Introduction to Excel

This beginner Excel course is for anyone who has never used Excel before (or any other spreadsheet package) or those who have some experience editing data but are not confident creating calculations and charts.

Introduction to Excel is now CPD certified.

Course overview

Excel doesn’t have to be intimidating. This practical, hands-on course introduces you to the key tools you need to get started with confidence.

By the end of the day, you’ll be able to open, edit and create spreadsheets from scratch. You’ll use simple formulas, format data, and understand how to organise your work clearly and professionally.

We take things step by step—with plenty of time for practice, questions and support.

 

Why take this course?

  • Build confidence using Excel in a supportive, beginner-friendly setting
  • Learn how to work with spreadsheets, data and basic formulas
  • Discover shortcuts and tips to save time
  • Avoid common mistakes and frustrations
  • Gain practical skills you can use straight away

Who is this course for

This course is ideal if:

  • You’re new to Excel and want to learn the basics
  • You’ve used Excel a little but feel unsure or frustrated
  • You want to feel more confident working with spreadsheets

Duration

1 day

Classroom size

8 approx.

Location

Online|Classroom

Certificate

CPD Certified Certification

Experience

Beginner

What you will learn

  • Create, save, close, open and print spreadsheets
  • Insert and delete rows or columns in your spreadsheet
  • Get Excel to add up numbers automatically
  • Copy formulas in your spreadsheet
  • Sort large databases into order and filter to show only the data you need
  • Alter the look of the numbers and text, insert notes (aka comments), lay out text with merged cells and wrapped text, use cell styles, change the layout for printing.
  • Visually represent numbers and text (as a chart) in your spreadsheet, to make them stand out and easy to understand.

How much does it cost?

Option 1

Standard

Standard course rate

£315

per person (+VAT)

Option 2

Public Sector

Discounted rate for public sector organisations, eg. councils

£265

per person (+VAT)

Option 3

Charity

Charities with 31+ staff

£210

per person (+VAT)

Group Training

If you have three or more learners, We can tailor the content to your team, and host the training remotely, at your workplace or here at Happy’s HQ in Aldgate, Central London.

Course timetable

This course will be taught in the latest version of the software. We can train this in older versions if needed – please get in touch for more information and availability.

Getting Started and Formulas

  • Good Spreadsheet Design (Navigating your way around the Excel Screen)
  • Mouse Shapes and Selection techniques
  • Creating a spreadsheet (entering text, numbers and dates)
  • Mathematical Operators (+,-,*,/)
  • Using the Sum feature
  • Copying Formulae with Autofill
  • Other Basic Functions e.g., Average, Min, Max
  • Formatting a Spreadsheet (e.g. number formatting, wrap text, merge cells, alignment, colour, inserting and deleting rows and columns)
  • Inserting Notes (aka Comments)
  • Saving, Closing and Opening a workbook

Working with Long Lists of Data (Databases)

  • Arranging Data Best Practices
  • Freeze Panes
  • Find and Replace
  • Flash Fill
  • Print Preview Page Setup Options e.g., Orientation, Headers and Footers
  • Converting to PDF
  • Sorting
  • Filtering

Data Visualisation

  • Conditional Formatting
  • Quick Analysis (PC Only)
  • Identifying some different Chart Types
  • Creating a Chart in Excel
  • Working with different Chart Layouts and Styles
  • Sparklines

Book now

Date Availability Number of places
19 Jun 2025 10:00 AM - 4:45 PM 3 spaces left
17 Jul 2025Fully Booked
25 Sep 2025 10:00 AM - 4:45 PM 8 spaces left
Date Availability Number of places
29 Jul 2025 9:30 AM - 3:30 PM 7 spaces left
02 Sep 2025 9:30 AM - 3:30 PM 8 spaces left
23 Sep 2025 9:30 AM - 3:30 PM 8 spaces left

Please note that your booking is not secured until you checkout. All prices listed in the shopping cart are excluding VAT.

If you are booking at a discounted rate (for example, if you are from a charity), you will see this on the final stage of the shopping cart after you have set up your account or logged in. Discount codes can also be added on this final page.

Testimonials from Happy learners

Looking for private group training

If you have three or more learners, a private group training could be cheaper.

We can tailor the content to your team, and host the training remotely, at your workplace or here at Happy’s HQ in Aldgate, Central London.

The Happy guarantee

We want everyone to go away from our courses feeling as though they have learnt useful, practical skills that they can use straight away when they go back to work.

If you don’t feel that your training has been useful or if you are unhappy in any way, please get in touch with our Customer Services team within 30 days of the course.

We will be happy to offer you additional support and training free of charge to help you to gain the skills you need, or if you’d prefer, a full refund.

Why choose Happy?

Because Happiness Works

Joy leads to success, every time,

Expert-Led & Hands-On

Our award-winning training isn’t just theoretical. It’s packed with practical tools you can use straight away.

B Corp Certified & Proud

We don’t just talk about impact — we live it. As a B Corp, we’re committed to making workplaces better for everyone.

Classroom or live online learning available

Both available for public and private dates.

The small print

For Live Online Interactive Learning sessions (webinars)

The course will run remotely for a full day consisting of three 90-minute live online sessions with independent work in between. 

All learners will need to install Zoom on their machines. Full technical requirements are on the Zoom website. Your link will be included in your joining instructions once you have booked your place — if you haven’t received this email then please contact our team.

Learners should log into the session 10 minutes before the start time to ensure that they have downloaded and set up Zoom correctly. The course will start precisely on time and it may not be possible to go back over material missed by late arrivals. Unfortunately you will be asked to leave and attend a different day if you arrive more than 15 minutes late for online sessions, and more than 30 minutes late for classroom sessions.

Please ensure you read our Terms and Conditions before booking for our payment terms and cancellation policy.

For classroom sessions

All public classroom sessions take place at Happy’s HQ in London at Robert Dolan House, 9 Alie Street, London E1 8DE. Please see our Contact Us page for full directions and a PDF map.

The course will run from 10am to 4:45pm (lunch is served 1pm to 1:45pm — we offer a choice of 3 cold bowl dishes). Please be careful to arrive by 9:45am for registration and refreshments. The course will start precisely on time and it may not be possible to go back over material missed by late arrivals. If you arrive over 30 minutes late you may be asked to leave and attend another day.

Please ensure you read our Terms and Conditions before booking for our payment terms and cancellation policy.

FAQs

What if I have a Mac?

If you are a Mac user, please let us know when booking. If the course is held in the classroom at Happy, the training is held on PCs so we recommend that you bring your Macbook with you (we are not able to provide an additional monitor).

 

For online training, please let us know when booking and you can use your Mac as normal. 

We provide a PDF with shortcuts for Mac users and your trainer will refer to this throughout the training.

I work in the public sector or for a charity. How do I claim my discounted rate?

If you are eligible for a discounted rate you will see this on the final stage of the shopping cart after you have either logged in or set up your account (if you are a new user). Discount codes can also be added on this final page.

 

If you have any issues, get in touch with our friendly team for help.

I can’t attend my course. Can I rebook or cancel my place?

For our public dates, if you give us at least 14 days’ notice, you can rebook on another date or cancel your place at no extra cost. For less than 14 days, there is a charge – please see our Terms and Conditions for full details. If a colleague can take your place, no extra fee applies (even if it’s at the last minute).


For private group bookings, there is no charge if you give us at least 28 days’ notice. Cancellations after this time will incur 100% of the cost of the course. Please speak to your Account Manager or email speak to our friendly team.

What do I need to bring? Do I need my laptop?

For our digital skills courses, we provide one PC per learner, so you do not need your laptop.

 

For all courses, we provide all supporting materials, such as manuals, pens, sticky notes and refreshments, so you don’t need to bring anything with you.

 

Lunch is provided on full-day courses, but not on half-day courses.

Where are your classroom courses held?

We are based at Robert Dolan House, 9 Alie Street, London E1 8DE. We are just 5 minutes’ walk from Aldgate and Aldgate East.