1. Swiss ECDL Study 2015 as a marketing tool
ECDL Foundation Forum 2016, Budapest
26 May 2016, Advocacy and PR panel session
Julia van Wijnkoop
ECDL Switzerland

2. ECDL in Switzerland Switzerland 8 million residents
3 languages (German, French, Italian)
26 highly autonomous cantons
Direct democracy
ECDL in Switzerland
Nearly 250’000 candidates since 1999
About 18,000 candidates per year
300 Test Centres
4 languages (German, French, Italian, English)

3. Description of ECDL Study 2015
Self-assessment and actual computer skills of Swiss population
Sample: Swiss population representative for German and French speaking people from 15 to 64 years old
Research institute: meinungsraum.at
Survey period: 24 March to 4 May 2015
Survey in two steps
Online survey for self-assessment: 2050 online interviews
Practical test with ECDL Base tasks: 492 tests
ECDL Study 2015 methods
The ECDL study is based on a survey conducted by the neutral research institute meinungsraum.at from 24 March to 4 May 2015 answered by 2050 people between 15 and 64 in the German- and French-speaking parts of Switzerland. Participants were selected to be representative according to their sex, age, canton and education. In the online survey, participants first rated their own skills in file management, using the Internet and s, Word and Excel on a scale of 0 to 10. Out of all the interviewees, 492 people additionally took a practical SOPHIA test, which assessed their basic computer skills.

4. The practical Sophia test
12 in-application tasks, solved with Windows or Mac computer
3 questions from each module
Computer Essentials
Online Essentials
Word Processing
Spreadsheets
Time limit: 18 minutes
Take the study test at
ECDL Base

5. Study results
78% of the Swiss population overestimated their PC skills
Average test result: 46%
Lowest scores in Excel
People with low scores had the biggest difference between self-assessment and test result
ICT-certificate holders were better in assessing their skills and achieved better scores
«Best scores»
ECDL certificate holders (average score: 70%)
15- to 25-year-olds (average score: 60%)
office workers (average score: 55%)

6. Average test result by application

7. Overestimation in all areas
Good – very good: score %

8. Our marketing goals
Raise awareness in public and employers of lack of skills in Swiss population  Training is necessary especially for office workers
Use study results as sales argument to take a course and complete it with a certificate or at least a test
Inform heads of HR about large overestimation  Certificates or assessment tests are necessary as «good skills» in a CV are not reliable

9. Public Relations Preparation of publication
Define date after school holidays: 18th August 2015
In cooperation with PR agency: define form of publication (not press conference as in Austria), create press release
News agency (SDA) received the press release 2 weeks earlier and created their own SDA message
PR agency informed 3 key media about the study results 2 weeks before the release date
Media training to prepare media requests
Impact: 70 articles in press, web and radio  over 60 editors published articles based on SDA message, big article in important economic newspaper
Free study test for journalists and readers

10. Hier Clippings einfügen
Great media coverage: 70 articles in print and online media and radio. In all parts of Switzerland.
Mainstream media (90%) and trade press (10%)

11. Events: Test Centre Day, HR Fair
Presentation at Test Center… Day 2015
Banner with 2 main results
Presentation at HR fair

12. Print
New brochure for companies with study results and call to action «measure your staff’s PC skills with our study tests to compare with the Swiss average»
Flyer for candidates with Test Centre contact
Flyer inside: FLOP! (see flyer on your desk)

13. Study results for advocacy and sales
Reference for all our sales and lobbying activities
Test Centres can use all results and materials to convince their decision makers
Companies can use the results as a reference point / benchmark

14. Ideas for national operators
Communicate the study results from Switzerland and Austria, especially the overestimation
Let people test themselves to see where they stand
Running a digital skills survey in your country  national news important for PR
You can re-use our questionnaire and study test for a similar survey in your country
 All material on the Swiss ECDL study at

15. Thank you! Contact: Julia van Wijnkoop marketing@ecdl.ch