End User Computer Training School

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Core Application Training — The 6 Pillars of End User Computing

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Month 1 Programme

• Hardware fundamentals: Identifying and understanding the functions of computer hardware components — CPU, RAM, hard drive, motherboard, input devices (keyboard, mouse, scanner), output devices (monitor, printer), storage devices (USB, external drive, SSD) and connecting peripherals correctly
• Operating system — Windows: Navigating the Windows desktop environment — taskbar, Start menu, icons, windows management (minimise, maximise, resize, close), switching between open applications, and customising desktop settings including display, accessibility and regional settings
• File and folder management: Creating, naming, renaming, moving, copying and deleting files and folders. Using Windows File Explorer, searching for files, organising a filing structure for workplace documents, understanding file types (.docx, .xlsx, .pdf, .jpg) and safe deletion vs permanent deletion
• Keyboard and typing skills: Touch typing technique, home row position, correct finger placement for all keys, using shift, caps lock, backspace, delete, tab, enter and arrow keys. Building keyboard speed and accuracy — targeting 25+ words per minute by end of Month 1 through daily timed practice sessions
• ICT concepts in the workplace: Understanding what ICT is and how computers are used in different sectors — government, healthcare, education, retail, banking and logistics. Computer safety and ergonomics — correct seating position, screen distance, lighting and wrist position. Software types: operating systems, application software, utilities and cloud-based applications

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Month 2 Programme

• MS Word interface and navigation: The ribbon, Quick Access Toolbar, File menu, view options (Print Layout, Draft, Read Mode), zoom controls, scroll navigation, and using keyboard shortcuts (Ctrl+S, Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V, Ctrl+Z) to work efficiently
• Text entry and formatting: Typing, selecting, cutting, copying and pasting text. Applying font formatting — typeface, size, bold, italic, underline, colour, highlight and subscript/superscript. Paragraph formatting — alignment (left, centre, right, justified), line spacing, paragraph spacing, indentation and tab stops
• Page layout and document setup: Setting margins, paper size and orientation. Inserting page breaks, headers, footers and page numbers. Creating a title page. Using styles (Heading 1, 2, Normal, Title) for consistent professional formatting throughout a document
• Tables, images and objects: Inserting and formatting tables — adding rows and columns, merging cells, applying table styles, adjusting column widths. Inserting images, ClipArt and shapes — wrapping text around images, resizing and repositioning. Inserting SmartArt diagrams and charts from Excel
• Business documents and mail merge: Producing business letters, memos, agendas, minutes and reports to a professional standard. Mail merge — creating a data source, inserting merge fields, previewing and completing the merge to produce personalised letters. Using Track Changes and Comments for document review

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Month 3 Programme

• Excel interface and data entry: Workbooks, worksheets and cell references. Entering, editing and deleting data — text, numbers, dates and currency. Auto-fill, flash fill and custom lists. Navigating large worksheets efficiently with keyboard shortcuts and the Name Box. Saving in .xlsx and .csv formats
• Formulas and functions — foundations: Writing basic formulas using +, -, *, / operators. Using the SUM, AVERAGE, MIN, MAX, COUNT, and COUNTA functions. Understanding absolute vs relative cell references ($A$1 vs A1). Using AutoSum and formula auditing to check and correct formula errors
• Intermediate functions: IF function — writing conditional formulas with logical tests. VLOOKUP — looking up data from a reference table. CONCATENATE / CONCAT for combining text. DATE functions. Nested IF statements. Applying functions to solve real workplace data problems — payroll calculations, stock counts, test scores and budget tracking
• Formatting and presentation: Applying cell number formats (currency, percentage, date, time, text). Conditional formatting — applying colour scales, data bars and icon sets. Cell borders, fill colours and styles. Freezing panes and splitting windows to view large datasets. Printing spreadsheets — setting print areas, fitting to page and adding headers and footers
• Charts, sorting and filtering: Creating column, bar, pie and line charts from spreadsheet data — selecting appropriate chart types, adding titles, axis labels and data labels. Sorting data alphabetically and numerically (single and multi-level). AutoFilter — filtering data to display only rows meeting specific criteria. Introduction to PivotTables

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Month 4 Programme

• MS PowerPoint — building presentations: Creating a new presentation from scratch and from templates. Slide layouts, themes and colour schemes. Adding and formatting text in placeholders — applying font styles, sizes and text effects. Using slide master to apply consistent formatting across all slides. Inserting images, charts, tables and SmartArt onto slides
• Animations and transitions: Applying entrance, emphasis and exit animations to text and objects. Setting animation timing, order and direction. Applying slide transitions — selecting appropriate transitions for professional presentations and setting transition speed. Using the Animation Pane to control the animation sequence
• Presenting and delivering: Adding and using speaker notes. Rehearsing slide timings. Running a slideshow in Presenter View — advancing slides manually and automatically. Printing handouts and notes pages. Exporting presentations to PDF and video format. Presenting data clearly — design principles for professional business slides
• MS Outlook — email communication: Setting up and navigating MS Outlook. Composing, formatting and sending emails professionally. Replying, replying all, forwarding and attaching files. Organising email into folders, applying categories and flags. Creating rules to auto-sort incoming mail. Managing junk email and unsubscribing from mailing lists
• Calendar and contacts: Creating appointments, meetings and recurring events in the Outlook calendar. Inviting attendees to meetings and responding to meeting requests. Managing contacts — creating contact cards, adding to groups and creating distribution lists for mass emailing. Setting out-of-office auto-replies. Using Outlook Tasks for basic to-do management

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Month 5 Programme

• Internet and web browser skills: Navigating web browsers (Chrome, Edge, Firefox) — using the address bar, back/forward navigation, bookmarks/favourites, and tabs. Understanding URLs and web addresses. Clearing browsing history and cache. Browser settings and default search engine configuration. Accessing government services, e-learning portals and job application sites online
• Online research and information literacy: Using Google Search effectively — using search operators ("exact phrase", site:, filetype:) to find precise information. Evaluating web sources for credibility — identifying reliable vs unreliable information online. Downloading and saving files from the internet. Using Wikipedia, government websites (gov.za), SAQA, SARS and other official online resources
• Online safety and cybersecurity: Understanding phishing — recognising phishing emails, fake websites and social engineering attacks. Creating strong passwords and using password managers. Understanding malware, ransomware and how to avoid them. Safe downloading practices — only downloading from trusted sources. Privacy settings on social media and protecting personal information online
• Cloud computing and online collaboration: Using OneDrive and Google Drive — uploading, organising and sharing files in the cloud. Accessing and editing MS Office documents online (Office 365 / Microsoft 365). Using Google Docs, Sheets and Slides for basic document creation. Understanding the difference between cloud storage and local storage. Video conferencing tools — Zoom, Teams, Google Meet for online meetings
• Data capture and data entry skills: Professional data entry technique — accuracy, speed and consistency. Using data entry forms in MS Access and Excel. Verifying captured data against source documents. Understanding database concepts — tables, fields, records, primary keys. Data validation in Excel — restricting data entry to valid values. Completing workplace data capture tasks to the speed and accuracy standard required by employers

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Month 6 Programme

• Portfolio of Evidence (POE) compilation: Assembling the complete Portfolio of Evidence required for SAQA 61591 assessment — organising all work samples, assignments and formative assessments into a structured POE file. Each unit standard's evidence is indexed, signed off, and verified against assessment criteria with the facilitator before final submission
• Integrated MS Office projects: Completing integrated workplace projects that use multiple applications together — producing a business report in Word with an Excel chart embedded, creating a PowerPoint presentation with data from Excel, managing correspondence in Outlook, and researching content online. These projects simulate real workplace computing tasks and build the candidate's confidence in applying all skills together
• Communication and mathematical literacy assessments: Completing the fundamental unit standard assessments — communication at NQF Level 3 (reading, writing and oral communication skills) and mathematical literacy at NQF Level 3 (using mathematics to investigate financial and spatial contexts). These are integrated into the computing tasks throughout the module and formally assessed in Month 6
• Summative assessment preparation: Full revision of all application skills across the programme — common areas of difficulty are identified per student and targeted revision sessions are delivered. Past assessment papers and sample tasks are practised under timed conditions to build assessment confidence and speed
• Final competency assessment — SAQA 61591: Formal summative assessment covering all core and elective unit standards — assessed by a qualified assessor against SAQA 61591 criteria. Candidates assessed as Competent or Not Yet Competent per unit standard. Successful candidates have their Certificate of Competence issued — confirming achievement of the National Certificate: Information Technology: End User Computing, NQF Level 3, 130 credits, MICT SETA