Equitas: ASDAN’s digital learning platform

ASDAN Short Courses are the first courses available through Equitas. These flexible, portfolio-based programmes enable learners to gain recognition for between 10 and 60 hours of activity and skills development.

Short Courses are widely used with learners aged 13 and over. They are designed for learners working at Entry level 3 to Level 1 but can be adapted for learners working above or below these levels.

The following ASDAN Short Courses are currently available on Equitas:

• Animal Care
• Beliefs and Values
• Careers and Experiencing Work
• Citizenship
• Environmental
• English
• Esports
• Expressive Arts
• Foodwise
• Football
• Gardening
• History
• Leadership
• PSHE
• Sports and Fitness
• Volunteering

Find out more about delivering ASDAN Short Courses on Equitas in this information leaflet

Further ASDAN courses and qualifications will be introduced on Equitas. We will update this page and contact ASDAN members as new content becomes available.

Equitas supports online, offline and blended learning, enabling educators to choose an approach that reflects their setting and learners.

For Short Courses available on Equitas, educators can select and assign challenges to create a personalised programme that reflects learners’ abilities, needs and interests. Learners can view their assigned challenges, upload evidence and track their skills development online.

Challenges can also be downloaded as PDFs for use away from the platform, with completed work uploaded later as evidence. Evidence can include digital files, links and scanned copies of paper-based work, giving learners different ways to participate and demonstrate their achievements.

Equitas brings learning activities, learner evidence and progress tracking together in one place.

Educators can select and assign activities that reflect learners’ needs and interests, organise different forms of evidence and monitor completed and outstanding work. For Short Courses, the interactive record of progress updates as learners complete their challenges, giving educators and learners a clear view of what has been achieved and what comes next.

This can help reduce the administration involved in maintaining portfolios of evidence while making learners’ progress and skills development more visible.

Skills development is at the heart of Equitas. ASDAN Short Courses available on the platform embed six core ASDAN skills:

• learning
• communicating
• decision making
• thinking
• team working
• self-awareness

Through ASDAN’s plan, do and review approach, learners apply these skills to real-life challenges and reflect on their development. This builds confidence and independence and supports the transferable skills learners need for future learning, work and adult life.

Several Short Courses are mapped to recognised education frameworks and statutory guidance in England:

• Careers and Experiencing Work is mapped to the Gatsby Benchmarks
• Citizenship aligns with the national curriculum citizenship programmes of study for key stages 3 and 4 and fundamental British values
• PSHE is mapped to the statutory Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education guidance for introduction from September 2026
• Beliefs and Values supports statutory spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) requirements.

Equitas gives educators flexibility over how activities are delivered and how learners record their evidence. This can help centres adapt learning around individual needs, interests and circumstances, including for learners with SEND and those facing barriers to learning.

ASDAN courses can complement a broad and balanced curriculum while supporting enrichment, personal development and preparation for adulthood. They give educators practical ways to connect learning with learners’ interests, aspirations and real-world experiences.

ASDAN Short Courses are currently available on Equitas. These flexible, portfolio-based programmes are widely used with learners aged 13 and over and can accredit between 10 and 60 hours of activity and skills development.

Further ASDAN courses and qualifications will be added as Equitas continues to develop. We will update this page and contact ASDAN members as new content becomes available.

Registration fees are based on the number of learners registered for the same Equitas Short Course in one transaction:

• 1–9 learners: £12 per learner
• 10–19 learners: £8 per learner
• 20–29 learners: £6 per learner
• 30 or more learners: £4 per learner

These fees apply to the Short Courses currently available on Equitas. Pricing for future ASDAN courses and qualifications will be confirmed when they are introduced.

Yes. Organisations must be ASDAN members to register learners and deliver ASDAN courses through Equitas. Equitas is available to ASDAN centres across a wide range of formal and non-formal education settings.

If your organisation is not currently a member, our curriculum team can help you explore ASDAN membership and identify the courses or qualifications that best meet the needs of your learners. Speak with an ASDAN expert