ECDL produces €121m in benefits

MORE THAN a quarter of a million Irish people who hold the European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL) are helping reap annual benefits of over €121 million for the economy.

The Itech Research report found that at least 4,400 people are employed full or part-time in providing courses, since the ECDL was launched in 1997. Most of these do training and testing as part of their duties in large companies which offer the ECDL to employees.

The ECDL certifies the holder is competent in using a computer and knows the essential concepts of IT.

Of those who have received the qualification, 92,000 received the training at work. Most others undertook ECDL certification through community training.

The study carried out by Dr Susan O’Donnell of Itech Research estimates the ECDL has generated benefits to the economy of around €362 million in the past six years. ECDL now generates annual direct and indirect benefits to the economy valued at over €121 million.

This includes €62.3 million in productivity savings for employers of the 46,000 office workers who have undertaken ECDL training and over €40 million a year of gross revenue.