IT Training
First Train’s Donal Kavanagh talks to Eileen Glackin, of the Irish Computer Society, about the benefits of IT training for your employees...
While many training strategies that are regularly examined in First Train involve constant hand wringing over issues of effectiveness and return on investment, no such problems exist in the area of introductory IT training for employees. Globally recognised qualifications, such as the ECDL (European Computer Driving License), allow employers to monitor the IT skills of staff with complete accuracy, and to apply clear benchmarks of ability to which employees can aspire.
Benefits of ECDL
ECDL provides learners with a solid grounding in the basics of IT, across seven modules. Elements covered include: how a computer functions, using hardware and software, managing and filing data and, importantly, mastering the most Microsoft applications - Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook. The training method is usually trainer-led though can also involve a blended mix of online and classroom based learning. The training is available in centres across the country, in private training companies, colleges and in-house programmes.
‘Obviously, a benefit of ECDL is money on the bottom line for businesses,’ says Eileen Glackin, Regional Development Executive of ICS Skills (the not-for-profit administration body for ECDL in Ireland). ‘It cuts down on the technical support that’s required in any organisation because people can handle the small IT problems themselves.’
’It’s also about encouraging confidence; passing the course gives learners the boost that enables them to take on tasks that they may have shied away from before,’ adds Glackin. ‘The ECDL is a tried and tested remedy, organisations are investing in an absolute certainty.’
The uptake of ECDL training, the best known of the IT literacy certifications, was huge in the first few years following its introduction in 1997. By 2003, 250,000 people in Ireland had undergone ECDL training, and today there are 1,100 test centres in operation across the country. ‘I just can’t imagine the business environment in Ireland, if we hadn’t had ECDL for the last 11 years, as regards the poor level of IT that there would have been without it,’ says Glackin.
ESB in-house ECDL Training
ESB has implemented in-house ECDL training, since the qualification first arrived on Ireland’s shores in 1997. According to IT training officer Eddie Nally, between 1,400 and 1,600 ESB employees have undergone ECDL training. It has become ‘a normal part of everyone’s development programme’ in every area of work activity: administration, engineering, technical, financial, even general operatives in power stations and linesmen working on Ireland’s roads.
And how did all this training activity benefit the ESB? Nally explains: ‘We went from mainframe-based applications to a PC client-based server in 1998 and there was a general run of PCs to desks between 1998 and 2000. We were implementing SAP Financials at the time and it needed to run on a PC client. It was a huge project – to put a PC on everyone’s desk. Essentially, people would have been unfamiliar with the Microsoft applications that were now deployed across the entire client server network. ECDL contributed enormously to the migration from mainframe spoon-fed data to desktop processing.’
In Eileen Glackin’s experience, blended learning, involving classroom and e-learning, is often the most practical method for in-house ECDL training. ‘Some companies go for the online training, but it takes a lot of commitment on the part of the learner. There are some people who you can hand the training software on CD and say, “go off and do it”, and they will. But the vast majority are under time pressures, they need the encouragement of a tutor; someone they can go to with problems.’ Alternatively there are training centres across the country, to which, companies can send employees for one day a week. ‘Whatever the needs of the company are,’ adds Glackin, ‘I can promise you that there are training providers out there who can provide it.’
According to Glackin, becoming an in-house ECDL accredited and tester is a relatively straightforward process. No particular training qualifications are required. ICS Skills must simply satisfy themselves that the candidate has the technical know-how to correct the test papers, and he/she must attend a half-day seminar. ‘Most companies,’ she says, ‘have someone with the necessary IT ability on board. It’s probably the most economically viable way to provide ECDL training to employees. But it depends on the number of trainees in a company. If they only have one or two ECDL learners every six months, then they would be better off using an external training centre.’
In-house trainers in ESB, such as Eddie Nally, take the popular blended classroom/e-learning approach. ‘We have very good course material that we actually buy, and we supplement that with all the practice files sitting on the company’s intranet. We have a mobile license agreement that allows us to deploy ECDL not just in our permanent training centre in Portlaoise, but in every employee location – making training available to more people.’
Recent years however, have seen ECDL training reach an inevitable saturation point in ESB, and in industry and society in general. ‘It has eased off considerably. Saying that however, it has been very beneficial to the ESB,’ adds Nally.
Ireland Beyond ECDL
In response to the fall-off after an initial surge of popularity, the ECDL Foundation (the international controlling body) are constantly developing new training options and awards, enabling people to progress their IT skills within the globally recognised and eminently affordable ECDL umbrella of certification. ‘It’s never going to be dated,’ says Eileen Glackin, ‘it will always be current because it’s constantly evolving with the changes in technology.’
The latest version, ECDL Syllabus 5, was launched in 2007. It incorporates the latest innovations in IT such as ‘podcasting’, ‘voice over IP’ and ‘online chat’. Syllabus 5.0 also enables the learner to deal effectively with newly emerged and extremely virulent security threats such as ‘phishing’ and ‘spy ware’.
Regular upgrading of the syllabus in this manner ensures that companies such as ESB and Xerox can continue to rely upon ECDL for the benchmarking of employee IT skills, and training officer Nally is looking forward to a busy period with Version 5.0. ‘We’ve just recently moved on to Office 2003,’ says Eddie Nally, ‘so there’s plenty of training still required. We would always use the ECDL syllabus as the foundation for anybody’s IT literacy progression.’
ICS Skills also provide an ever-expanding suite of ECDL related programmes. Equalskills is a fun and informal introduction to computers and the internet for beginners – it is envisioned as an excellent starting point, for those who aspire to an ECDL qualification. As Eileen Glackin points out, these learners are not always in the unskilled bracket; they may be highly skilled but simply lacking in a minimum amount of computer skills. ‘A lot of people in factories and places like that suddenly find they need IT skills. I think all apprentices are now doing a beginner’s computer course. No matter what your job, you need to be able to use a computer nowadays.’
Other prominent ECDL related programmes include:
• An ECDL Start certificate is awarded to a candidate who has completed four of the seven modules that make up the full ECDL.
• The ECDL Update is a cost effective way for existing holders to keep up to date with the latest versions of the programme (e.g. the upcoming version 5.0 for current ECDL holders)
• ECDL Advanced and Expert enable licensees to progress their knowledge of four modules (Word Processing, Spreadsheets, Database and Presentation) to the level of expert user.
Training consumers are not without other options in digital literacy certification. Certiport launched IC³ in 2002, a training programme that is very similar to ECDL in that computer basics such as understanding computer hardware, installing software, managing files, word processing, spreadsheets and internet/email are all covered. IC³ is also usually taught in a blended learning style and is available from licensed providers across the country. It does not cover Access, but involves a lot more online work and computer hardware than ECDL.
Unlike ECDL however, the IC³ programme involves only three modules/exams. This may be attractive to learners who wish to avoid undergoing the ECDL’s intimidating seven exams, but according to Sean Heneghan of IT trainers Round Tower Computer Technology (providers of ECDL and IC³ certification) a lack of awareness is obstructing the success of ECDL’s only direct competitor. ‘It’s very hard to find customers for IC³ at the moment – and that’s all down to how well known it is,’ he says.
Apart from this concern, Heneghan also feels that the flexibility of ECDL’s testing procedure can be of greater benefit to learners. ‘All IC³ tests are administered online, whereas you have the option with ECDL to do them manually in the classroom; so learners can get feedback from the marker,’ he says, adding, ‘some people have an aversion to computer-based tests, they find it a bit too clinical. At least you can give them the option with ECDL of doing it on paper.’
In general however, Heneghan is satisfied that both certification systems provide learners with a solid understanding of basic computer applications. Whichever programme an organisation opts for, be it ECDL or IC³, perhaps the most important benefit for employees is that it acts as a gateway to continuous future improvement of IT skills, an absolute necessity in the modern knowledge economy. Or as Eileen Glackin says succinctly: ‘It gives learners an appetite for more.’
