Office 365 Essential Skills

Build Essential Skills Across Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook

This practical training course gives you the essential skills needed to use Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook with confidence. You will learn how to create and format documents, perform basic calculations, organise and visualise data, build presentations, and manage email and schedules.

Whether you are new to Microsoft Office or want to strengthen foundational digital skills, this course builds practical confidence so you can use core Microsoft Office applications for academic, professional, and personal tasks.

Office 365 Essential Skills is ideal for people who:

• Are new to Microsoft Office applications
• Office professionals who want to improve productivity in everyday tasks
• Are a student building software skills
• Are job seekers wanting to improve practical digital literacy for work or study
• Want foundational skills across several Office applications

To attend Office 365 Essential Skills, you should:

• Have basic computer literacy, including using a mouse and keyboard
• Be able to navigate a desktop environment
• Have access to Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook
• No prior Microsoft Office experience is required

After completing Office 365 Essential Skills, you will be able to:

• Explain the purpose of Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook
• Create calculations, organise data, and build charts in Excel
• Create and format documents in Word
• Build and present slides in PowerPoint
• Manage email, calendars, contacts, and tasks in Outlook

Introduction to Microsoft Office

• Identify Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook as core Microsoft Office applications
• Explain what each application is used for
• Review the course objectives

Excel Essentials

• Use SUM and AVERAGE for simple calculations
• Sort, filter, and format data
• Create simple charts to visualise data
• Recognise what PivotTables are used for at an introductory level

Word Essentials

• Create, save, and format documents
• Apply fonts, styles, and paragraph formatting
• Insert and adjust tables and images
• Use Track Changes for collaboration

PowerPoint Essentials

• Create and organise slides
• Use themes and layouts
• Add animations and transitions
• Apply presentation tips

Outlook Essentials

• Write, send, and organise email
• Use the calendar to schedule meetings
• Manage contacts
• Create and manage basic tasks

Producing Workplace Outputs

• Combine application skills for practical outputs
• Review documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and messages
• Prepare content for its intended audience

Review and Next Steps

• Review the purpose of each application
• Identify areas for further practice
• Select the right application for common tasks