Are you interested in enhancing your skills as a digital inclusion practitioner?
As the number of professional training resources available for digital inclusion staff and volunteers continues to grow, NDIA has compiled a list of trainings below. The trainings, offered in single or multiple sessions and varied formats, are designed to help your career, advance the overall quality of digital inclusion services to the community, and learn from the experience and expertise of others. These augment the annual NDIA Net Inclusion conference and local training by digital inclusion coalitions and partners.
What training do practitioners need?
Digital inclusion practitioners encompass a range of roles and require somewhat different skills depending on the setting and where you are in your digital inclusion path. These may include:
- Skills for frontline training, service delivery, and a broader set of program and policy skills.
- A range of technical skills and skills in particular content areas (e.g. shopping for internet plans, online safety, health, workforce training, etc.).
- Learning about the overall digital inclusion and digital equity context, foundations in evaluation and data use, cultural competency, communications and marketing, community assessment, partnership development, budgeting, funding, and policy.
- Training offered by other professional associations, colleges, or organizations is beneficial, but they will likely not apply the digital inclusion focus of these trainings.
The costs and information below are current as of October 2024. Check each site to ensure a current listing and cost. This table is also available in a more printable format here.
| Program Name | Method of Delivery | Partners and Leaders | Topics | Cost & Accreditation |
| Net Inclusion: annual NDIA Conference Past streamed sessions on NDIA YouTube Sched sessions: 2024, 2023, 2022 | Conference: 3-4 days in person with some streamed sessions. Collaborative notes and session materials available from multiple years via NDIA Sched app | NDIA (National Digital Inclusion Alliance) | The annual Net Inclusion Conference presents workshops and panels on best practices in direct services, working with diverse communities, program evaluation and research, funding advocacy, digital inclusion policy and legislation, and collaboration building. | Cost is based on time of registration and organization type. $455-695 – nonprofit and government. NDIA A+ members get an additional 15% discount on registration. $881-$1272 – For Profit No accreditation. |
| NTEN Digital Equity Professional Certificate | Virtual, with recorded classes, and self-paced projects and homework | NTEN (Nonprofit Technology Network) | Digital Equity Professional Certificate Provides and requires 8 digital inclusion foundation courses plus student selects 5 others from NTEN course menu. NTEN also offers 2 other professional certificates: Nonprofit Technology, AI for Nonprofits | Certificates $500 for NTEN Members $1000 for non-members Courses are accredited for Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) and Certified Fundraising Executive (CAE) credits |
| NTEN Digital Inclusion Courses | Virtual, with recorded classes, and self-paced projects and homework | NTEN (Nonprofit Technology Network) | Individual digital inclusion-specific courses are offered, as well as various non-profit courses. These include Foundations of Digital Inclusion and Inclusive Data Literacy in a Diverse Organization. See learning courses for current offerings. | Courses $60 NTEN members$120 non-members Courses count toward CFRE and CRE credits, as well as NTEN certificates (see above) |
| NTEN Digital Inclusion Fellowship | Virtual meetings with one multi-day in-person orientation training in the fall | NTEN (Nonprofit Technology Network) | Digital Inclusion Fellowship supports professionals working at organizations with connections to communities most impacted by digital divides that would benefit from digital literacy programs. Fellows are supported by NTEN as they design and implement a digital inclusion program. These programs are tailored to the fellow’s needs and contexts. | Selected by application. Fellowship awards community grants for projects of $1k-5,000 Organizations or other partners can also sponsor fellowships. Opportunity to earn the Digital Equity Professional Certificate. |
| Digital Inclusion Training | 5 video-based modules, self-paced online (65 hrs). | The Marconi Society in partnership with Arizona State University | Digital Inclusion Impact, Policy, Community, and Technology | $995 |
| Digital Inclusion Leadership Certificate ASU Overview | 12 week courseLive, synchronous online program. 3 cohorts per year. Can also enroll for single modules. | Arizona State University in partnership with The Marconi Society | Designed to prepare participants for effective planning, implementation, and evaluation of broadband and digital inclusion programs. Introduction to Digital Inclusion Network Technology Basics Evaluating Digital Inclusion Community Resources Digital Inclusion Policy Foundations Broadband Impacts and Applications Curriculum summary | $3000 (discounts listed: $2000 for non-profits, $2500 government rate) College Credit Certificate Or $750 for single modules |
| DigitalLIFT Trainings | Self-Paced Online Trainings, each topic is a separate training | Community Tech Network | Trainer Trainings Digital Navigator Overview Teaching Digital Skills Teaching Digital Skills: Advanced Teaching Internet Safety & Responsibility Digital Navigators: Advanced Manager Training Managing Digital Navigators Assessing Community Needs Strategy and Program Design Program Planning Program Execution Volunteer Management Specialized Training Digital Equity and the Aging Health Equity in a Digital World Librarians: The Original Digital Navigators Teaching Digital Citizenship | $100-300 Per Training Free Digital Navigator Overview $100 Adult Learning Principles for Digital Inclusion Advanced Instructional Methods for Digital Inclusion $200 Assessing Community Needs Strategy and Program Design Program Planning Program Execution Volunteer Management $300 Teaching Digital Skills: Advanced Teaching Internet Safety & Responsibility Digital Navigators: Advanced Managing Digital Navigators Digital Equity and the Aging Health Equity in a Digital World Librarians: The Original Digital Navigators Teaching Digital Citizenship |
| Goodwill® Digital Navigator Certificate Specialization | Self-paced, asynchronous online course on Coursera. Estimated 24 hours of work. | Goodwill Industries International and World Education | This training is comprised of three courses which will help someone: Understand the digital divide; Provide digital skills and guide others towards digital resilience; Achieve the customer service and relevant navigation skills; and Capture community assets and weave them into intentional programming. | Paid participation ($49/month subscription) enables a participant to earn a certificate at the end of each of the three courses and, upon completing all requirements*, obtain the Goodwill® Digital Navigator Certificate. Access to all three courses is available at no cost for those who enroll as auditors**. *Paid participation unlocks all quizzes and the capstone exercise, culminating in developing an asset map and plan for implementing digital navigation services. **Auditing does not enable participants to complete the project capstone, knowledge checks, or earn the Goodwill Digital Navigator Certificate Specialization. |
Are you building a digital inclusion professional development program or offering your training to others? Let us know if you have a training resource to add! As our field grows and develops, more professional development options are being created and offered, and we want to share them with you. We hope you join NDIA at Net Inclusion 2025 in Gila River (near Phoenix, AZ) to attend digital inclusion sessions and workshops!
This blog was written by David Keyes, Advisor, NDIA, and is part of a four-part series, Digital Inclusion Bytes: Insights and Resources, covering digital inclusion resources. Look for more in the future! Our thanks to Partners Bridging the Digital Divide and the Lucy and Jack Rosenberg Fund for their support in helping to launch this blog series.