In a few words: there is A LOT in this course! Altogether, there are 120 topics, each of which takes about an hour to complete. Here is a list of the eight modules in the program:

This list of modules makes up the top menu level. Clicking on each top menu item opens up a second level menu, which in turn, opens up a third and then a fourth level. From this fourth level, the training begins! Notice the white-on-blue number at the third level in the example highlighted here (Editing Tools). You will see that the approximate time needed for this Learning Unit is 25 minutes and that there are five items in it: Learning Outcome, Find and Replace, Copy and Move Text, Spelling and Grammar and Quiz. 

The quiz at the end of each Learning Unit gives you practice in recalling the information you have just learned. We recommend that you set yourself a target of 80% for each Quiz before you move on to the next Learning Unit. If you don’t make it, simply try again (you may want to check the Tutorial part before retrying). Just keep trying until you reach your goal. Don’t give up!  You’re building something big for your future by persevering!

As you get into the Application modules (Word Processing, Spreadsheets, etc.), you will encounter SimuView and SimuTry exercises. These are examples of Simulation-based learning in which it looks as though you are working in the real program, but it is actually a video with instructions. This is a powerful way to learn how to do things—to learn skills as opposed to just knowledge. For most people, it is also an easy way to learn because they are seeing images of real screens rather than just reading or hearing a description. It feels like a game. So, enjoy these and aim high!

At the end of each module you will find a ‘Test’. In the example above, the Test will gather together all the key information (and skills) that have been taught about Word Processing in the past 1 to 2 weeks. Again, you can try the test as many times as you like and go back and redo any bits that you don’t remember. This testing is important because it is now proven that when you recall something a week after having recalled it before, you retain it for longer into the future. This repeated recall is a major reason why the SkillWise training is so effective, so don’t skip it!

There’s another reason why these Tests are important. This program allows you to earn 42 Credits on the National Qualifications Framework. In order to earn these credits, you have to show that you are competent at doing things in Word Processing, Spreadsheets etc. Normally, you would have to work under the supervision of a qualified Assessor to get these credits. Fortunately, the authorities have agreed that completing assignments through SimuTests is a valid test of Competency. So, provided you have done well in the SkillWise Quizzes and Tests, you can get these credits, and this adds a substantial weight to your CV. But, even more important, you will be building the confidence that you know how to USE these computer Applications in the real-world workplace.

The first answer to this question is that, unlike most other training programs, there is no fixed time

 allowed for it. Because you have the freedom to go back and repeat bits as many times as you like, the program takes as long as you need or want it to take. 

We suggest you aim for a high score on each assessment, at least 80%. You can repeat each Quiz and Test until you reach that score. Some people decide to push themselves until they reach 100%. 

However, if you work for 3 hours a day, 5 days a week, you will take about 6 weeks to complete the program. Put another way, on average, people take about 100 hours to complete the training. Some people want to get it done in a hurry and work 10 hours a day; they could possibly get through it all in 10 days. Someone else may be only able to work for a few hours per week. They would take 4 months or more to complete the course. 

So, if you want the satisfaction of getting 100% for every one of those 120 Quizzes and tests, you are welcome to target that amazing achievement—provided you are able to invest the extra hours needed to achieve it

When we ask students who have completed this course whether they found it easy or difficult, they give a surprising answer. 

 “Both,” they reply. 

When we ask them to explain their answer, they say something like this: “At first it seems impossibly difficult, but it’s an easy way to learn, and the more effort we put in, the easier it becomes.”

Here’s an illustration to help answer this question. 

Imagine yourself settling into the seat of a plane. A voice comes over the sound system: “Good afternoon, this is your captain speaking. Welcome aboard flight XYZ from Cape Town to Johannesburg. I am particularly excited to be flying you today because it’s the first time I have ever flown an aircraft. I have watched dozens of videos about how to do it, but this is the first time I’ll actually be flying one.” 

How do you think you’d feel? 

Anxious about committing your life into the hands of this pilot?  Would you check if the door was still open and consider grabbing your bag and getting off?

I think we would all be concerned, but we need to ask why? I suggest the answer is that we know instinctively that, while watching videos might be a good way to start learning about flying a plane, it doesn’t qualify you to actually fly one. 

So, what’s the missing ingredient? 

Practice. Hours and hours, hundreds of hours, of practice! 

Learning to drive a car is a similar process. A friend described how it felt when she had her first driving lesson: “I was terrified! I had to get my feet, my hands and my eyes to be doing different things all at the same time. The bonnet of the car seemed to stretch far out in front of me. The telephone poles were flashing past my window and the road was flying towards me. And worst of all, the instructor had the radio on and it almost drove me crazy!” 

And now? Now that you’ve been driving for a few years? 

“It’s easy! I don’t have to think about all the things my hands and feet and eyes are doing! And music— I love it while I’m driving!” 

What happened to bring about such a dramatic change? 

She practiced. Again, and again. 

Do you notice a pattern? With practice, things get easier. Things that appear difficult at first do get easier. Our students say the same about the SkillWise training.

Skills can only be built by doing something repeatedly. 

Simulations are an ideal tool for building skills because you can keep trying as many times as you like. In the SkillWise CONNECT and GO programs, a student will go through more than 16 000 simulation steps—and that is just on their first run-through! The number climbs with every repeat, and the average success rate is 90%! 

That’s proof that the system works, and it can work for you!

From the educational viewpoint, the main requirement is that you need sufficient English literacy to be able to read the content. We have made it as readable as possible, but from experience, having Grade 9 English is an adequate level from which to start.

Having said that, many adults who have worked for some years after leaving school have built up their literacy levels far beyond what they achieved while at school. If you’re unsure, you are welcome to ask for a short trial period to check whether you’re able to manage the reading level. If you are planning to do the online SkillWise Go program, a short trial period is offered automatically to everyone. If you are doing the SkillWise Connect program in a centre, ask the facilitator for a trial. 

Yes. SkillWise is recognised by the MICT SETA as an Accredited Training Provider (No.ACC/2020/01/434)

Due to its structure of Tutorials, Quizzes, Tests and Simutests, the SkillWise training is recognised as meeting the requirements for both the Formative and Summative assessment components of 42 National Qualification Framework credits.On successful completion of the course, learners are given a SkillWise certificate, confirming exactly what they have achieved.