Canva for Beginners: A One-Day Practical Workshop

This one-day programme gives small business owners a clear, practical introduction to Canva. It focuses on real-world use, helping you create professional marketing content for their business with no previous design experience needed.

This programme is ideal for:

• Small business owners and sole traders
• Early-stage and growing businesses
• Anyone responsible for marketing or content creation in their business
• Business owners who are new to Canva, or who have only limited experience using it

By the end of this programme, participants will be able to:

• Understand the benefits of Canva and the difference between Canva Free and Canva Pro
• Navigate Canva and use its core design tools with confidence
• Create and customise reusable templates for their business
• Design graphics for Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok
• Create simple video and animated content
• Design materials for both print and website use
• Apply their own logo, colours and fonts consistently across everything they make
• Resize and repurpose designs for different platforms and formats
• Download and export designs in the correct format
• Apply basic design principles to create more polished, professional content
• Use Canva's AI tools to help create and edit content

Course Content: One-Day Workshop

Introduction

• Course overview and objectives
• What Canva is and what it can do for a small business
• Canva Free vs Canva Pro, and which features are most useful for business
• Finding your way around the platform

Module 1: Branding and Templates

• Setting up your logo, colours and fonts
• Building reusable branded templates
• Keeping your content consistent across everything you create

Module 2: Social Media Content

• Creating and adapting graphics for Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok
• Sizing your content correctly for each platform

Module 3: Video and Animation

• Creating simple videos and animations
• Adding movement to make your content more engaging

Module 4: Print and Website Content

• Designing flyers, posters and other printed materials
• Creating graphics for your website

Module 5: Canva AI Tools

• Using Canva's AI features to create and edit content more quickly

Module 6: Exporting and Repurposing

• Resizing and repurposing designs for different channels
• Downloading and exporting in the correct format for print and web

Delivery Format

• In-person workshop
• Highly practical and interactive
• Live demonstrations and hands-on exercises throughout
• Delivered over one full day
• Participants must bring their own laptop

Trainer: Debbie Ringwood

Debbie Ringwood is an experienced marketing consultant, trainer and Canva Certified Community Trainer with over 25 years' experience in marketing and digital communications. She works with Local Enterprise Offices, Skillnet networks, corporate teams and SMEs across Ireland, delivering practical, results-focused training in Canva, social media, content marketing and digital tools.

Debbie specialises in helping businesses use Canva to create professional, consistent marketing content, and to build the skills and templates they need to manage that content in-house. Her training is hands-on and designed to make Canva straightforward for everyone, whatever their design experience.

She holds a Graduateship and Diploma in Marketing from the Marketing Institute of Ireland, is a Digital Marketing Institute graduate, and is Ireland's first Canva Certified Community Trainer.

Logistics:

• Date: Tuesday 20th October 2026
• Time: 9:30am - 4:30pm
• Venue: Enterprise House, O'Brien Road, Carlow, R93 Y0Y3
• Investment: €25 per participant. Places on this programme are limited, book your place now to secure your seat.
• Note: All participants are required to bring a laptop.

In respect of all programmes hosted by Carlow County Council's Local Enterprise Office, priority is given to County Carlow based participants.