There has been a 71% increase in the number of people taking BCS Level 1 Certificate in IT User Skills (ECDL Essentials) and a 43% growth in those taking BCS Level 2 Certificate in IT User Skills (ECDL Extra) in the last year.

Over two million people in the UK have learned IT skills and demonstrated them via ECDL. The internationally recognised qualification is among the 125 qualifications (out of more than 3,100) that the DfE has identified as GCSE-equivalent, high-quality, rigorous courses with track records of taking young people into good jobs or higher education.

Martyn Lambert, Chief Executive Officer, BCS Learning & Development says: “The demand for qualifications has grown as a result of our reliance on IT in our society today; IT is at the heart of almost everything we do from our leisure through to work.

“The current jobs market is extremely competitive; many people put ‘computer skills’ on their CVs, but having a qualification such as ECDL can really help you stand out from the crowd. It proves that you have the core IT skills that employers are looking for.  So it’s no real surprise that we’re seeing an increase in requests for information and registrations for our qualifications.”

Students learn how to create word-processed documents, enter text, edit, format work and how to use graphs, tables and pictures for a professional finish. The course also covers spreadsheets, showing students how to enter data and format worksheets as well as create charts. The presentation software unit teaches students how to produce high quality presentations using a variety of tools including charts, graphs and drawn objects. There is also a unit devoted to improving productivity using tools to help save time and effort when producing word-processed documents, presentations and spreadsheets.

 Susy Ralph of the City of London Schools comments: ‘We believe ‘ECDL is the ‘industry standard’ ICT qualification’.  Feedback from our school leavers also confirms the positive status accorded to the ECDL qualification by universities.’

Further information about ECDL qualifications can be found on the BCS website.

ECDL are among the wide selection of ICT qualifications available to study at The Hope Foundation. Visit our IT courses page for more information.