ICDL GCC Foundation, the governing body of the International Computer Driving License (ICDL) program in the Gulf States, has announced that it is unifying its corporate identity with the European Computer Driving Licence Foundation’s (ECDL-F) in a bid to enhance recognition of the ICDL/ECDL brand worldwide.
The core digital literacy program for ECDL-F is the European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL), the international standard in end-user computer skills certification. In countries outside Europe, the ECDL program is known as the International Computer Driving Licence (ICDL). Until now the ECDL and ICDL digital literacy programs had separate and distinct branding. As global brands operating in more than 140 countries, there was a compelling case for unifying the ECDL/ICDL program under a single brand identity and ECDL-F has moved to address this need.
As a result, the ECDL-F will adopt a new corporate identity which will also be a single unifying brand identity for the ECDL/ICDL program. This measure will allow the ECDL-F to streamline and strengthen the ECDL and ICDL brands internationally and create a cohesive identity for the ECDL-F and its licensees. It will also refresh the ECDL/ICDL brand and allow greater flexibility in the addition of other digital literacy programs such as the ICDL Advanced and e-Citizen.
ECDL-F CEO, David Carpenter, said, “The ECDL/ICDL digital literacy program is internationally recognised as the global standard for end-user computer skills. As brands operating in a constantly evolving global marketplace, it is vital that the ECDL and ICDL remain unified as the globally accepted standard for digital literacy they are today. This measure is part of an overall strategy of continuous improvement of our marketing of the ECDL/ICDL concept. In addition to strengthening the overall brand, the new logo allows for more flexibility as we continue to grow the suite of ECDL and ICDL products.”
Jamil Ezzo, Director General, ICDL GCC Foundation, said, “The re-branding measure will see the competencies of ICDL program in the GCC region merged with global best practices being formulated by the ECDL Foundation. The candidates in the GCC Countries will benefit from the unification as this will reinforce the mobility and the recognition of the certifications and thus their status according to international standards.
The re-branding will be rolled out during the second quarter of this year and it is expected to be completed by the end of June 2006. “There will be a 3 month transition period whereby all the ICDL content providers and ICDL accredited centres will adopt the new logo and the branding in order to ensure the consistency and reliability of the ICDL program around the world.” The process will not affect the validity of certifications issued before the changeover.
“The ICDL programe has undoubtedly become the global standard for digital literacy in education and government. It is also well on its way to becoming the benchmark for basic computer skills in various fields such as health, telecom, banking, and the corporate sector. The re-branding exercise which we are undertaking will reflect the international focus and inclusive intent in which we provide the program,” said Ezzo.
International Computer Driving License (ICDL), is an internationally recognized computer proficiency standard that is owned by the European Computer Driving License Foundation (ECDL) and introduced by the UNESCO's Cairo Office (UCO) for Arab states in 2001. The programme is gaining increasing acceptance in the Middle East, with several governments adopting and prescribing it to their employees. The ICDL program exists in over 140 countries, and is offered in 36 languages, including Arabic. The programs offered are all based on one standard syllabus and question set. There are more than 26,000 centres worldwide, above 5 million candidates, more than 1 million issued certificates and over 20 million exams have been taken globally since the launch of the program year 1997.
About ICDL GCC Foundation
ICDL GCC Foundation was created by the ECDL Foundation, the not-for-profit global governing body of the ECDL and ICDL member countries dedicated to helping raise the general level of computer skills in societies and providing access for all to the information society, to serve the to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) States with their implementation of ICDL and for providing them with localized support to ensure quality of ICDL programs. The ICDL GCC Foundation is the sole accreditation body that is responsible to support ICDL accredited training and testing centers in the GCC. It also acts as the reviewing and approving body for the local adaptation of ICDL programs.
