Digital Skills for Business: Digital Application Support Level 2 - Apprenticeship
Overview
Digital Skills for Business is a fully-funded apprenticeship that has two pathways available:
- Digital User
- Digital Application Support
Both pathways provide a route to develop and embed digital skills through on-the-job vocational learning to improve individual and organisational digital capabilities. They also support mission three of the 2021 Digital Strategy for Wales to ‘Create a workforce that has the digital skills, capability and confidence to excel in the workplace and in everyday life’.
The digital application support pathway is primarily for candidates whose role involves:
- Supporting digital application, devising solutions and providing support to colleagues
- Working in helpdesks, with a specific responsibility for end user application support
- Taking responsibility for application support for users and day-to-day troubleshooting
- Working with third party digital application providers
Key information
To be eligible for apprenticeship funding, the apprentice must be employed for more than 16 hours per week and based in Wales.
The learners will be allocated a dedicated tutor/assessor, who will work closely with both the learners and employer to ensure the level and units selected are suited to their individual role and organisational priorities. The tutor/assessor will meet with the learners every 4-6 weeks to assess progress and set objectives for the next period.
The learners will be assigned project work set to their elected units, as well as be expected to gather evidence from their role to demonstrate application of their new skills. The learner may be expected to attend seminars or workshops in addition to work-based learning, which will focus on the knowledge element of the qualification and support in developing understanding, skills and experience in this area.
Mandatory units
- IT and telecom system security
- Data processing
- IT project administration
- Sharing digital information
- Preparing documents and publications
Optional units
- Bespoke software
- Specialist software
- Understanding the potential of IT
- Data-driven applications
- Select and set up digital systems
- Improving existing software
- With many more available!
To successfully complete the qualification, learners will undertake projects and work-based tasks to meet the qualification criteria, relevant to their individual role and learning environment. They will acquire the knowledge, tools and techniques associated with each unit that they will then implement in their current work environment.
The work assigned and evidence gathered will be reviewed during the regular group and 1-2-1 meetings with tutors/assessors and used for assessment purposes. Gower College Swansea utilises Smart Assessor which is an online apprenticeship management tool enabling provider, learner and employer to effectively track learner progress.
The apprenticeship also includes essential skills qualifications in communication and application of number, which upskills learners with GCSE equivalents to English, Maths and IT if they have not already achieved grades A-C.