ECDL-Foundation
The European Computer Driving Licence Foundation Ltd. (ECDL-F) is
the global governing body and licensing authority of the ECDL, the
world's leading end-user computer skills certification programme.
As such the ECDL-F has a strong role in quality assurance, setting
standards and guidelines and auditing its external service providers on
a regular basis.
ECDL-F is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to helping to raise
the general level of computer skills in society and providing access
for all to the Information Society.
From its original formation by the European computer societies, the
ECDL-F has broadened and strengthened its computer society links and
now numbers over 40 computer societies worldwide as ECDL/ICDL Licensees.
The ECDL-F was conceived with the express purpose of raising IT skills
in industry. Its strong social ethos further requires the Foundation to
dedicate itself to providing access for all to the Information Society
and raising the general level of computer skills in society.
With over 5.5 million participants, the European Computer Driving
Licence (ECDL) is the world's largest vendor-neutral end-user computer
skills certification and is internationally recognised as the global
benchmark in this area.
ECDL is currently available in 140 countries and has been translated
into 36 languages, making it the world's leading certification
programme.
* To promote computer literacy
* To raise IT knowledge levels
* To facilitate access to the Information Society
* To facilitate job mobility
* To facilitate re-training
* To improve productivity
* To enhance return on IT investments
The history of ECDL
In 1995 the European Commission set up an Initiative to raise the level of IT skills in industry.
As part of this initiative it funded a Council of European Professional Informatics Societies (CEPIS) task force to examine how to raise IT skill levels in industry throughout Europe.
The task force identified the Finnish Computer Driving Licence (which had been introduced in Finland the previous year) as a potentially suitable vehicle and carried out Pilot Tests during 1995 and early 1996.
Following this, a new test was launched as the European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL) in August 1996 in Sweden.
In 1997 the European Computer Driving Licence Foundation Ltd (ECDL-F) was established in Dublin with a small grant from the Irish government and the ECDL was subsequently rolled out across Europe and internationally.
In the short time since its launch the ECDL has become the global benchmark for end-user computer certification.