With over 30 years of experience in delivering skills-based learning, the education charity and awarding organisation, ASDAN, has continuously evolved to meet the changing needs of educators and learners. Its latest development, Equitas, is a new digital learning platform that brings ASDAN’s trusted skills curriculum into a single, accessible space. Designed with educators, built around learner agency, and rooted in the organisation’s mission to recognise the strengths of every learner, Equitas marks the next step forward in ASDAN’s digital evolution.
Digital learning designed with and for educators
Equitas brings ASDAN’s plan, do, review pedagogy into a streamlined digital workflow. Learners can explore tasks, upload evidence such as documents, photos or links, and track how each challenge builds core skills. Educators have access to a clear overview of progress, quality assurance tools and downloadable options for blended or offline delivery.
For Michael Shaw, lead of the Equitas product experience team, the development focus was clear: “Equitas was built on principles of simplicity and flexibility, designed to meet the diverse needs of learners and educators alike.”
This simplicity hides significant sophistication. Every challenge is mapped to ASDAN’s six core skills:
- learning
- communicating
- decision making
- thinking
- team working
- self-awareness
Learners can see how their work builds these competencies, while teachers can evidence progress through visual diagrams and digital portfolios. Submissions may include photographs, documents, audio clips, external links and project work, allowing learners to choose formats that best reflect their strengths.
The platform provides built-in guidance for teachers and explicit frameworks for learners. Completed work appears in visual progression diagrams, giving students immediate insight into their development and helping schools evidence impact.
ASDAN CEO Melissa Farnham describes this shift as deeply learner-centred: “Learner agency is built when learners can see the value of their own contributions… When they can reflect on their growth and communicate their value to the world.”
Equitas also includes accessibility tools such as adjustable fonts and options to hide images, supporting learners who benefit from reduced visual load or text customisation. For those who prefer offline learning, PDFs and PowerPoints can be downloaded and later uploaded as evidence, ensuring that digital advancement doesn’t create new barriers.
Updated, relevant Short Courses for today’s learners
Equitas launches with eleven Short Courses refreshed and refined for digital delivery. These reflect real interests, practical learning and holistic development, offering a broad and engaging programme selection:
- Animal Care
- Beliefs and Values
- Careers and Experiencing Work
- Citizenship
- Environmental
- Expressive Arts
- Football
- Gardening
- History
- PSHE
- Sports and Fitness
These programmes support schools, colleges, alternative provisions and other settings in offering modular, personalised learning that encourages independence and helps students demonstrate strength in diverse ways. Content reflects contemporary priorities – from sustainability to wellbeing, from employability to cultural literacy.
The Environmental Short Course has been reworked with support from climate educator Liz Newbon, helping learners connect global challenges to local action and leadership.
ASDAN’s qualifications portfolio will be added to the platform throughout 2026, as will additional courses including a ground-breaking Esports Short Course created with industry expert James Fraser-Murison, reflecting growing opportunities in digital and competitive gaming careers.
Giving skills real-world visibility: ASDAN and globalbridge
Crucially, ASDAN has taken an additional step to ensure that the skills developed through Equitas don’t stay locked within school systems. A new partnership with globalbridge enables young people to share verified achievements with employers, universities and training providers through secure digital profiles.
This makes ASDAN’s skills visible and portable, helping learners articulate what they can do – not just what they’ve been assessed on. Melissa Farnham describes the collaboration as “a direct pathway between learning and opportunity,” ensuring that personal development carries weight beyond the classroom.
Supporting teachers to do what they do best
In a landscape where accountability, resourcing and inclusion pressures continue to rise, Equitas offers practical support:
- reduced planning and assessment time through integrated tracking and quality assurance
- immediate visibility of progress for both individuals and groups
- flexible delivery with online and offline options
- clear skill pathways that support careers guidance, transition and employability
- evidence that travels with learners, enhanced by the globalbridge partnership
Most importantly, the platform aligns with the growing consensus that skills must be visible, valued and shared if they are to support real, long-term outcomes.
A platform built for the future
Over the course of 2026, further ASDAN courses will move onto Equitas, making it a comprehensive digital home for skills-first learning. For schools, colleges and other providers seeking a flexible, meaningful and future-focused digital solution, Equitas represents ambitious innovation backed by decades of expertise.
Find out how Equitas could work in your setting
Visit the ASDAN website and complete a short expression of interest form to speak with the ASDAN team about membership options.
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