Office workers lose some 38 minutes a day because they get stuck using a computer and need help, according to a recent CAP-Gemini study in Norway.
This is one of the stunning bits of information Mary Mulcahy revealed in a talk she gave last month on the European Computer Driving Licence.
Ms Mulcahy is the business development manager of the ECDL Foundation, based in Dublin, Ireland. She was in Malta for talks with the Computer Society of Malta, which is in the process of being licensed by the foundation to represent it in Malta.
She also met the eMalta Commission, which she said is operating very much on the same wavelength as the ICDL Foundation and has some good strategic initiatives.
The ECDL, started in Finland in 1994, is promoted as the best practice in the use of office-related applications. It certifies that the holder has knowledge of the essential concepts of IT and is able to use a personal computer (PC) and common computer applications at a recognised level of competence.
The ICDL has now spread to all areas of computer learning and aims to include everyone, no matter the age, background or level of learning.
The new ECDL syllabus (Version 4) is being launched next month with over a thousand inputs. "There is a new focus on security and we also wanted to involve as many people as possible in the process," Ms Mulcahy said.
A pilot programme for children, in the form of a game, is in development and an E-citizen award is also being studied.
The ECDL, known as the ICDL ('I' standing for International) outside Europe, currently consists of one theory test and six practical tests. It has just been introduced in the syllabuses of all Maltese state secondary schools and it has become an indispensable requisite for those applying to join the public service.
The ECDL Foundation controls all syllabuses, optimising each individual country's syllabus according to local culture with support from the local licensee. The foundation's objectives are to: promote computer literacy; raise IT knowledge levels; facilitate access to the Information Society; facilitate job mobility; facilitate retraining; improve productivity; and enhance returns for IT investments
Within the educational sphere, Ms Mulcahy observed: "There is a need in Malta for teachers to make computers part of everyday teaching," adding that an opportunity was being lost to further automate the teaching process if teachers did not fully embrace ICT (information and communications technology).
Ms Mulcahy mentioned a number of corporate success stories thanks to the adoption of the ICDL across private companies and the state sector. Furniture giant Ikea used it as a means to motivate staff.
Waterford Crystal reported fewer problems with the technology used in its factories since staff have started studying for the ECDL. The National Health Service in the UK, the largest single employer in the world with 1.3 million employees, has launched the ICDL across the organisation for all grades, from cleaners up.
Some 40,000 employees in the Irish public service have obtained the ECDL since it was adopted in 1998. The ECDL is recognised internationally within multinationals and fall within the eGovernment plans of many countries, including Malta. Already 12 per cent of the Irish working population and nine per cent of the Swedish working population have their ECDL.
As at September 30, some 2.36 million students are studying for their Computer Driving Licence. Internationally, there are 15,000 test centres in 89 countries offering the qualification in 25 languages.