The International Computer Driving Licence (ICDL) began in Europe a decade ago and has been available in Canada for about five years. The certification follows a seven-module course: an introductory knowledge module on piracy, privacy and issues like buying a computer; and six more technical modules that cover desktop productivity tools and databases, backing up data, security practices, and Internet and e-mail use. “It’s not like you’re sending Molly or Peter out to do word processing. It’s more a case of trying to increase the productivity overall of an organization. The idea is, the place ought to be computer-literate from the shipping clerk to the president,” said Bryn Jones, president of Mississauga, Ont.-bed ICDL Canada. ICDL Canada is supported by other organizations such as the Canadian Information Processing Society and the Information Technology Association of Canada.The New Brunswick pilot affects 60 employees at Business New Brunswick, Tourism and Parks, Public Safety and Transportation.
“We wanted to put it through a six-month pilot to gather data — qualitative and quantitative — as much as we could to see in our environment whether or not it be an effective way of improving productivity on employees,” said Maurice Lavigne, manager of IT service for Business New Brunswick.