International computer skills certification to be introduced in Ukraine

The Ukrainian Association of IT Professionals, with the support of the

Ministry of Digital Transformation, will implement international computer skills

certification (ICDL — International Computer Driving Licence) in Ukraine.

 What is ICDL?

ICDL is a certification that allows individuals to certify their computer skills according to an international standard.

• UNESCO highlights ICDL as an example of an international competency framework.
• The quality and reputation of ICDL are based on over 20 years of experience in providing certification programs.
• ICDL certification is available in over 100 countries.
• It is a network of over 20,000 test centers, providing more than 70 million certification tests for 16 million people worldwide.
• The certification includes theoretical and practical tasks. For example, when taking the test, tasks may include booking a restaurant table online, copying a sentence from any science website, or creating and sending an email.

 Why is an ICDL certificate needed?

For university admissions in many countries

• When applying for jobs in private companies
• For training and certification of digital skills for civil servants

 What will be done in Ukraine?

Ukraine has been a participant in the ECDL/ICDL program since 2003. There is a network of test centers in Ukraine where one can undergo certification.

The Ministry of Digital Transformation supports the initiative and has signed a memorandum with the Ukrainian Association of IT Professionals, which is the representative of ICDL in Ukraine.

A digital learning system will be created with 22 training modules covering all necessary digital competencies, in accordance with the European vision.

• Testing and certification according to the ICDL standard will be conducted for various segments of the population.
• Thanks to the Ministry of Digital Transformation's support of the initiative, materials for the "Ukrainian Digital Citizen" module will be available for free.
• Online practice testing for the "Ukrainian Digital Citizen" module will be implemented on the Diia.Digital Education portal.

Furthermore, an agreement was reached to promote the development of digital competencies for civil servants, pedagogical staff, medical workers, and the unemployed to increase their employment opportunities.

Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation for European Integration Valeria Ionan emphasized that the partnership also provides for facilitating the implementation of the digital competence framework for educators (DigCompEdu) and the digital competence framework for citizens (DigComp for Citizens).

President of the Ukrainian Association of IT Professionals Serhii Bronin noted that one of the main goals is to join efforts to reach the maximum audience of Ukrainians to achieve widespread penetration of digital technologies, thereby simplifying the daily lives of citizens, expanding available horizons, and raising the level of performance in work tasks, which today are almost always and everywhere connected with the application of various digital competencies.

European experience

In Europe, ICDL was previously known as ECDL (European Computer Driving Licence) from its launch in 1997 until 2019, when the new ICDL Identity brand was launched, which officially united ECDL and ICDL.

ICDL and ECDL never differed in content; the name ECDL was used for European countries from a geographical point of view, and ICDL for all other countries of the world.

ECDL/ICDL as a standard of computer literacy is recognized by the European Commission, UNESCO, the Council of European Professional Informatics Societies, the European Informatics Society, and the ministries of education of various countries.

In Romania, since 2010, the Ministry of Education has recognized ECDL/ICDL as the equivalent of the baccalaureate digital literacy test. More than 50,000 students have already confirmed their digital literacy exam in the baccalaureate by obtaining an ECDL/ICDL certificate.

In Poland, since 2010, ECDL/ICDL has been the only digital skills certification mentioned in the methodological guidelines published by the Ministry of Education regarding funding for 2014-2020.

In Italy, back in 1999, an agreement was signed between the Italian Ministry of Education and AICA, the national operator of ICDL in Italy, recognizing ECDL/ICDL as the official standard for assessing computer skills in the Italian education system. This agreement is renewed every 3 years and involves all schools and universities at the national level.

In Turkey, in 2005, the Ministry of Education decided to align IT curricula for primary and secondary schools with ECDL/ICDL programs. This step was accompanied by the recognition of ECDL/ICDL as an international qualification equivalent to the Turkish state digital literacy exam.

According to Portuguese law, teachers and trainers working in the field of adult education, teaching information and communication technologies, must have a qualification in computer science or one focused on information and communication technologies, or an ECDL/ICDL certificate.

ECDL/ICDL complies with the National Framework of Qualifications in Ireland. Approximately a quarter of all secondary school students receive an ECDL/ICDL certificate while in school.

As a reminder, on March 3, 2021, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine approved the Concept for the Development of Digital Competencies and approved an action plan for its implementation.