ICDL Saudi Arabia, the governing body of the International Computer Driving License (ICDL) programme in Saudi Arabia has called upon the commercial industry to invest more on IT literacy campaigns.

ICDL Saudi Arabia cited an Italian study on the ‘Cost of Ignorance’ wherein it was discovered that ICDL certification gives a total return on investment of SR14,000 ($3732) per person annually as well as 47 per cent competence increase from pre-training levels.

Moreover, the study confirmed that digitally literate employees add real value to an organisation through increased overall efficiency and productivity, greater ability to achieve specific goals and objectives more effectively and reduction or elimination of unnecessary administrative burdens.

ICDL Saudi Arabia has recently launched a nationwide campaign urging small and medium enterprises (SME) to increase productivity by embracing modern digital tools and technology.

ICDL KSA further revealed that it has developed special digital proficiency programs catering to the specific needs of SMEs and has been encouraging companies to enrol their employees in the program.

'SMEs will greatly benefit from the ICDL certification because it will help them ensure that their staff are qualified to handle modern IT tools that help drive business performance,” Dr Sulaiman Al-Dhalaan, consultant, ICDL Saudi Arabia.

“ICDL certification provides objective verification of employees' skills and demonstrates their competency to a recognised standard,' he added.

'Moreover, SMEs also benefit by being able to clearly define the set of skills required for employees to be effective, having greater ability to assess workforce skills and build a training plan, providing added motivation for employees, and offering a clear measure of the return on investment in training,” Dr Al-Dhalaan concluded. – TradeArabia News Service