LSE offers a range of resources you can utilise throughout your degree. One of these resources is the LSE Digital Skills Lab. This is an excellent supporting unit, which helps developing and enhancing your digital skills. The service is free of charge and you can sign up to as many workshops as you want throughout the year. I used the service to learn a wide range of digital skills that have been invaluable to me both academically and professionally.
One of the courses I have attended is the Excel Fundamentals Workshops series. Although I had some basic knowledge of the software, the course helped me understand and use the more advanced features. As part of the dissertation of my MSc in International Development and Humanitarian Emergencies, I will have to organise and analyse large datasets, and this course has prepared me to effectively do that, allowing me to analyse data in a more sophisticated way and draw more accurate conclusions. Considering I was a beginner, the course was perfect for me to build a foundation and become more confident with Excel. However, the LSE Digital Skills Lab provides a range of courses to cater to students with varying levels of skills. Have a look at the website to see the full range of what is being taught in each workshop, to see which one would be the best fit for you. The courses are taught by experienced instructors who provide practical examples and exercises to help you develop your skills.
Regardless of whether you need to use Excel for any of your academic work, I do recommend attending some of the workshops, as it’s an important skill to have on your CV.
Another set of courses that I found incredibly beneficial were the Stata Fundamentals workshop series. Stata is a powerful statistical software used by researchers and analysts worldwide. The course taught me how to use the software to manage and analyse data, including regression analysis and hypothesis testing. I needed to use Stata for one of my courses, so the skills lab was incredibly useful in helping me keep up with the classes. In the skills lab, the instructors are able to help you one-on-one which is not always the case in class. The personal attention from the instructors is incredibly helpful when it comes to Stata, because a tiny error can have you sit in frustration for hours whilst all you had to do was delete a comma!
The skills lab also offers courses on other statistical softwares such as R and Python. In an increasingly digitalised world, digital skills are more in demand than ever so having as much knowledge as possible about these types of softwares can give you a significant advantage in the job market.
After you finish a workshop, the lab also provides a range of online resources for you to access at any time. These include video tutorials, practice exercises, and online forums where you can ask questions and get help from other peers. The workshops generally last one to two hours and you can sign up using the Training and Development System. Courses are offered throughout the year, but there are a limited number of spots each time so do make sure to keep an eye out. I recommend starting looking at these courses early so that you have time to complete as many workshops as possible.
Overall, the digital skills I learned at LSE have been incredibly valuable to me both academically and professionally. The courses offered by the LSE Digital Skills Lab have allowed me to develop my skills and address my skill gaps. The skills I learned have also given me a competitive advantage in the job market and have opened up new opportunities for me.
If you are a student at LSE, I would highly recommend taking advantage of the resources provided by the Digital Skills Lab. Whether you are looking to develop your skills in Microsoft Office, programming, or data analysis, there is something for everyone.
