This came to my attention a few years ago when my Mother decided to learn how to use a computer. Once she retired she needed to keep up with the technology she’d avoided for years. I actually think it was a great idea; retirement often increases the perception that the world is leaving you behind. She’d never used a typewriter: why are those letters in such a strange place? The mouse was a huge challenge to hand–eye co–ordination.

She enrolled on CLAiT Level 1, and she’s made great progress, but I doubt she’d claim to be comfortable enough to be able to try something completely new without a lot of support. She can surf the Web, check and send basic email and do a little word processing, but that’s about it. It’s more than enough for her needs, but a business is going to need a little more.

The point is that there are a lot of younger people still in the workforce that are in much the same position to my Mother. They are often encouraged to undertake ECDL training as shown on the BCS website:

The European Computer Driving Licence® (ECDL) is the internationally recognized qualification which enables people to demonstrate their competence in computer skills. The record breaking ECDL is the fastest growing IT user qualification in over 125 countries. ECDL is designed specifically for those who wish to gain a benchmark qualification in computing to enable them to develop their IT skills and enhance their career prospects.

The problem I have is that I’ve encountered people with these qualifications, and others, purporting to be ‘Microsoft Excel Expert Users’, and they haven’t even figured out that a spreadsheet IS a big calculator! This can’t be entirely due to the course content, so why are these people allowed to pass this qualification: it has to be in the assessment and a reluctance to fail anyone.

So as an employer facing a knowledge based economy — according to the UK government — where success is based on the skills of your employees, how do you decide which candidates are fit for purpose? My experience is that you can’t rely on these benchmarking qualifications.