• For students to be supported and encouraged to develop the digital capabilities necessary for their University studies and in preparation for the workplace beyond.

Students will be empowered to take ownership of the capabilities they develop through curricular and extracurricular activities and will be able to showcase them to potential employers.

• For staff to be supported and encouraged to develop, maintain and enhance the digital capabilities relevant to their roles.

Support and development opportunities will be clearly signposted and available from induction – enabling and enhancing development and cultivating confidence.

• For digital capabilities to be integrated and promoted across the University through our culture and practices. 

Expectations around digital capabilities will be transparent and shared pre-induction (in course materials/marketing for students and job adverts for staff), at inductions and throughout their studies or role. A shared language around digital capabilities will raise awareness and foster understanding, and effective practice will be shared, recognised and celebrated.

Thanks to the dedication of colleagues across the University, the workstream has delivered a wide range of impactful initiatives, including:

• Use of a shared language as a starting point for further contextualisation
• Raising awareness through comms and engagement activities with students and staff
• Facilitating self-assessment of skills for students and staff through the Jisc Discovery tool. Data-informed decision making using the anonymised institutional data to enable updates to learning activities – as demonstrated in these case studies by the Manchester Access Programme and Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering programmes.
• Incorporation within Welcome resources for students and staff.
• Support for embedding digital capability in the curriculum, creating resources and hosting events where colleagues shared effective practice. Central programme and unit development forms are being updated to incorporate representation of how students will develop their digital skills, building on a pilot that took place within the Faculties of Humanities and Biology, Medicine and Health. ‘Digital and study skills’ are represented within the Central learning environment University template and pedagogical standards and signposted within the University Programme Handbook template for 2025/26.
• Establishing a University commitment to digital equity through co-creation with  the Students’ Union of the Digital Equity Charter. The Access and Success Team subsequently launched the Digital Equity pilot fund for students.
• Promoting peer support with the co-creation of a new Digital capability Student Rep role in partnership with the Students’ Union.
• Providing opportunities to enhance skills and gain recognition of development through the pilots of LinkedIn Learning for students and staff and of Microsoft Certifications for students. An expanded selection of certifications will continue to be offered through The Library during 2025/26. Representation of work by colleagues to support digital capability is now included within Teaching & Scholarship Promotions
• Introducing university-wide evaluation of the digital experience in partnership with the technology workstream through the implementation of the Jisc Digital Experience Insights surveys.

"Being involved in various opportunities, such as volunteering to be a Digital Capability Student Rep with the Students’ Union and the Flexible Learning Digital Skills team, has opened doors for me to learn about some amazing initiatives. One of the standout opportunities was the chance to pursue the Microsoft Azure Data Fundamentals certification. For me, earning this certification was a significant milestone.”

- UoM Graduate Mr. Tushar Jhanwar MSc Business Analytics: Operational Research and Risk Analysis.

“The University of Manchester has demonstrated exemplary use of both the Building Digital Capability service and the Digital Experience Insights service provided by Jisc. By leveraging data from these services, the institution has made informed decisions to support its digital transformation initiatives. The meticulous planning and comprehensive approach to enhancing digital capabilities among staff and students have garnered significant interest within the sector.

The institution's strategy involves engaging multiple stakeholders to ensure a holistic approach to digital capability development. This methodical planning was highlighted by Professor Jane Mooney at our joint community of practice event, where she shared Manchester's approach. The institution's involvement in digital transformation pilots and their presentation at the nationally and internationally recognized Digifest conference has further amplified interest in their methods.

Manchester's dedication and hard work have inspired many other higher education institutions to explore similar approaches. We look forward to further disseminating this effective strategy through case studies and podcasts, thereby contributing to the sector's ongoing digital transformation efforts.”

-Dr Becki Vickerstaff, Higher Education Senior Consultant – Jisc

The impact of the workstream will continue through the ongoing embedding of activities for students and staff.

Student-facing digital development support will continue to be provided through the Library and Careers Service.  Staff-facing support will continue to be provided through the Digital Learning Service championing embedding in the curriculum and Talent Development. 

We’d like to thank everyone who has contributed to the success of the workstream.  Your commitment, insights, energy and collaboration have been instrumental in changing practice, in terms of how we think, talk about and embed support for digital capability, across the University.

There is more work to be done.  As we continue to see, the digital capability requirements of students, staff and our partners will continue to evolve.  Through the activities initiated, promoted and embedded, we have laid foundations the University can now build on as the implementation of the Manchester 2035 strategy progresses.