Your education questions answered

As a Transition Year co-ordinator, I want to introduce a certified computer programme for my students. What are the options available to me?

Computers are now used in almost every type of employment and so knowing how to use packages such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook has become a necessity.

Until recently, the level of a person's skill was hard to measure because of a lack of recognised certification in the area. Now, thanks to the existence of industry- recognised certification from Microsoft and the European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL), this has changed.

Microsoft Office Specialist

Through the Microsoft IT Academy Program, Microsoft is joining up with secondary schools and colleges throughout the State to deliver internationally recognised Microsoft Office Specialist qualifications in either Office 2000 / Office XP and Office 2003. This is an industry-recognised, globally standardised qualification.

Details on how to obtain this qualification can be found at www.prodigy.ie

There are four levels of certification: IC3, which is recommended to provide a basic understanding of working with computers; Core Certification is recommended for anyone using Microsoft Office; Expert Certification is recommended for regular users who need to have an extensive knowledge of an application for their jobs and Master Certification, which is for regular users of Microsoft Office who need to have a complete knowledge of all the applications.

ECDL

The European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL) is a Europe-wide qualification, that enables people to demonstrate their competence in basic computing. ECDL is designed specifically for people who wish to gain a basic qualification in computing to help them with their current job and offer them a foundation for further development in IT.

The ECDL syllabus is designed to cover the key concepts of computing, its practical applications and their use in the workplace. It is broken down into seven modules, each of which must be passed before the ECDL certificate is awarded.

The seven modules that make up ECDL programme are: basic concepts of IT; using the computer and managing files; word processing; spreadsheets; database; presentation; information and communication.

For each module of ECDL a candidate must pass a test, which consist of tasks based on typical day-to-day computer operations. Tests can be attempted in any order and at any time, but must be successfully completed within three years. Each successfully completed test is endorsed on an ECDL Skills Card. The pass mark for all modules is 75 per cent. When all seven modules are successfully completed, the Skills Card is sent to ICS Skills and a personalised ECDL is issued. Details on how to obtain this certification are available on www.ecdl.ie

Brian Mooney is president of the Institute of Guidance Counsellors. E-mail questions to bmooney@irish-times.ie