Computer Packages in Nairobi: BCS or ACS, Which One Should You Pay For?

Two courses, two prices, and a lot of people unsure which one fits them. That’s the honest picture of computer packages at Excel Global College. We run a 4-week Basic Computer Skills (BCS) course and an 8-week Advanced Computer Skills (ACS) course from our campus on Second Parklands Avenue. The question we hear most at the front desk is “which one do I need?”

This guide gives you a straight answer, the fees, and a five-minute self-test so you don’t pay for lessons you’ve already outgrown.

BCS vs ACS at a glance

Fees and durations from our computer packages page, checked October 2026.

Look at the table again. ACS already includes everything in BCS, so you don’t have to finish BCS first. If the basics are comfortable, enrol in ACS directly.

Who BCS is really for

BCS is for the person who has quietly avoided computers. Maybe you’ve used a smartphone for years but never a mouse and keyboard. Maybe you started a new job and you’re not sure how to save a file somewhere you can find it again. That’s fine. Nobody is born knowing this.

In four weeks you cover Windows (how the machine works and how files are organised), Microsoft Word for letters and documents, basic IT terms so you can follow what a technician is telling you, and the internet: email, browsing, search and social media.

It is narrow on purpose. You won’t touch spreadsheets yet. You get steady on the ground floor first.

Who ACS is for

ACS is the course most office workers end up needing. It covers the four BCS areas, then adds Microsoft Excel for calculations, Access for databases, PowerPoint for presentations and Publisher for flyers and simple print layouts.

Eight weeks sounds long until you open Excel. Payroll sheets, stock lists, budgets, school marks: a lot of everyday office work in Kenya runs through spreadsheets. ACS is where you stop being nervous around them.

A five-minute self-test before you pay

Answer these honestly:

1. Can you create a folder, save a document into it, and find it again tomorrow?
2. Can you attach a file to an email and send it?
3. Can you change fonts, add a table and print a Word document?
4. Have you ever written a formula in Excel, even =SUM?
5. Could you build a five-slide presentation without help?

No to questions 1 to 3? Start with BCS. Yes to 1 to 3 but no to 4 and 5? Go straight to ACS and save yourself four weeks. Yes to all five? You probably need neither. Look at ICDL certification or Microsoft Office Specialist, which test and certify what you already know.

Class times that fit around a job or school

Both courses run in four daily slots:

• 7:00 to 9:00 am
• 9:00 am to 12:00 pm
• 2:00 to 5:00 pm
• 5:30 to 8:00 pm

There are weekend classes too, and you can choose classroom training in our Parklands lab or online classes. Pay by M-Pesa, bank transfer or cash. Instalment plans are available, so ask admissions how the split works for your course.

A word about very cheap computer packages

You will see computer packages in Nairobi advertised for a fraction of these fees. Some are fine. Before paying anywhere, including here, ask what is on the syllabus, how many hours you’ll actually spend at a machine, and what certificate you leave with.

A course that rushes through Word, Excel, Access and PowerPoint in a week or two isn’t giving you time to practise. And practice is the whole job. Our assessment is continuous, graded on ongoing projects rather than one final paper, so you are using the software from the first week.

Where computer packages can take you next

Packages give you working skills. If you want a certificate an employer can check internationally, these are the usual next steps from our ICT department:

• ICDL Base (6 weeks, KSh 22,500). We are an authorised ICDL test centre, so you train and sit the exams in one place.
• Microsoft Office Specialist, where you sit official Microsoft exams through Certiport.
• Accounting software like QuickBooks or Tally if you’re heading into finance.

Not sure which certificate is worth it? Read Computer Packages vs ICDL vs MOS, or our older post on ICDL fees, levels and what gets you hired.

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