The BCS -
Certifying the IT skills of a Whole Nation

As computers and the Internet are becoming natural parts of virtually all professions and roles in society, IT skills are being taken for granted in a growing number of situations. The British Computer Society chose to launch the European Computer Driving License ECDL for children, adults and elderly wanting to participate in the information and knowledge society, across a nation with over 50 million potential test takers.

In 2000, the BCS chose Enlight as a provider of a complete online certification solution, including ECDL tests, online test delivery and application hosting. Enlight also visits and services test centres, and provides the BCS with real time statistics on the progress of the certification nationwide. After four years of using Enlight for the ECDL programme, the BCS is now extending the use of Enlight to include also the e-Citizen certification programme.

The British Computer Society

As the only Chartered Professional Institution for the field of information systems engineering, the British Computer Society (BCS) exists to provide service and support on British Information System issues. Formed in 1957, the Society now operates under a Royal Charter granted in 1984.

In 1989 the Society helped to found the Council of European Professional Informatics Societies (CEPIS) through which it gains access to the European Commission.

The Challenge - Millions of test takers in thousands of test centres

In order to reach millions of potential ECDL test takers across the UK, the BCS needed to set up a nation-wide network of over 1 000 test centers where individuals could take the ECDL certification tests required.

Further, the BCS needed to deliver psychometrically correct tests to all test centers, and continuously update and validate the tests to ensure the quality and credibility of the ECDL certification. In addition to this, BCS needed to manage the reporting of test results for issuing certificates, and to monitor the progress of the test centers.

The Solution - Proven and reliable online test delivery

To provide test centers an effective way to manage the test taking process initially only managed through paper tests, BCS decided to look internationally for an online certification solution.

In 2000, the BCS chose Enlight as a provider of a complete online certification solution, including ECDL tests, online test delivery and application hosting. Enlight also visits and services test centres, and provides the BCS with real time statistics on the progress of the certification nationwide. Enlight was chosen for the extensive experience with large scale testing solutions, reliability of services, and for the proven quality of its tests.

After four years of using Enlight for the ECDL programme, the BCS is now extending the use of Enlight to include also the e-Citizen certification programme.

The Results - Test centres chose online testing

The BCS allowed test centres to choose model for testing themselves – manual, LAN-based or automated online. The results are clear, with online testing the primary choice for test centres since it became available. The BCS has subsequently chosen to use the Enlight online certification solution for deploying the new e-Citizen certification programme.