User Education is important throughout IT, and the International Computer Driving License (ICDL) aims to establish a benchmark of basic IT skills. The European Computer Driving License is the form of the ICDL adopted within the European Union.
The UK National Health Service has made the ECDL a standard for its entire 700,000 staff. The initiative is aimed at empowering everyone from porters to senior medical consultants with IT skills. It is also being linked to another NHS project, Clinician Connect, which will give computer and Internet access to all clinical staff. The British Computer Society, which oversees the ECDL says that basic IT skills standards must be achieved if the Clinician Connect project is to succeed. Well over 300,000 people in the UK have gained or started working for the ECDL since its launch in May 1998 and the Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education has also endorsed the ICDL.
The ICDL is operated by the IT Training Quality & Certification Institute (ITTQC) in Hong Kong.