Damien O’Sullivan

ECDL Foundation Mission

Our Mission

The ECDL Foundation mission is to enable

proficient use of ICT that empowers individuals,

organisations and society, through the

development, promotion and delivery of quality

certification programmes throughout the world.

Our Mission

Advocacy Certification Programmes

Global Network

Our ValuesSocial

Responsibility Vendor Neutrality Quality

Global Reach

41 Languages

34 Million Tests

24,000 Test Centres

148 CountriesOver 11 Million Candidates

1. Digital Literacy

2. Certification

3. ECDL

1. Policy Commitment

2. Dedicated Funding

3. Widespread Availability

Our Approach – What needs to be done?

Our 1-2-3 message Our 1-2-3 Priorities

1. Digital Literacy

2. Certification

3. ECDL

1. Policy Commitment

2. Dedicated Funding

3. Widespread Availability

Our Approach – What needs to be done?

Our 1-2-3 message Our 1-2-3 Priorities

Our Commitment

• Engage with 5 million citizens to acquire digital skills

• Decrease by 3% the 150 million without skills

• Promote digital skills development in education

• Special measures to support marginalised groups

• Work with Member States in the development of long-

term digital literacy policies

Actions to Achieve these Aims

• Engage our network in every EU country – 12,000 test

centres

• Becoming advocates of the DAE at a national level – key

stakeholders for national digital literacy programmes

• Working with governments, education institutions and

industry

• National awareness-raising events – leading to high-level

round table event

• Create channel to relay feedback to European decision

makers

1. Digital Literacy

2. Certification

3. ECDL

1. Policy Commitment

2. Dedicated Funding

3. Widespread Availability

Our Approach – What needs to be done?

Our 1-2-3 message Our 1-2-3 Priorities

Challenge: Key Infrastucture

• Digital Technology Infrastructure

• Digital Content Infrasture

• Digital Skills Infrastructure

• How to build the infrastructure ?

• How to measure progress ?

Challenge: Building Digital Proficiency

Role of Certification

Equalskills e-Citizen ECDL / ICDL ECDL / ICDL

Advanced

Digital Awareness

Digital Literacy

Digital Excellence

Digital Competence

Certification Programmes

DigitalProficiency

74

Challenge: ICT in Education

• Learn to Use ICT

• Use ICT to Learn

Conclusions

• Clearly European Commission and Stakeholders are committed

- we need to focus on the uncommitted – particularly influencers

• We need long-term strategies with short-term urgency

• Same sophistication applied to Digital Skills Infrastructure as

technical and content infrastructure

• Need programmes which progress from Digital Awareness to

Digital Literacy to Digital Competence to Digital Expertise