Vienna, October 2008: ECDL Foundation’s Annual Forum brought together delegates from 52 international organisations 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 programme.  This international event focused on three important themes underlying ECDL / ICDL programmes 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 recognise initiatives and projects that are considered successful examples of best practice in implementing ECDL / ICDL programmes and raising the levels of digital literacy in their regions.  ECDL Austria received an award for exemplary delivery of digital literacy to organisations within the private sector, as well as a Best Practice award for operational excellence in delivering ECDL programmes. 

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-recognised certification programmes, which harness the benefits of ICT for social and economic life for all”.

Contact Information:

Fiona Fanning, Policy and Communications Executive

ECDL Foundation

Tel: +32 2 772 1836

E-mail: fiona.fanning(at)ecdl.org
www.ecdl.org

About ECDL Foundation

ECDL Foundation is the global body of the world's leading end-user computer skills certification programme. It’s a not-for-profit organisation dedicated raising the level of computer skills in society and providing access for all to the Information Society.  Known as ICDL outside of Europe with over 8 million candidates participating in a range of programmes, ECDL Foundation has set the global benchmark in end-user skills certification.