Digital skills starter

Practise the digital tasks that help you study, apply for opportunities, and work with others. Start with one useful skill, complete a small task, and keep evidence of what you can do.

Time: about 15–20 minutes to choose a starting point, then short practice sessions • Cost: this guide is free • Use: anywhere • Keep: a few practice files and a progress log.

Use a phone, tablet, or computer and tools you already have permission to use. No paid software or registration is needed to read this guide. Some linked learning activities or online tools may need a free account. This page does not collect or save your work.

1. Choose a useful starting skill

Think of something you need to do soon: submit an assignment, email a teacher, organise course files, research a programme, or record project costs. Choose the skill that would make that task easier.

For each area, mark “I can do this”, “I need practice”, or “I need help”: finding and organising files; protecting accounts; checking online information; writing email; creating documents; using a simple spreadsheet; sharing work with the right person.

This is a personal starting check, not a test or qualification. Choose one task you need practice with. You can return to the other areas later.

If you mainly use a phone, begin there. File menus and editing controls differ between devices. A larger screen and keyboard may make document and spreadsheet work easier when a school, library, or trusted person can provide access.

Write: “I want to learn how to… so that I can… I will practise on… using… My first session will be…”

2. Set up safer habits

Use a strong, unique password for your email and other important accounts. A trusted password manager can help. Turn on two-step verification where available: it adds another check when you sign in. Keep recovery information private and accessible to you.

Install software and app updates from official sources. Before following an unexpected link or attachment, check the request through a contact route you already trust. Never give someone your password or a sign-in code.

On a shared device, avoid saving passwords, sign out of your accounts, and remove any personal files you downloaded when you finish. Private browsing does not replace these steps.

Keep a separate backup of important work on storage you control or a trusted backup service. Check that you can open the copy. Practise with fictional information rather than identity documents, private messages, or other people’s records.

3. Organise a small practice folder

Create a folder called Digital Skills Practice in a place you can find again. Use your device’s file app or a document service you already use. Make subfolders for Research, Documents, and Spreadsheets if your tool supports them.

Save a short note named Practice-Log with today’s date and the skill you chose. Close it, then find and reopen it. Knowing where a file is saved matters as much as knowing how to create it.

Use clear names such as Programme-Research-2026-10-02 or Event-Costs-Draft. Add a date or version when useful; avoid several files all called “final”. Keep the editable version when exporting a PDF.

Know the difference: downloading brings a copy to your device; uploading sends a copy to an online service; a shared link gives access according to its permissions. Check which one an assignment or application requests.

Success check: can you locate the folder, reopen a file, rename a practice copy, and identify where your backup is kept? If not, practise those steps before moving on.

4. Try five practical tasks

Choose one task for your first session. Use fictional details and tools already available to you. Menu names vary, so consult your tool’s own help when you need the exact steps. Keep each finished example in your practice folder.

Task A — Research: find the official page for a course or programme that interests you. Record its name, provider, web address, and the date you checked it.

Check the information: find an entry requirement or deadline on the provider’s own page. Compare it with a second source if available, and note any disagreement or missing date. Evidence: a short research note with links and one question still to verify.

Task B — Email: draft a message asking about one programme detail. Include a specific subject, greeting, brief introduction, one clear question, thanks, and your name. Keep it as a draft or send a practice copy to yourself.

Before sending: check the recipient, spelling, and any attachment. Open the attachment to confirm it is the right file. Evidence: a draft that a reader can understand without asking what you mean.

Task C — Document: create a one-page summary of your research with a title, short introduction, two headings, a few bullets, and a source link. Use a readable font and consistent spacing.

Check the output: export a PDF if your tool supports it, then reopen it to inspect the layout. Otherwise save and reopen the editable file. Evidence: a clear document with the source identified and no leftover prompts.

Task D — Spreadsheet: make four columns: Item, Quantity, Unit cost, and Total. In rows 2–4, enter Notebook / 2 / 3; Pens / 3 / 1; Printing / 10 / 0.2. These are fictional costs in any one currency.

Calculate: enter =B2*C2 in D2 and copy it into D3 and D4. Enter =SUM(D2:D4) in D5. The row totals should be 6, 3, and 2, with an overall total of 11. Use your app’s local decimal separator if needed. Change a quantity and check that the totals update.

Task E — Share and collaborate: use a practice copy of your document. Check whether access is private, restricted to named people, or available to anyone with the link. Choose view-only or editing access according to the task.

Check access without exposing personal work: send a test copy to yourself, or ask a trusted person who has agreed to help. If you cannot test sharing, write the intended recipient and permission in your log. Evidence: the intended access recorded and tested where possible.

If a task is difficult on your phone, complete the research note or email first and plan a later session on a computer. With limited internet, read a lesson while connected and practise in an available offline tool. Ask for help with one specific step rather than giving someone access to your accounts.

Make a small practice plan

Use this copyable plan in your own notes. The times are suggestions; spread the tasks across several days and repeat any step that needs more practice.

Session 1 — [Date, 20 minutes]: organise my practice folder and check account settings privately. Evidence: [file I can reopen; security step checked].

Session 2 — [Date, 20–30 minutes]: complete the research note and draft email. Evidence: [note with official source; clear email draft].

Session 3 — [Date, 20–30 minutes]: prepare the one-page document and inspect its saved or exported copy. Evidence: [file and one correction I made].

Session 4 — [Date, 20–30 minutes]: create the cost spreadsheet, test a changed quantity, and check sharing permissions. Evidence: [working totals; access check].

Review — [Date, 10 minutes]: repeat one task without the instructions, identify what still needs help, and choose my next practice session.

5. Record progress and choose what comes next

Keep a brief log after each session. Record what you tried, what you can now do, and the step that still needs practice. Do not record passwords or sign-in codes.

Copy these prompts:

Date and task: [When I practised and what I worked on].

Evidence: [The filename or short description showing what I completed].

Independence: [I completed it alone / with the guide / with help].

Trouble and solution: [What did not work, and what I tried].

Next step: [One thing I will practise again, and when].

Describe skills precisely: “Created a basic spreadsheet with multiplication and a SUM formula” is more useful than claiming to be an expert. Completing these exercises is practice, not a formal assessment or certificate.

Apply one skill to a real assignment or opportunity, following its instructions. If you use an AI tool, check important claims against original sources, keep private information out of prompts, and follow your school’s or workplace’s rules. Keep responsibility for the final work.

Free learning resources

LearnFree offers free, self-paced learning across computer basics, internet skills, Google tools, and Microsoft Office. Browse the topic that matches your practice task. Lessons may use a different app version; the learning content being free does not mean every featured software product is free.

OpenLearn’s Digital skills: succeeding in a digital world is a free introductory course from The Open University, estimated at 24 hours. Public material is readable without enrolling; a free account is needed to track progress, access all activities, and earn completion recognition. The course offers offline downloads. Its badge is not an accredited qualification.

The UK National Cyber Security Centre provides free public guidance on protecting email, managing passwords, updates, two-step verification, and backups. These everyday habits are useful internationally; reporting routes and other country-specific details may differ where you live.

This is an original St. James Institute practice guide, with links to independent learning providers. Use your own notes and files to keep your progress. External links were checked on October 2, 2026.