ECDL France, the national operator of the European Computer Driving Licence, is launching the ECDL Challenge along with SKEMA Business School, a large computer competition bringing together more than 800 students from the Grande Ecole Program on the campuses of Lille, Paris, and Sophia-Antipolis.
Established in 1997 with the support of the EU, the ECDL has become the global benchmark for IT certification with over 10 million candidates worldwide.
By certifying their office skills through an international standard derived from the industrial world, students prove that they have developed, during their studies, the technological knowledge that allows them to be fully operational in the corporate world.
This competence is becoming more prominent, as European HR directors estimate that more than 90% of job offers will require computer skills within 5 years.
For nearly 10 years, CERAM Business School and the ESC Lille group, now united within SKEMA Business School, have incorporated the ECDL certification into their teaching approach.
As the leading French Business School with its 6,300 students, SKEMA has launched, along with ECDL France, the national operator of ECDL, a large competition for the 800 students who joined the Grande Ecole program this year. The new recruits will test and validate their IT mastery on several software programs used in the business world.
To win the ECDL Challenge, it is not necessary to be a whiz in computer science. Indeed, the ECDL certification validates that the candidate possesses the productivity rules allowing effective and productive use of computer tools in the professional world.
However, often young people from Generation Y do not possess this knowledge since they use computers mainly for leisure activities.
“The development of skills and knowledge underpins the ECDL program; there is no need to look elsewhere to reach the top. This is the idea behind our communication campaign,” notes Olivier Goulas of ECDL France.
“To move to the next year, each student will need to master office tools and therefore obtain their complete ECDL! An online training and guided support via email and instant messaging are set up to assist them,” confirm Mélanie Ciussi, KM and Digital Technologies Professor, and Frédéric di Gleria, the school’s IT Director.
Meet in March 2011 to know the name of the winner during the official awards ceremony. Companies wishing to partner with this event are invited to contact ECDL France.
About SKEMA Business School: Already the 1st French school in the number of students, 2nd in the number of professors, 3rd in terms of budget, SKEMA Business School aims to multiply the potential of its two founding schools, the CERAM Business School and the Groupe ESC Lille, in the coming months for the benefit of its students, graduates, partner companies, and its territories. The school is now present on 6 sites: 3 in France (Lille, Sophia-Antipolis, Paris), 1 in China (Suzhou), 1 in Morocco (Casablanca), and 1 in the United States (Raleigh).
