When it comes to essential skills for young people, colleges and universities seem to be our last bastion of hope. Many assume that individuals arriving at College and University are well endowed with Essential Skills. Wrong! General computer skills in particular are not what they ought to be for Canada’s high school graduates. If you are surprised just ask any instructor of an Introduction to Computing course required of all students entering most college or university programs. Most of us would argue that computer use skills, one of the essential skills recognized by the Canadian Federal Government, should be acquired within the K-12 system. This is not a new lament. I remember university professors moaning about the poor quality of reading and writing skills of freshmen thirty years ago. Many parents, employers and leaders in higher education would ask: “What happened to teaching the basics of reading and writing in high school?”
Adopting Standards Benefits Essential Skills
Essential skills are not a “yes I have them” or “no I don’t” proposition. There are degrees of skill proficiency. Literacy is not yes, no or even ‘functional’ anymore. OECD has defined 5 levels that could be measured in the population. Take writing – the best authors presumably are forever trying to improve their writing skills. Yet here we are talking about what one really needs to know and to be able to do to make their way in the world. When leaving high school, this should mean having the power tools for learning at college, university and for life long learning. It may also mean having the skills to be viably employed at the beginning of satisfying and growing career. Employers increasingly realize continuous improvement is essential for every employee to maintain their viability in face of global competition – lean manufacturing demands it. But how does everyone know what skill levels are needed and what people have without a standard?
ICDL – world’s recognized standard for computer use skills
The institution’s reputation can be impacted if its graduates don’t have well developed and practiced essential skills
1) The ICDL Standard has made progress because there are certain basic skills that are essential in the workplace (employers want graduates that actually have computer skills) and as tools for learning in the context of higher education itself.
2) In higher education the Informatics Curriculum Framework published through UNESCO endorsed ECDL/ICDL as a base for ICT in higher education.