ICDL To Help Build Information Society, Enable Growth and Employment, and Empower Individuals with Essential Skills and Benefits Of Digital Literacy
Posted Under: Canada's Economic Growth Strategy,Computer Skills and Productivity,Computer User Skills Certification,Digital Literacy,Employment
The ICDL/ECDL International Forum supports i2010 Strategy for Growth and Employment*
Vienna, October 2008: ICDL/ECDL Annual Forum brought together delegates from 52 international organizations and informatics societies representing 148 countries, to plan future activities in support of the i2010 strategy and launch the new syllabus for the ECDL / ICDL Advanced program. This international event focused on three important themes underlying ECDL / ICDL programs which support the i2010 strategy: building the Information Society, enabling growth and employment through helping society and the economy reap the benefits of digital literacy, and empowering individuals with the skills necessary to participate in the Information Society.
High profile speakers such as Dr. Christian Dorninger, from the Austrian Ministry of Education and Dr. Ekram Fathi from the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Egypt stressed the importance of digital competences and the need for ministries to work together to make the Information Society a reality for all. Dr. Theo Lynn from Dublin City University and Dr. Sam DiGangi from Arizona State University addressed the future of education and informatics in a changing world and the need for lifelong learning.
This meeting enabled the ECDL Foundation to reinforce its commitment to the i2010 strategy and to recognize initiatives and projects that are considered successful examples of best practice in implementing ECDL / ICDL programs and raising the levels of digital literacy in their regions. ECDL Austria received an award for exemplary delivery of digital literacy to organizations within the private sector, as well as a Best Practice award for operational excellence in delivering ECDL programs.
The ICDL Ghana team received a Best Practice award for outstanding marketing and public relations through their Ghana Forum entitled “Building Digital Literacy and National Capacity” which brought together over 400 attendees from government, business and education to accentuate the critical role of ICT and digital literacy in development in Africa. ICDL Jordan was also honoured for their exceptional social contribution demonstrated by the positive impact made on the lives of digitally literate blind people in that region. A special award was granted to the IPKO Institute, Kosovo, which has adopted ECDL as a standard for ICT education and as a means to increase employability.
Speaking at the Awards ceremony, Damien O’Sullivan, CEO of the ECDL Foundation noted that “…at the ECDL Foundation, we believe that providing digital literacy skills for all is a social, economic and political imperative as well as an important catalyst for growth, we are proud to announce our continued commitment to supporting the i2010 strategy for growth and jobs through our internationally-recognized certification programs, which harness the benefits of ICT for social and economic life for all”.
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*Footnote: The i2010 strategy is the EU policy framework for the information society and media. It promotes the positive contribution that information and communication technologies (ICT) can make to the economy, society and personal quality of life. Check out this Factsheet.
