7 Million ECDL / ICDL Candidates worldwide

Dublin, August 2007 - The ECDL Foundation celebrates issuing the 7 millionth Skills Card. More than 7 million people all over the world have registered to become certified with the international ICT certification.

The ECDL Foundation introduced the European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL / ICDL ) in 1997 and has now, more than ten years later, registered 7 million Candidates around the world.

The issue of the 7 millionth Skills Card confirms the position of ECDL / ICDL as the world’s leading end-user computer skills certification. ECDL / ICDL certification is available in 146 countries globally and has been translated into 38 languages. It is internationally recognised as the global standard in end-user computer skills and has been adopted by governments, international organisations and the international business community.

Speaking on the occasion of issuing the 7 millionth Skills Card, Damien O’Sullivan, CEO ECDL Foundation, said: ‘’For the past 10 years the ECDL Foundation has worked to raise the level of ICT Skills in society, to increase users’ confidence in computer usage and to enable access to the information society for all citizens. Seven million Candidates being registered with the ECDL / ICDL certification programme is a significant achievement which shows that we set the global benchmark in end-user computer skills programmes. Nevertheless, this achievement also indicates that the public’s awareness of the importance of ICT certification has increased over the past few years. ‘’

The ECDL / ICDL certification programme has been successfully introduced on every continent, providing an internationally recognised certification for a huge variety of people in many different environments. The ECDL Foundation has Licensees all over the worlds, which are responsible for the deployment of the ECDL Foundation programmes dedicated to raising the level of computer literacy in their societies.

For more information contact Tanja Zabukovnik
Phone: +353 1 630 6000
Email: tanja.zabukovnik@ecdl.com
URL: www.ecdl.com

About the ECDL Foundation
The ECDL Foundation is the global governing body of the world's leading end-user computer skills certification programme, the European Computer Driving Licence. It is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to helping to raise the general level of computer skills in society and providing access for all to the Information Society. Internationally recognised in 146 countries and attracting over 7 million Candidates to its range of certification programmes, the ECDL Foundation has set the global benchmark in end-user skills certification programmes.

The ECDL Foundation certification programmes have been successfully introduced on every continent, providing an internationally recognised certification for a huge variety of people in many different environments. The strong values of the ECDL Foundation - a social responsibility, vendor independence and commitment to quality - make the ECDL / ICDL the natural choice for governments and international organisations all over the world.

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.

Values
The ECDL Foundation’s values are:
Social Responsibility: as a not-for-profit organisation, we are committed to improving digital skills proficiency within society. Our certification programmes are designed to be accessible to all citizens, irrespective of age, gender, status, ability or race.
Vendor Independence: our certification programmes give Candidates the flexibility and freedom to acquire digital skills and confidently apply them in any software environment that they may be required to use.
Quality: we strive for continuous improvements in all that we do and ensure that our programmes are implemented to consistent standards internationally.

Disability Statement
The European Computer Driving Licence Foundation is committed to ensuring that no one is excluded from pursuing the ECDL / ICDL certification and is actively working towards ensuring accessibility to people with disabilities. To this end, the ECDL Foundation has been working within its network and with disabilities groups for some years. The work has identified and eliminated major barriers to accessibility and will continue on an ongoing basis to enhance the ECDL Foundation programmes.

This release was published on openPR.