Employers
Regardless of the nature of your enterprise - private business, non-profit or government organization - its success depends on the flow of information. Since computers are the key to that flow, the efficient operation of information technology in your offices can only contribute to your productivity and meeting your short- and long-term goals. Among other benefits broad-based training offers, it:
- strengthens employee skills by providing a more complete context for the applications they usually use,
- enables staff to resolve more problems on their own or - when help is required - to be a stronger partner in solving IT problems,
- prepares your staff for change - a fact of 21st century life - by giving them exposure to a range of key applications that enable them to get up to speed more quickly when the need arises to tackle a new task or job,
- provides a common knowledge base for any additional training that might be necessary for specialized applications used by your enterprise, and
- gives everyone a grounding in the "rules of the road" which is important in these times of concern about security, privacy and new government regulations.
Consider these suggestions, if "training for everyone, all at once" may be impractical for your organization. Find ways to prioritize and manage a basic skills training program:
- Check with your CIO or IT management. Their help desk and planning operations can only benefit from a more knowledgeable user base in your organization. They may have suggestions where an initial training focus could offer the greatest short-term gains in support, and other management concerns.
- Look to your supervisors, shift managers and team leaders as an initial training group. They are often the first line of support, even before the help desk gets involved. If they have a knowledge of the standard definition of computing and required skills, they are in a stronger position to provide better answers, even offer spot training, and save costs (of time as well as money) by cutting calls to a help desk or vendor support.
- Spot up-and-coming employees who are on a track to move into supervisory or management positions - give them the broad base of skills they need to manage others' performance of key computing tasks. This will give them tools to be more efficient now, and to help spot ways to increase efficiency as they move throughout your organization.
- Usethe TechReady Assessment to assess new employees and their working knowledge of key applications - and also use TechReady to assess your current staff - it will help pinpoint where training might be best applied - and what levels will have the greatest short-term impact.
By applying a systematic, consistent approach to training for basic skills, you will probably - in a short time - achieve a new level of productivity and flexibility in your organization, that can only help prepare for the inevitable changes happening all around us. While there is a cost to education, the cost of ignorance in fast-moving, knowledge-based economy - can be much higher.
Return to top
Employees, workers, returnees to the workforce
At least a part of your future depends on the success of your employer. Even if you work for yourself - you must be able to handle the key tools required to make an enterprise work well today, so you can hire more help in the future. And the one tool that is most common - and increasingly important - is the computer running standard applications that are key to almost every enterprise.
Training is available widely, but has suffered in the past from a lack of a standard - particularly in the area of the "basic" or fundamental applications. Which applications do you need to know, how much? And most importantly, how can you prove what you have learned.
That's where ICDL comes in - it not only provides a standard definition of "basic computing skills" - but it's certification program gives you the opportunity to demonstrate what you know about each of the skill sets, and - when you are successful - gives you an actual certificate and wallet card to show a supervisor or hiring manager. More than just sitting through a class, you have earned working knowledge that enhances your flexibility and value on the job.
So how can you get started to acquire the International Computer Driving License? Here are some suggestions:
- Check with your local career center, community college and their adult or continuing education programs. Many are currently offering coursers and support that culminates in the acquisition of the ICDL. Some are listed on our Program Sites page, others are offering it on their own. If the people you talk to are not familiar with the Ohio Computing Unlimited or ICDL program, refer them to this Web site and the project's coordinator.
- If you have some experience with the applications in the seven modules of the ICDL, you might be able to use the resources provided within the Ohio Package to study the material on your own, and then you would need only to use a nearby testing center to take the certification tests themselves. You can see exactly what is expected of you for each module in this section.
- Check with your employer. If there is a an educational support program - such as release time, tuition reimbursement, or some other approach - you may be able to work toward the ICDL within that program. If your employer is not familiar with the ICDL program, refer him to this Web site and especially the employer benefits section.
Once you get started, the rest is up to you! But it will be a feeling of great pride and accomplishment when you can walk into your boss' office and declare "I have earned my ICDL!"
Return to top
Students
Students of all levels are looking to the ICDL program for the basic skills they will need to succeed both in school and on the job. Secondary and post-secondary students see ICDL as an introduction to some of the basic technologies that make education work these days. With more and more online classes, online research, online forms to complete - basic understanding about how to use the computer as a tool is crucial. And we hope someday soon that the ICDL certificate will be convertible to college credit.
For older students in continuing education, or those seeking to go back to college to complete a degree, ICDL carries a double benefit: it will help you get caught up with key skills you may have missed when you were last involved in formal education, and it can help you perform better and attract positive attention on the job.
Check with your guidance counselor, registrar or supervising teacher about ICDL being offered in your area. If they are not familiar with it, refer them to this Web site and asked them to contact the program coordinator.
Return to top
|
