Enhance your digital skills throughout your workforce through fully funded short courses and CPD. Our team provide dedicated support available across rural Northumberland and the North of Tyne Combined Authority. Invest in yourself and your employees to improve your organisation.
Microsoft Word 2016 combines a powerful word processing application with the user-friendly atmosphere of Windows. You will learn the basics of creating, editing, and saving documents in our Fundamentals level class. You will also learn to use Online Help and to modify and enhance character appearance.
You will format text into tabular columns, create and manage tables, use error-checking tools, and control page layout with margins, indents, and page breaks.
Overview:
Create and save documents for easy retrieval
Insert and delete text to edit a document
Move, copy, and replace text
Modify text for emphasis
Learn document and paragraph formatting
Set and remove tab stops to enhance document appearance
Use margins, indents, bullets, and numbering to change text layout
Use templates and Style Sets to create and enhance documents
Microsoft Word 2016 combines a powerful word processing application with the user- friendly atmosphere of Windows. You will learn the basics of creating, editing, and saving documents in our Fundamentals level class. You will also learn to use Online Help and to modify and enhance character appearance. You will format text into tabular columns, create and manage tables, use error-checking tools, and control page layout with margins, indents, and page breaks.
At this level you will learn the more advanced features of Word that involve technical elements of document editing and sharing/reviewing features. The course also covers working with graphics, advanced use of tables and an introduction to macros and automation.
Overview:
Learn to protect documents
Use Excel worksheet functions and advanced table features and formats
Use advanced document enhancements such as graphics, special characters and watermarks
Microsoft Excel 2016 combines a powerful spreadsheet application with the user- friendly atmosphere of Windows. You will learn the basics of creating, editing, and saving worksheets in our Essentials level class. You will work with formulas and functions to calculate and return values. You will learn to change the appearance of a page, including adding headers and footers, format data and create charts.
Overview:
Identify basic worksheet and workbook concepts and terms
Enter & edit data
Modify the worksheet
Use functions to calculate and return values
Format cells to enhance the appearance of your worksheet
Use drawing features and other enhancements
Change the page set- up to define how the printed worksheet appears
Perfect for Excel users at intermediate or advanced level, who want to learn how to speed up and automate their work (or other users' work) in the application using macros.
Overview:
This course covers automation and customising of Excel using macros and screen items (such as buttons and menus). You will learn how to write macros using VB code and assign macros to screen items.
Microsoft Project 2016 is a suite of tools for efficient project and portfolio management. It is designed to help you set realistic goals for project teams and customers by creating schedules, distributing resources and managing budgets. This course is a good introduction for anyone who wants to learn to use Microsoft Project as the tool for their team.
Overview:
Get familiar with Project terminology
Create a project plan using tasks, durations and relationships
Perfect for anyone who intends to design databases from scratch or improve existing Access databases. This workshop also covers conversion of databases made in other applications and spreadsheet (flat file) databases.
Overview:
An introduction to database design concepts. This course offers grounding in creating the core objects of a database and covers data manipulation and extraction at an introductory level.
Perfect for those who intend to design databases from scratch or improve existing Access databases. This workshop also covers conversion of databases made in other applications and spreadsheet (flat file) databases.
Overview:
This course aims to build on existing database design and/or user experience that may have been gained from the Introduction course.
Perfect for those who intend to design databases from scratch or improve existing Access databases. This workshop also covers conversion of databases made in other applications and spreadsheet (flat file) databases.
Overview:
This course aims to build on a reasonable level of database design experience that may have been gained from the Introduction and/or Intermediate course.
This course will introduce you to OneNote notebooks, capable of storing content in an organised structure, that you can share with others and access from anywhere. This course will explain how OneNote has been designed as a tool for note taking, information gathering and multi-user collaboration.
The course will also cover how OneNote can be integrated with applications to increase your productivity withMicrosoft Office.
Overview:
Overview and navigation of Microsoft OneNote interface
Create notes using Microsoft OneNote
Create a new notebook and organise Information with sections and pages
Add images, format text, links and drawing object to a notebook
This course is for users who wish to get an overview of how to use Visio to make more advanced diagrams than can be created with standard MS Office applications.
Overview:
This course is ideal for people who want to learn how to design diagrams, organisation charts, office layouts or website maps using Microsoft Visio. During the course you will be taught how to use the basic tools and techniques available in Visio so that you can create detailed, business focused diagrams.
This course is for end users who wish to improve on their existing Visio skills and learn the more advanced featuresto make creating professional diagrams quicker and easier.
Overview:
This course is designed for people who have a good understanding of Visio, who would like to gain a more in-depth knowledge of the drawing tools and layouts available in Visio. By the end of this course, you will have a detailed understanding of this diagramming program.
This course is aimed at data analysts who want a summary of what Microsoft Power BI can offer them in terms of BI Analysis, and who also may want to go on to the more advanced 20778 course.
Overview:
This one-day course provides entry-level users with the basic skills required to import, transform, and publish data using Power BI desktop. This course also gives a brief overview of the Power BI service which enables you to create and share dashboards for use by your organisation.
This course will discuss the various methods and best practices that are in line with business and technical requirements for modelling, visualizing, and analysing data with Power BI. The course will also show you how to access and process data from a range of data sources including both relational and non-relational data. This course will also explore how to implement proper security standards and policies across the Power BI spectrum including datasets and groups. You will also discuss how to manage and deploy reports and dashboards for sharing and content distribution. Finally, this course will show you how to build paginated reports within the Power BI service and publish them to a workspace for inclusion within Power BI.
Overview:
This course is aimed at data professionals and business intelligence professionals who want to learn how to accurately perform data analysis using Power BI. This course is also targeted toward anyone who wants to develop reports that visualize data from the data platform technologies that exist on both in the cloud and on- premises.
Develop a manageable social media plan to help reach your business goals. Discover effective platforms and tools to create and post your content. Be inspired to confidently begin marketing in social media.
Overview:
Are you trying to get social media working for your small business, but don't know where to start? Have you been asked to run social media channels at work but worry you are not doing it right? This course is designed to help answer all those initial questions, including which are the best channels to use, what content you should be sharing, how often you should post, what results you can expect from social media, and how to know if it’s working.
By the end of this course, you’ll have a sound, introductory platform from which to embark on marketing a small business through social media. You will be able to develop a simple and realistic social media plan for running your channels, that takes into account the reality of having limited time and resources.
If you want to harness the enormous potential of social media marketing for your small business, or within your workplace, but you are struggling to get started or to dedicate time, then this course is for you.
Learn to develop an effective marketing strategy. Enhance your knowledge and skillsets in your workforce. Progress in your career and support the success of your business.
Overview
This Masterclass has been created to help you develop and deliver an effective marketing strategy within your organisation.
By ‘effective’, we mean a strategy that is well thought out, planned to perfection and manageable to deliver, but most importantly, a strategy that delivers a return on investment for your organisation and helps you achieve your overall strategic objective.
Using research and exploration, you will develop a marketing strategy that will have a real practical benefit to support the success of your business.
Understand the growing medium of digital video marketing. Learn how to shoot, edit and deliver videos tailored to your target audience. Create content that will help achieve your business goals.
Overview
The aim of this course is to provide, from a practical standpoint, an overview of the fast growth sector of digital video production and marketing. This area comprises of social and digital advertising video, which has been creatively designed to market and sell products online.
The sector is enjoying massive growth with content, visible across a multitude of platforms, from Instagram and Facebook though to Amazon and other e-commerce sites. Through this course you will learn the most effective methods that will help you reach your business goals.
Explore the key concepts of podcasting and the production methods. Create engaging audio content. Build a brand to help attract your target audience.
Overview
Podcasting is continuously growing as a major area in the audio content industry. They allow anyone to create content that is important to them, offering an endless variety of topics, and bring the ability for interactivity and inclusion with their audience.
This short course will help those in the industry or with an interest in podcasting to understand the key thing you need to know to get started. Working with experts, you will learn how to record, produce, and edit, as well as why it can be more effective to create a podcast rather than blogging or creating video content.
Keeping up with the latest digital marketing developments and trends can be overwhelming for businesses. This masterclass has been created to help you to develop and implement effective digital marketing activity.
To deliver effective digital marketing activity, it’s essential to understand your objective and to remain focused on a plan. Therefore, the masterclass will cover digital marketing strategies including the Digital Marketing Funnel, the Inbound Marketing Wheel and content marketing strategy. It will also cover website best practices, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), email marketing and social media strategy.
The ability to think creatively has been ranked as the most desirable skill in employees. Using creative problem-solving skills allows you to see existing problems through a new lens and provides you with solutions that you wouldn’t typically adopt in the workplace. Business today is as lean as it can get, so employers are constantly searching for new solutions to enhance their workforce. Developing creative thinking skills can therefore provide endless benefits to you and your organisation.
This short course introduces you to creative problem-solving techniques. The course explores what a problem is, how we can address simple and complex problems, traditional brain models for problem solving and how and why these are limiting.
By taking part in this course, you will experience the benefits of creative thinking and cognitive and creative problem-solving. You will also get the opportunity to practice new techniques such as Force Fit Triggers, Imaging, Morphological Analysis, and gain an introduction to the use of Synectic techniques.
Course content to follow - For more information on these upcoming courses please complete the Expression of Interest Form or email digitalskills@sunderland.ac.uk.
Course content to follow - For more information on these upcoming courses please complete the Expression of Interest Form or email digitalskills@sunderland.ac.uk.
Course content to follow - For more information on these upcoming courses please complete the Expression of Interest Form or email digitalskills@sunderland.ac.uk.
Leadership courses
Duration: 3 Days
Reflect on your current role and potential as a leader in your working environment. Explore your strengths by assessing your personal and professional qualities. Become confident in communicating and leading your employees.
Overview
This short course provides insight into definitions of leadership, qualities of effective leaders, and styles of leadership.
Reflect on your challenging work environment and your role as a leader. Explore your strengths and preferred ways of working, consider how you see yourself and how others see you, and consider what makes you an effective leader. Develop confidence and effectiveness in your work processes.
During this masterclass, you will reflect on your strengths in the workplace and preferred ways of working to explore how you see yourself, how others see you, and what makes you an effective leader. The session will provide you with a broad introduction to leadership ideas and practices, to gain insight into your qualities and attitudes as a leader and generate ideas to develop your leadership effectiveness.
The course is designed to introduce you to principles and theories relating to leadership and apply these to your workplace and role. It will help you to increase your self-awareness and to understand your behaviour and effectiveness in a work context.
Coaching is one of the most important skills in the arsenal of any leader. It can be used to drive growth and therefore better results from yourself and others. It can also aid individuals in overcoming the struggles and barriers to progress.
This course will develop your coaching abilities as a tool for enhancing leadership effectiveness in your business and is designed to have real practical benefit, to support your success as a leader. You will learn the purpose of coaching and where coaching sits on the continuum of professional development interventions. You will also explore and practice the skills and qualities required to be a successful coach, the coaching process, and the importance of setting goals.
In today’s highly competitive business environment, budget orientated planning or forecast-based planning methods are insufficient for companies to survive and prosper. The company must engage in strategic planning that clearly defines objectives and assesses both the internal and external situation to formulate strategy, implement that strategy, evaluate progress, and make adjustments as necessary to stay on track.
This masterclass asks you to reflect upon your business environment and explore options for creating and implementing suitable strategies for future business success. The course is designed to introduce you to principles and theories relating to strategy and relate these to your workplace and role.
Emotional intelligence is the idea that emotions are useful and are important sources of information. Emotions help us to solve problems and they guide our social interactions. This course is designed to help you to develop your emotional intelligence abilities and understand its role in the business environment.
Overview
The course will specifically cover:
Concepts and theories of emotional intelligence and its usefulness
How to measure emotional intelligence and interpret those measures
Diagnose your own emotional intelligence and identify areas of strength and where you might wish to develop
Explore ways to develop your emotional intelligence
Understand the role that emotional intelligence plays in the workplace, in particular leadership and team working