Italian Ministry of Education
An agreement was between the Italian Ministry of Education and AICA has been in place for over a decade making ECDL the official standard for evaluating computer skills in the Italian educational system. This agreement, which at the time represented a turning point for the diffusion of ECDL in Italy, is renewed every three years with the aim of improving its implementation and activities, and ensuring successful execution of the agreement and continuous monitoring of the results.
View the full Case Study on the Italian Education Ministry here.
President of Ireland Mary McAleese Celebrates 500,000 ECDL Students in Ireland and Warns of the Risk of Exclusion for Those Without ICT Skills
President of Ireland, Mary McAleese, joined 300 delegates, including IT training professionals, teachers, and training consultants on Friday, 25 March, at the Convention Centre, Dublin, for the 14th National IT Training Conference, hosted by ICS Skills (the Irish ECDL national operator). The conference also marked the milestone of 500,000 ECDL candidates in Ireland.
ECDL Foundation CEO, Mr. Damien O’Sullivan, and ICS Skills CEO, Mr. Jim Friars then presented the President with the 500,000th ECDL Skills Card to mark the occasion. President McAleese addressed delegates and spoke about the importance of computer skills in modern Ireland. The President also spoke about how acquiring these skills opened up new possibilities to individuals and how those without ICT skills will be prevented from accessing these opportunities.
The ECDL programme has been available in Ireland since 1997, during which time ICS Skills has accredited more than 1,200 schools and test centres across the country. To date, more than 17 per cent of the Irish working population has undertaken an ICS Skills certification, and on average, 160 people per day enrol on an ECDL course in Ireland.
ICDL to Raise Staff Digital Literacy Levels in a New Zealand Government Department
Research commissioned by New Zealand Computer Society Inc. (NZCS) in 2009 concluded that not addressing ICT competence within the country is costing New Zealand businesses, workers and the economy at least $1.7 billion per year. NZCS responded by creating the KiwiSkills programme, making available and improving the accessibility of training and other programmes such as ICDL to help improve digital literacy levels across New Zealand. These measures are being implemented by working in collaboration with Government, education bodies, NGOs, and commercial organisations.
