I have been asked by my organisation to brief them on the relative values of ECDL v CLAIT. I have passed ECDL and found it to be a worthwhile course for our users. However, I have no experience of CLAIT. Our HR function "don't believe that ECDL is anywhere near the standard of CLAIT". Does anybody have experience of both and could provide some sort of definitive pros and cons guide to help me?
Richard Hall
3 Responses
ECDL v CLAIT
CLAIT is much quicker to run and a simple exam for basic users. ECDL while still aimed at a basic level (unless you do the advanced version) covers a wider topic base and can be taken over a longer period of time, therefore enabling people to build up their knowledge and qualification.
However, CLAIT is a nice little exam and easy to prepare for and run.
Which one would I select? well I guess it would depend on the audience really and the needs they have. Just remember ECDL is better known and understood by employers, in my experience. Some employer now ask for ECDL in job adverts and others are using it as a basic level of requirments within the workforce.
If you need anymore help please drop me a line, rebecca@rjtraining.co.uk.
Good luck
Rebecca
It really depends
OK I’ve administered both ECDL and CLAIT (not new clait). For my money it depends on what you want. Although there were a lot of elements in CLAIT you could take, most people tend to go for Word Processing, Spreadsheets and Database (3 exams to pass). As the exams involve a live exercise you know they can produce the work if they pass.
The ECDL covers a wider range (7 exams!) as it also looks at the Internet, Presentation skills (PowerPoint), File Management and so on. The electronic exams involve a series of questions which must be answered correctly. I think ECDL is part of the BCS(British Computer Society).
Both certs are Entry Level so are pitched at the same group. I would check the websites for both courses to see which one meets your needs.
ECDL-V-CLAIT
Perhaps a good starting point would be to look at the British Computer Website and download some of the ECDL testing material to see what level you are looking at.
OCR are the awarding body for CLAIT so you can get the syllabus from them by visiting their web site.
We use CLAIT as a complete beginner training tool and ECDL as a test for those who have some exisiting skills and wish to test their ability against a European standard.
We do not use the ECDL for complete IT beginners as we have found CLAIT to be more useful as a training tool. That is our opinion and therefore subjective.
The two websites mentioned above provide guidance on how to use the respective qualifications and that may clarify matters for you.
CLAIT and ECDL are not in our opinion aimed at the same user group and therefore cannot be directly compared.
Best of luck!
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