Work in a digital world
A new initiative had been launched to help low-earning single mothers to develop essential digital skills that will enable them to supplement their income by working from home in a new media environment.
Digital Assistant Academy is an innovative project created by digital wellbeing company and social business 8fold. It aims to give women the skills and confidence they need to generate additional sustainable and flexible income for themselves and their family while working around their existing commitments – all with the ultimate goal of helping them to move from reliance on benefits and into the workplace.
Meeting demand for support services
During the Academy’s eight-week course, students learn the necessary skills to become a freelance Digital Assistant, offering support services to busy individuals by working from their own home with a laptop computer and the internet.
The course is ideally suited to women who need flexible, home-based working opportunities to fit around childcare, school or carer responsibilities.
By the end of the course, the students will be equipped to help busy people work more efficiently – saving them time, for example, by updating their blogs, and maximising the potential of their social networking.
Focused on providing practical skills
Training is 100% learner-focused and is geared towards practical skills that can be put into use quickly and that are in demand in the market – such as using social networking and online tools like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Dropbox, YouTube and Skype.
The course curriculum includes an introduction to the internet, internet research and the Digital Assistant Toolkit; building websites with WordPress; email marketing with Mailchimp; social media set-up and management for the likes of LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook; blogging; and even customer relationship management (CRM) skills.
Encouragement and work experience
All of the training takes place online, but students can get help face-to-face at fortnightly live meet-ups – and if they can’t attend these in person, they can Skype in. They can also access ongoing feedback and support from others on the course via Facebook.
Not only does the course increase women’s self-esteem and confidence through mentoring and encouragement, but the students also gain practical work experience by working directly with real client briefs, as well as undertaking virtual work experience. The new Digital Assistants are also taught how to find clients for themselves once their training is complete.
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