Develop essential digital workplace skills and learn to use Microsoft Office confidently for administration, communication, data management, reporting and professional presentations.

JSTA’s Microsoft Office programme combines guided learning with practical office-based activities, helping participants build skills that can be applied across businesses, charities, public services and other professional environments.

Programme Overview

Duration: 3 Months | 6 Months | 1 Year
Format: Initial Training | Individual Office Tasks | Group Assignments | Hybrid Working Module
Group Size: Up to 10 participants

Participants start with training in core Microsoft Office applications before completing practical administrative and business tasks. The Hybrid Working Module introduces participants to digital communication, virtual meetings, shared documents, remote collaboration and managing work effectively across different environments.

What Participants May Do

Participants can practise everyday responsibilities commonly associated with administrative, office support and business support roles, including:

• Creating and formatting professional documents
• Preparing letters, reports, forms and meeting documents
• Organising information using Excel spreadsheets
• Entering, sorting and checking business data
• Creating charts, tables and basic reports
• Producing professional PowerPoint presentations
• Managing emails, calendars and meeting invitations
• Preparing agendas and recording meeting information
• Organising digital files and business records
• Collaborating on shared documents and team assignments

At a more advanced level, participants may explore Excel formulas and functions, PivotTables, data validation, mail merge, document templates, advanced presentation design, spreadsheet dashboards and more efficient digital workflows.

What Candidates Can Learn

The existing JSTA programme focuses particularly on developing practical proficiency in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, with learning opportunities ranging from beginner through to more advanced levels.

Microsoft Word – Professional Documents
Learn to create and format letters, reports, CVs, forms, tables and other professional documents using consistent layouts and styles.

Microsoft Excel – Spreadsheets & Data
Develop skills in organising information, using formulas and functions, creating charts and analysing data. More advanced learners can explore PivotTables, conditional formatting and reporting techniques.

Microsoft PowerPoint – Presentations
Learn to structure information and produce clear, professional presentations using layouts, graphics, charts and other visual elements.

Microsoft Outlook – Communication & Organisation
Develop effective email, calendar, contact and meeting-management skills to support professional workplace communication.

Additional Microsoft Office Tools
Depending on the programme and participant level, learners may also explore applications such as Microsoft Access, OneNote or Publisher, which are referenced in the existing JSTA course.

Practical Workplace Projects

Participants may apply their Microsoft Office skills through realistic business and administrative assignments such as:

• Business Administration Pack – Create professional letters, forms, templates and reports
• Excel Reporting Project – Organise data, perform calculations and produce charts or summary reports
• Presentation Project – Research a topic and develop a professional PowerPoint presentation
• Meeting Management Exercise – Prepare agendas, schedules, invitations and meeting documentation
• Data Management Task – Organise and maintain structured business or project information
• Team Office Project – Collaborate on documents, spreadsheets and presentations while managing shared responsibilities

These activities help participants understand how Microsoft Office is used in day-to-day working environments while developing accuracy, organisation, communication, time management and digital confidence.

Workplace & Career Development

Microsoft Office skills are widely transferable across different sectors and occupations. The programme can support participants exploring roles such as Administrative Assistant, Office Administrator, Business Support Assistant, Receptionist, Data Entry Assistant, Project Administrator, Customer Service Administrator and other office-based positions.

The current JSTA page highlights that improving Microsoft Office proficiency can increase workplace productivity and provide valuable employment skills. By combining software knowledge with realistic workplace assignments, the revised programme can place greater emphasis on participants being able to demonstrate what they can actually do with these tools, rather than simply knowing their features.

Please Note: Our core mentoring, workshops and work-experience programmes are 100% free for eligible young people aged 16–25. We also deliver paid commercial training to businesses and individuals; 100% of that profit is reinvested into our free youth programmes.