ICDL Sri Lanka receives ‘International Best Practice Award’ at the ECDL Foundation Forum in Oslo
At the recently concluded ECDL Foundation Forum 2012, held in Oslo, Norway, ICDL Sri Lanka, received the prestigious best practice award for the successful implementation of ICDL in the Corporate/ Private sector.
ECDL Foundation is the certifying authority for the world’s leading international computer skills c e r t i f i c ation pro gramme, International Computer Driving License ( ICDL). The ECDL Foundation had established the Best Practice Awards to acknowledge and credit initiatives and projects that are considered as exceptional examples of the implementation of ECDL Foundation programmes that help to raise levels of digital literacy, and promote ECDL / ICDL in local markets.
This year, the ECDL Foundation Forum was attended by ICT professionals and digital literacy policy shapers, representing national computer societies and international organisations in 148 countries around the world. At this forum, ICDL Sri Lanka won an award in the Corporate/ Private sector category for the ‘ Implementation of ICDL for School Teachers,’ which was carried out in partnership with a private educational organization geared to deliver from north to south and east to west of Sri Lanka. This is the second successive win for ICDL Sri Lanka, with a similar award received last year for the successful work carried out in the Government/ Public sector.
The first project agreement to conduct ICDL training for teachers was signed in the year 2004, to improve the ICT skills of Teachers and for them to make use of their skills in applying different approaches in their teaching. As the pilot project was completed with a successful pass rate of the teachers who underwent the ICDL training and testing, and seeing the valuable contribution it was making in their teaching methodologies back at their respective schools, the Ministry of Education decided to continue offering the training programme for more teachers in other areas of the country as well.
This year’s forum was centred on reviewing the significant changes to the ICDL portfolio of products with the launch of “New ICDL”. The national operators in each country offering ICDL will launch the new offering in their respective markets in the upcoming months. The new ICDL is a forward-looking and flexible digital skills certification that will allow candidates/ individuals to develop their computer skills to their own requirements. The need was identified; as technology is rapidly changing and people’s interaction are changing with it. As a result the skills that are needed to be efficient at work and to participate fully in society have evolved. These evolutions have led to the development of the new ICDL certification programme.
ICDL Sri Lanka continues to further the ICDL concept to even remote areas of Sri Lanka, where people are still struggling with the use of technology and tools, while also assisting the Sri Lankan Government’s initiative of advancing the ICT skills of the public, through the ICDL programmes. ‘ New ICDL’ will prove to be an excellent opportunity to up-skill the current ICDL certificate recipients. At the same time it will meet the requirements for becoming certified in specific skills and knowledge areas. The new ICDL programme is made up of a range of modules each of which represents a different set of skills and knowledge area. In keeping with the general change in how skills and competences are acquired, the ICDL programme will now offer ICDL Profile. Within ICDL Profile, each module will be offered as a standalone unit of certification allowing candidates more flexibility and choice.
More details on the ECDL Foundation courses can be obtained by writing to testit@slt.lk or by visiting the ICDL Sri Lanka office located at No. 3, Gothami Road Colombo 8 or by calling +94 112 697000.