the homeless charity, CRISIS

Giving young people a future through digital learning

Interviews with young people at Centrepoint a youth homelessness charity