National ICDL Certification Contest Winner

Barb Miller has become famous. Today her picture splashed across the front page of the Fredericton’s newspaper, The Daily Gleaner. She was ICDL Canada’s 2006 National Winner of the ICDL “A Brighter Future” contest.

Barb participated in the Province of New Brunswick’s ICDL initiative which included participants from four Provincial Government Departments. Barb is an administrator with Business New Brunswick. Her experience with the ICDL has had a profound impact on her life, an impact which extends beyond the acquisition of real work-place personal productivity skills. Barb is thrilled: “It [her plaque] is really beautiful!! I have been showing it off to everyone and believe it or not, I am on the FRONT PAGE of ‘The Daily Gleaner’ newspaper!! I knew I would be in the paper, but not on the FRONT PAGE!! I am being teased and congratulated here at the office.”

Barb pictured here with The Director of Information Technology at Business New Brunswick Maurice Lavigne receiving her award is flanked by Nancy Wood (right) manager of the ICDL Authorized Test Centre at Fredericton YMCA (where Barb completed her ICDL tests), and Maureen Fleming (left) who acted as a Facilitator within Business New Brunswick during the ICDL pilot implementation.

The National Research Council undertook an evaluation of the program in which Barb participated. In her report, Dr. Susan O’Donnell stated in the conclusion: “[T]he ICDL program was successful in improving the computer skills, knowledge and confidence of those who completed one or more ICDL tests, representing more than half the pilot participants. Most of these participants who benefited from the pilot would recommend the ICDL program to others.” Following the pilot evaluation, several of the participants, who had not the time to do so in the evaluation period, went on to complete their ICDL.

The ECDL Foundation is running the global version of this competition for ECDL / ICDL Candidates, with an overall prize of a trip for two to Dubrovnik on the Adriatic this November. Barb has now been entered as the candidate from Canada. ICDL Canada was looking to find the most impressive story of how a person benefited from studying for the ICDL qualification. As the winner of our competition in Canada, Barb received an inscribed plaque and a 30GB iPod Movie. We are keeping our fingers crossed for her success in the global competition which closes October 2nd when the international judging panel will begin to pick an overall winner. We think Barb’s story is encouraging, inspiring, novel and heart warming. Good luck Barb!