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Keyboard Skills for Data Entry and Typing Training

Name: Keyboard Skills Data Entry Training
Price: 16900.0 ZAR
Availability: InStock

SAQA US 261258 | NQF 4 | Credits 8 | Duration 5 Days

From $913 per delegate

Description

This course equips learners with the fundamental keyboarding skills necessary for efficient data entry and typing tasks in a business environment. Participants will develop speed, accuracy, and ergonomic practices to enhance productivity and reduce the risk of repetitive strain injuries.

Learning Outcomes

Demonstrate correct posture, hand placement, and ergonomic techniques to prevent injury during prolonged keyboard use.
Apply touch-typing methods to achieve a minimum typing speed of 25 words per minute with 90% accuracy.
Identify and use all keys on a standard QWERTY keyboard, including function keys, numeric keypad, and special characters.
Implement efficient data entry strategies such as using keyboard shortcuts and avoiding mouse dependency.
Analyze and correct common typing errors to improve overall accuracy and speed.
Evaluate personal typing performance and set goals for continuous improvement.

Target Audience

This course is designed for administrative staff, data capturers, call centre agents, and any individuals who regularly use a keyboard as part of their daily work and wish to improve their typing efficiency.

Prerequisites

None — open enrollment. Basic familiarity with a computer and keyboard is helpful but not required.

Course Outline

Day 1: Introduction to Keyboard Skills and Ergonomics

Objectives:
• Understand the importance of keyboard skills in data entry and typing.
• Identify correct posture and ergonomic setup to prevent injury.
• Learn the layout of a standard QWERTY keyboard.
• Develop basic finger placement and home row technique.
• Practice simple keystrokes without looking at the keyboard.

Topics:
• Overview of data entry and typing standards in SAQA context.
• Ergonomics: chair height, monitor position, wrist rests.
• Keyboard layout: alphabetic keys, numeric keypad, function keys.
• Home row keys and proper finger placement.
• Touch typing fundamentals: avoiding pecking.
• Introduction to typing software and online tools.
• Warm-up exercises for finger dexterity.
• Common mistakes and how to avoid them.

Day 2: Building Speed and Accuracy

Objectives:
• Increase typing speed while maintaining accuracy.
• Practice common letter combinations and high-frequency words.
• Use typing drills and timed exercises to measure progress.
• Develop muscle memory for key sequences.
• Identify and correct common typing errors.

Topics:
• Speed-building exercises: drills on letter pairs.
• Accuracy techniques: focusing on rhythm over speed.
• Timed typing tests: 1-minute and 3-minute sessions.
• Common word patterns in business correspondence.
• Using online typing tutors for feedback.
• Error analysis: tracking and reducing mistakes.
• Introduction to numeric keypad speed drills.
• Practice with capital letters and punctuation.

Day 3: Numeric Data Entry and Keypad Proficiency

Objectives:
• Master the numeric keypad for efficient number entry.
• Increase speed and accuracy in numeric data input.
• Learn to enter decimal numbers and percentages quickly.
• Practice data entry from source documents.
• Apply touch typing techniques to the numeric keypad.

Topics:
• Numeric keypad layout: home row (4,5,6) and finger assignment.
• Drills for single-digit and multi-digit numbers.
• Entering decimals, percentages, and currency symbols.
• Data entry from printed forms and spreadsheets.
• Timed numeric entry tests.
• Common numeric entry errors and corrections.
• Combining alphabetic and numeric entry.
• Use of spreadsheet software for data input.

Day 4: Advanced Typing Techniques and Document Formatting

Objectives:
• Type complex documents with formatting requirements.
• Use keyboard shortcuts for efficiency.
• Apply proper spacing, indentation, and alignment.
• Proofread and edit typed text for errors.
• Manage typing speed and accuracy under time constraints.

Topics:
• Keyboard shortcuts: copy, paste, save, undo, etc.
• Formatting documents: bold, italic, underline, bullet points.
• Typing tables and lists.
• Proofreading techniques: spell check and manual review.
• Handling special characters and symbols.
• Typing from audio dictation (if applicable).
• Speed-building with longer passages.
• Simulated data entry tasks with deadlines.

Day 5: Integration, Assessment, and Workplace Application

Objectives:
• Integrate all skills in realistic data entry scenarios.
• Complete a final timed typing assessment.
• Apply keyboard skills to common workplace tasks.
• Develop a personal improvement plan.
• Understand career pathways and certification options.

Topics:
• Mock data entry projects: invoices, forms, reports.
• Final timed typing test (both alphabetic and numeric).
• Review of common workplace documents.
• Self-assessment and goal setting.
• Overview of SAQA unit standard 261258 requirements.
• Certification and further training opportunities.
• Q&A and troubleshooting common issues.
• Course wrap-up and feedback.

Practicals

16 hours of practicals To be conducted online or on-campus or in-house

Overview

Practical sessions are integral to developing muscle memory and speed. Learners engage in supervised typing drills, timed exercises, and realistic data entry tasks to apply techniques learned each day. These hands-on activities ensure proficiency in both alphabetic and numeric keyboard skills.

Practical Activities

Ergonomic Setup and Home Row Drills — Learners set up their workstation ergonomically and practice home row keys with guided drills, focusing on proper finger placement without looking at the keyboard. (2h)
Speed Building and Accuracy Drills — Learners perform timed typing drills on letter combinations and common words, using software to track speed and accuracy. They analyze errors and repeat targeted exercises. (4h)
Numeric Keypad and Data Entry Practice — Learners practice numeric keypad entry with drills on numbers, decimals, and percentages. They then enter data from source documents into spreadsheets under time constraints. (4h)
Document Formatting and Keyboard Shortcuts — Learners type and format documents using keyboard shortcuts, including bold, italic, tables, and lists. They proofread and correct errors in typed texts. (3h)
Final Integration Project and Assessment — Learners complete a comprehensive data entry project combining alphabetic and numeric input, followed by a final timed typing assessment to measure overall proficiency. (3h)

Summatives

Each delegate is assessed continuously throughout the course via daily exercises, scored practical assignments, and a final summative test at the end.

Practical Assignments — 30%

Practical assignments are observed and scored against a rubric during the practical sessions. Each delegate's practical mark is averaged into a single 100% score and contributes 30% to the final total.

Daily Exercises — 20%

Every training day ends with a multiple-choice exercise scored out of 100%. The scores from each daily exercise are averaged across the duration of the course to produce a Daily Average mark, which contributes 20% to the final total.

Final Test — 50%

On the last day a final summative test is written. It is a multiple-choice paper with multiple-answer questions: each question may have more than one correct option, and a single wrong selection on a question marks the entire question wrong — no partial credit. The final test is scored out of 100% and contributes 50% to the overall mark.

Final Total

Component	Out of	Weight
Practical Assignments (rubric-scored)	100%	30%
Daily Average (multiple choice)	100%	20%
Final Test (multi-answer multiple choice)	100%	50%
Final Total	—	100%

All marks are recorded on the AATICD LMS and visible to each learner under their account.

Certificate

Certificate of Completion

Awarded to delegates who achieve an overall mark of 50% or higher on the Final Total (Practicals 30% + Daily Average 20% + Final Test 50%).

How it works

Certificates are auto-generated on the AATICD LMS as soon as the marks pass the 50% threshold.
Each certificate is a branded PDF with the delegate's name, the course title, the unit standard ID, NQF level, credits, and the date of issue.
You can download or print your certificate from your LMS dashboard at any time after issue — there's no reissue fee and no expiry date.
If you scored under 50% you can sit the final test again at the next scheduled session at no extra cost.

Where to find it

Sign in to the LMS, open your dashboard, and your certificates appear under My Certificates. Each entry has a View / Download button and a print option.

Training Discounts

Group discounts apply automatically — the more delegates you enrol, the greater the saving. Discounts are calculated at 3% per 5 delegates, scaling up to 40% off for 100+ delegates.