Certification in and of itself is not the answer. But certification is a very effective idea where it is properly applied. That is so because it calls forth a host of activities that make it feasible to get what is needed into the workplace.

What does it take?

For the workplace it requires a definition of which computer use skills are really required. That has to do with generic skills that can be applied within a host of contexts using everything from the personal desktop productivity tools, the interfaces to automated processes or to corporate systems. Many of the basic skills are reflected in the common desktop software. But competent workers also need to know some of the concepts and terminology around the technology, its capability, application, and security.

Once there is a standard definition of which computer use skills are relevant to the workplace there needs to be a means for keeping this definition current as the technology and its applications march forward. That in turn affects the training materials and testing efforts that have to evolve at the same rate.

Employers need to be able to recognize those that possess these skills, a further requirement for the certification standard.  Skilled individuals and potential employers need to know how to find each other. In turn, when employers use the certification in their recruiting they call forth a greater supply of those who have achieved the standard.

A few years ago in it s earlier years 30 employers gathered to consider their use of the ECDL/ICDL Certification and how important to might be to continue. They agreed that using and promoting the standard within their organizations achieved