Digital Skills Support for Businesses and Charities

There is a variety of webinars, online skills training and self-help guides available to help with some of the new skills we now need whilst working from home.

Interested in AI?

Google

In Feb 2024, Google ran a series of 90min webinars led by gen AI experts to support learning on how to transform your business. All are available on demand.  Aimed at a range of levels and experience with gen AI.

Content includes: learning to leverage Generative AI on Vertex AI, including Gemini, across a number of focus areas, including:

  • Multimodality: using text, image, and videos with Gemini
  • Text: prompt design, conversational chat apps & custom API’s for LLM solutions
  • Image: image generation & deploying apps combining language and images
  • Speech: Text-to-speech and speech-to-text & deploying a conversational chat app
  • Code: Code generation and completion and to accelerate data analysis/data science and more.

Week one included: Generative AI: Hype vs. Reality and limitations, Good and bad use cases for generative AI, Sample use cases by industry, How to come up with generative AI use cases for your organization.

If you need something a step back from the above conversation, linked to the Grow Google resources – the Learn the basics AI – may be of more use.  This 6 weeks self-paced course created by Minna Learning and the University of Helsinki encourages a broad group to learn what AI is, what can and can’t be done with AI and how to start creating AI methods.

Microsoft Co-Pilot

The Microsoft Learn programme – Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 executive challenge – Microsoft states that this training programme allows you to, “discover how Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 elevates workplace productivity and innovation.” It is tailored for “the modern business leader, provides insights on crafting contextual prompts for Copilot and includes engaging use case exercises that showcase seamless integration into daily workflows”.

It gives a 30min introduction to Copilot and how it fits with Microsoft 365. A second 30min module covers how to craft effective prompts. A final 1 hour executive productivity module covering topics such as creating a slide presentation or a speech using Copilot, enhancing content creation and collaboration skills and summarizing chat and channel threads using Copilot in Teams.

A second learning programme is Transform your business with Microsoft AI – 4 modules in total:

  • Leverage AI tools and resources for your business (55min)
  • Create business value from AI (27min)
  • Embrace responsible AI principles and practices (53min)
  • Scale AI in your organisation (36min)

Also there are learning pathways for leaders in different sectors – Discover Microsoft AI for leaders in…healthcare, finance, sustainability, retail, manufacturing.

Digital Boost

 

Digital Boost are a community of digital professionals who want to help small businesses and charities upskill and grow. They offer one-to-one mentoring, webinars and workshops (topics chosen by small businesses and charities) and a range of online self-paced learning from their 1600+ partners (including BT, McCann, Google, Vodafone, Future Learn).

Digital Boost match organisations who need to upskill with digital experts for free one-to-one mentoring, as well as make personalised recommendations for courses, workshops and resources.

You can sign up to receive support or if you have skills to give, sign up as a mentor.

 

Webinars and Regular Events

Boost – Lancashire’s Growth Hub for Business

Boost have a range of training available for Businesses of all types – you can browse their full events page to see them all.

Barclays – Digital Wings

The Barclays Digital Wings platform has a range webinars covering topics such as: data privacy, safety online, growing your business with data. The list of live events and those pre-recorded can be seen here and some may be relevant to you as a business owner.

Google Digital Garage

Google have put together a number of live webinars and some face to face training that fall in to two categories: Grow My Career and Grow My Business – covering a range of topics, for example: digital marketing and social media strategy.

The Growing Club, Lancaster

You can keep updated with all activity offered by The Growing Club by following their page @TheGrowingClubNorthwest on Facebook or visit their website.

They have regular Thursday lunchtime 12.30 to 2pm drop ins for networking, peer support and accountability –  “where you can come and chat about anything business or employment related.”

Lloyds Bank Academy

Alongside the free resources available at the Lloyds Business Hub and Lloyds Bank Academy are hosting some online and interactive sessions where you will hear from experts, pick up key tips and tricks and have time to do some virtual networking: Webinars for Businesses

Collaboration Tools

Google Meet – There is a range of free, online training on how to use Google Workspace and its products including Meet. Starting with a quick intro guide. More information can be found here. Barclays Digital Wings Learning Catalogue also has training on exploring Google Workspace – Tools for Productivity

Microsoft TeamsImage result for microsoft teams – Free online training on how to use Teams and managing meetings online can be found here. Barclays Digital Wings also have training looking at how to effectively use Teams to support communication and collaboration which you can find in their Learning Catalogue.

Image result for zoom

The free version of Zoom enables video conferencing with unlimited 121 calls, group calls with 40 min limit and chat functions.

Check out Zoom training here. Or again visit Barclays Digital Wings to complete the Get Started with Zoom training.                   

Slack is an online tool that helps people work together and collaborate as easily online as they do in person. It’s designed to support the way people naturally work together, making collaborating with people online as easy and efficient as it is face-to-face. To get your head around how it works and what it is, Slack has a range of training materials available including a Slack 101 guide for those new to it and a hints and tips section as well.

Free Courses to Develop Digital and Technical Skills

Barclays – Digital Wings

The Digital Wings resources covers online training covering business, skills for work, home and essential digital skills. For business and charities, you might find titles such as ‘Selling online essentials: Listing, sales and services‘ or ‘Business essentials: Protect, market and grow‘ interesting or explore the whole Learning Catalogue and filter by clicking the ‘Work and Business’ button at the top of the catalogue.

Enterprise Nation

Enterprise Nation is a community of small businesses and business advisers that exist to shortcut your route to trusted business support.  Whether you’re starting or growing a business, they have the resources to help you. Free to join. You can view their full range of e-learning here.

Microsoft Excel Training

Microsoft offer a number of pre-recorded videos to understand the Excel tool which can be found here. You can choose from topics: Get Started, Collaborate, Formula and Functions, Import and Analyse, Format Data and Troubleshoot.

Barclays Digital Wings has some basic to advanced Microsoft Excel Training – check it out here. The Learn My Way platform also has online training for working with Office programmes including spreadsheets which you can access once you register for an account.

There is also lots of free Microsoft 365 training devised by Microsoft – have a look here.

Learn My Way

Learn My Way from The Good Things Foundation has courses on Google, Outlook, Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and productivity tools.

Lloyds Academy

The Lloyds Academy has wide array of training available for businesses to “unlock the business benefits of digital”.  Categories of training include:

  • Design a sustainable and customer focused strategy
  • Become a more effective leader
  • Design your website and digital channels
  • Tell you story online
  • Manage your business finances
  • Keep your business safe and secure
  • Work and collaborate productively
  • Product development and sales
  • Become a more effective leader
  • How your business can grow with e-commerce

OpenLearn by The Open University

OpenLearn is a free learning platform, delivered by The Open University as part of its Royal Charter commitment to support the well-being of the community. Here you will find almost 1,000 free courses, topical and interactive content, videos and online games. Some of the most relevant today are:

  • Project management
  • Effective Communication in the workplace
  • Data Analysis: visualisations in Excel

Free ContentCal Training – How to get found online – Mastering Content Planning

Catch up on demand with this training on how to develop content – outlines 6 free tools to help you including:  Days of the Year, Mentionlytics, Best Hashtags, ContentCal and Hypeauditor.