Bay ITC is adopting the International Computer Driving License (ICDL) to meet its goal of bringing 10,000 students up to an industry defined standard by 2005. Known as the world�s leading workforce skills credentialing program, ICDL is used to create computer literate, skilled workforces in more than 130 countries. More than 3.5 million people worldwide have earned or are earning their ICDL. The ICDL is being executed as an assessment that validates instruction throughout a variety of courses in the community college system. There is no cost for a college to join the campaign. Community colleges have existing assessment and instructional infrastructures sufficient to support the roll out of ICDL, and there are no additional investments required by the state.

Bay ITC will open nine ICDL testing centers this month at San Francisco Bay Region, Orange County and Kern County community colleges. In mid-March, more than 20 additional ICDL testing centers from across the state will join the campaign. Bay ITC plans to make the program available to all of the community colleges, K-12 partners, workforce investment boards and companies throughout California as part of an information competency campaign.

California Community College System: World�s Largest System of Higher Education
Linking the scale of California community colleges to industry, government, other higher education providers and community agencies promises tremendous returns, according to Claire Biancalana, interim president of Cabrillo College. �We propose to undertake change efforts on a scale that, to our knowledge, has never been attempted in the community college system,� said Biancalana. �We believe that working collaboratively at regional and statewide levels is essential to the initiative�s success. This effort will provide California residents and businesses with the skills that they need to remain competitive in a rapidly changing economy.�

IBM helps launch ICDL Initiative in California
IBM has taken an active role in this program and other digital literacy initiatives. "These are the kind of steps we need to take to answer California's sustainable economic development challenges," said Ted Olsson, IBM's Manager of Corporate Community Relations, Western States and a member of Bay Area Council's Education and Workforce Preparation Task Force. "ICDL will provide new opportunity for California students to enhance their job skill proficiency and to take advantage of the technology needed to perform more than 90 percent of today's jobs. Driving the campaign to include K-12 partners will even further enhance efforts to prepare residents for success in education and the workforce."

How will California benefit from ICDL?
The loss of jobs in California is at an all-time high. According to area leaders, California must develop more competitive advantages in order to retain jobs and compete with other states and regions. Key among these is a workforce that has the necessary IT skills that employers can bank on.

In many European countries, approximately two percent of the population is ICDL certified, according to Grant Castle, president of ICDL-US. �These levels were achieved in about five years and with the major worldwide momentum behind ICDL, a one to two percent penetration rate for California is definitely attainable. It�s already happened in Ireland, England, Italy and several other countries,� Castle explained. �California is a global economy on its own; a tool that has proven itself on a global basis as a job-creation tool is a perfect fit for the state now,� said Castle. �By working with state and local employers, the demand for workers with their ICDL should grow quickly.�

ICDL is used as the global measurement workforce standard in major universities and businesses including: Trinity College-Dublin, Ireland; Univ. of South Africa; National Univ. of Ireland � Maynooth and Galway campuses; Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland; IBM-UK; Volkswagen-South America; Heineken-Ireland; as well as the UK National Health Service.

�With the ICDL tool, we will quickly reach a scale that makes a significant economic impact,� said Corey Kidwell, executive director of Bay ITC. �ICDL provides a consistent measurement that validates the learning taking place in community colleges around the state, and it provides business and industry with an independent assessment of those skills that is clear, consistent and validated by companies around the globe.�

About the Bay Area Information Technology Consortium (Bay ITC)
Bay ITC is a collaborative regional effort among 26 California Bay Area community colleges and high technology businesses dedicated to educational innovation and information technology program reform in the Bay Region community college system. The Bay ITC represents the strongest workforce development network in the Greater Bay Area. It provides a unified voice to assess and define regional workforce development needs in IT. Bay ITC has garnered support from Intel, Sun Microsystems, Hewlett-Packard, and Cisco Systems, and others. Originating in the Silicon Valley, the Consortium now includes colleges from Monterey to Santa Rosa and extends from San Francisco to the Napa and Tri-Valleys. Additional information about Bay ITC is available at www.bayitc.org, or by calling 510-663-2277.

About the International Computer Driving License
The International Computer Driving License (ICDL) is a globally recognized certification program that enables individuals to validate workforce-ready computer skills. Using a seven-module certification program, ICDL validates each user�s proficiency in the areas of basic computer competency, including basic concepts of Information Technology, file management, Internet and e-mail use, word processing, spreadsheets, presentations and databases. Based in Southport, Connecticut, ICDL-US is the sole U.S. licensee of the ICDL/European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL) Foundation. For more information, visit ICDL at www.icdlus.com or call 866-799-4235.