The mission of the E-Business programme of Brunei Darussalam's National IT Strategic Plan is "to increase awareness and facilitate e-business uptake among businesses in Brunei Darussalam thereby adding value to businesses and ensuring global competitiveness".

One of the exciting initiatives proposed is the development of an "ICT Driving Licence" accreditation process similar to the concept of an International Computer Driving Licence (ICDL) adopted in Europe, the United States and Australia to enhance ICT skills of the Bruneian labour force.

The proposed accreditation process would become a recognised standard of competency that is endorsed and administered by an implementation body comprising of public and private entities.

Employers, educational institutions and Government agencies in over 88 countries have hailed the ICDL as the international standard for basic computer literacy. With over 2.4 million participants worldwide, it demonstrates that an individual has the skills to operate a range of everyday computer applications

The ICDL Concept
The ICDL is designed for a person to 'drive' a computer with the same ease as they might drive a car. Its aims are to:
· Raise the general level of competency in IT
· Improve productivity at work
· Reduce user support costs
· Enable employers to invest more efficiently in IT
· Ensure that best practice and quality issues are understood and implemented.

The ICDL is not a "training course" but rather a competency standard that is acknowledged through testing. It is based on the successful European Computer Driving Licence scheme (ECDL). The ICDL program is governed by the ECDL Foundation in member countries including Australia and the USA.

The ICDL offers:
· Certification that is recognized worldwide as showing competency in fundamental computer skills across most commercial software platforms (Microsoft, Lotus, etc.).
· Supervised testing that guarantees every certificate holder has done the work and passed all the tests.
· Return on Investment for a company that can count on a fundamental level of competency from all its employees.

ICDL for Individuals
The ICDL is designed to assist people at work, home or in study, establish a recognized standard for everyone who uses a computer in a professional or personal capacity. Individuals can choose how they wish to study for the tests - through colleges, privately-run courses or self-study.

ICDL certification informs current and prospective employers that you possess competency in fundamental IT skills. Most importantly, you will gain self-confidence from knowing you can use a PC and a variety of standard computer software applications.

ICDL for Employers
The ICDL provides a simple and reliable means of identifying computer competencies of both existing employees and future job applicants. By adopting ICDL as a standard for all employees, you can ensure consistent and desired levels of IT ability throughout the organization.

Many employers around the world now agree on the need for a standard definition of practical competence in IT.

Benefits of ICDL Certification:
· Establish a computer competency standard for current and new employees
· Improve employee productivity and increase returns from investments in IT
· Reduce IT support costs
· Identify training needs of employees and measure the efficacy of training programs
· Use ICDL as an effective model for designing fundamental IT education and training in the organization
· Reduce the inherent risks in recruiting, hiring and promotion decisions
· Help motivate staff, increase their self-esteem and sense of achievement.

ICDL for Training Providers
Many courses already incorporate individual elements of basic and advanced computer skills, but there is no widely accepted certification. Of the large variety of computer courses offered, many are not accredited, or rely on separate alliances with industry and educational bodies for recognition.

At the same time, the proliferation of computer courses available has fragmented the market, reflecting unfairly on the best use of the training industry's resources.

Thus, the demands for the ICDL will in turn, provide professional trainers with the opportunity to take advantage of the market potential.
(Source: Australian Computer Society)

Gerry Mitchell is the Information Technology Manager at Royal Brunei Airlines. He is an Australian IT veteran with over 22 years of computing experience, specializing in software development, project and IT management. He has held positions in Australia, Fiji, Indonesia and currently Brunei. He is a member of the E-Business Program Executive Committee (EBPEC), one of the working groups to Brunei Darussalam's National Information Technology (BIT) Council, as well as a Member of the Australia Computer Society.

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