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Guidance: Digital qualifications: evaluation progress

Ofqual

January 18
13:27 2024

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The Department for Education has introduced a new legal entitlement that specified digital qualifications, at Entry Level and Level 1, will be fully funded for adults with no or low digital skills. This entitlement was made available starting in August 2020. Alongside the new entitlement, the Department is reforming basic digital qualifications, introducing new Essential Digital skills qualifications (EDSQs) and new Digital Functional Skills qualifications (Digital FSQs).

You can find further information about the 2 qualifications in the table below. From August 2020, the Department for Education introduced funding of specified Entry Level and Level 1 digital qualifications for adults with no or low digital skills.

At the same time, the Department started reforming basic digital qualifications, introducing new Essential Digital skills qualifications and new Digital Functional Skills qualifications.The documents on this page let you follow the progress of those reforms.

Essential Digital Skills qualifications Digital Functional Skills qualifications
New qualification available at Entry level 3 and at Level 1 Replacing Functional Skills in ICT, but new qualifications available at Entry level 3 and at Level 1
Appropriate qualification for adults with no or low digital skills wishing to gain digital skills for a specific life, work or study purpose - for example, to apply for jobs online, to manage finances online or to access government services online Appropriate qualification for adults with no or low digital skills wishing to confirm they have digital skills needed for employment or further study
Qualifications based on new national standards for essential digital skills Qualifications based on DfE subject content derived from the national standards for essential digital skills
30-50 hours of guided learning 55 hours of guided learning
Published 13 January 2020
Last updated 18 January 2024 +show all updates
  1. Changes made since 19 October 2023Pearson - DFSQs may be made available all requirements met.BCS Qualification resubmitted for technical evaluation.

  2. Updated the Essential Digital Skills qualifications: progress so far - HTML attachment for January 2024.

  3. TLM DFSQs may be made available all requirements met.

  4. Pearson - technical evaluation complete and DFSQs may be made available (with requirements).

  5. Pearson - Qualification resubmitted for technical evaluation.OCNLR technical evaluation complete and DFSQs may be made available requirements are now satisfied.

  6. NOCN, NCFE and City & Guilds have satisfied the requirements following technical evaluation and DFSQs may be made available. TLM and OCNLR have completed technical evaluation and DFSQs may be made available (with requirements).

  7. Essential Digital Skills qualifications: progress so far page has been updated to reflect changes as of 8 September 2023.

  8. NOCN Level 1 Technical evaluation complete and qualification may be made available (with requirements).

  9. BCS and Pearson qualifications require resubmission.

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