This document discusses the need for Nigeria to develop a digitally literate workforce and citizenry to cope with rapid technological changes. It proposes adopting the Internet and Computing Core Certification (IC3) as a global standard for digital literacy in Nigeria. IC3 helps validate basic computing knowledge and prepares individuals for further ICT certifications. The document outlines challenges around existing skills gaps and mismatches, and proposes solutions like establishing an ICT training and certification roadmap based on IC3 and other globally recognized certifications. This would help raise Nigeria's workforce competence and make them job-ready and competitive in a global digital environment.

1. Dr. Niran Oyekale fiima
President / CEO, Commit Technology & Consult Limited
+234(0)7031055234, (0)8183428803 commitechng@gmail.com

2. The Paradigm Shift
From
The Industrial Age
To
The Information Age
To
The Creativity Age

3. These changes,
among others, are ushering us
toward
a world
where knowledge, power, and
productive capability will be
more dispersed than at any time in
our history— a world
where value creation will be fast, fluid,
and
The Implication

4. ……..Something Worth Pondering on?
Think about the closing of one school
year and begin the transformation into
another, file away just one number: 65
percent…..
…..fully 65 percent of
today’s basic school pupils may end
up doing work that hasn’t been
invented yet.
Source: Cathy N. Davidson, co-director of the annual MacArthur Foundation

5. Think back 50 years
…. could educators then have
predicted how the Internet, which
emerged globally in 1994, or the
mobile phone, which appeared a few
years later, would change the world?
Think a moment about this generation…

6. These technologies
have not just become tools
of learning, but networking and
knowledge sharing, as well as
innovation and
entrepreneurship….
Think a moment further about this
generation…
Think Again……..

7. A Fast Changing World…
……..changing so fast
That the replication of more of
the same knowledge and skills of the
other days will not suffice to address
the challenges of today, not to talk of
the future…
Imagine….
A generation ago, teachers could expect that what they
taught would last their students a
lifetime.

8. Rapid
economic and social changes
demand Nigeria to prepare the
citizenry
for jobs that are yet to be created,
technologies that have not yet
been invented
and problems that we don't yet
know will arise.
Reality of Time

9. • Increasingly diverse customer base
• Increasing complexity of business
structures and organizations
• Expanding mobile customers and
increasing electronic communication
• Increasing economic importance of
digital commerce and digital content
Resultant Changes in Business Environment

10. Resultant Change to Process of Learning
20th Century Classrooms 21st Century Classrooms
Time-based Outcome-based
Focus on memorization of discrete facts Focus on what students KNOW, CAN DO and ARE
LIKE after all the details are forgotten
Lessons focus on lower level of Bloom’s Taxonomy –
knowledge, comprehension and application
Learning is designed on upper levels of Bloom’s –
synthesis, analysis and evaluation
Textbook-driven Research-driven
Passive learning Active learning
Learners work in isolation – classroom within 4
walls
Learners work collaboratively with classmates and
others around the world – the Global
Classroom
Teacher-centered: teacher is center of attention
and provider of information
Student-centered: teacher is facilitator/coach
Little or no student freedom Great deal of student freedom
Fragmented curriculum Integrated and Interdisciplinary curriculum
Grades averaged Grades are based on what was learned

11. Resultant Change to Process of Learning
Low expectations High expectations – “If it isn’t good, it isn’t
done” We expect, and ensure, that all students
succeed in learning at high levels. Some may go
higher – we get out of their way to let them do
that.
Teacher is judge. No one else sees student work. Self, Peer and Other assessments. Public
audience, authentic assessments.
Curriculum/School is irrelevant and meaningless to
the students.
Curriculum is connected to students’ interests,
experiences, talents and the real world.
Print is the primary vehicle of learning and
assessment.
Performances, projects and multiple forms of
media are used for learning and assessment.
Diversity in students is ignored. Curriculum and instruction address student
diversity.
Literacy is the 3 R’s – reading, writing and math Multiple literacies of the 21st century – aligned to
living and working in a globalized new millennium.

12. The impact or response to these trends is
either
For the most part - "technology
focused"
Precipitated or facilitated by technology
or
Required of skills that are
predominantly and significantly
technology related.
Understanding the Trend…

13. Fluency
o Attained when an act is accomplished with no
noticeable cognitive or mental effort.
o Having a mastery of certain skills to the point of
not requiring conscious attention.
Digital fluency
o An evolving aptitude that empowers the individual
to
effectively and ethically interpret information,
discover meaning, design content, construct
knowledge,
and communicate ideas in a digitally connected
world.
Understanding the New Language

14. • Tremendous understanding of the
past
and current situations
• Adaptability to the digital age
• Imbibing new sets of global best
practices
• Re-tooling and re-skilling to global
standards
Success Determinants

15. IT capability to
leverage technology
for business differentiation
G
A
P
Need for Digital Fluency
Source: The 451 Group and The InfoPro - 2011
80% of all jobs and 98% of all
college degrees requires
capable and proficient use of
computers and Internet

16. The Great Expectations
Employers/Parents expect graduates to
be:
• Creative and Job ready
• Ready to thrive in the Digital
Age
o Cope with the challenges of
the 21st century
o Think critically,
o Solve problems

17. IT Capability Gap
Data, transactions, and
customer interactions are
increasing exponentially
2005
Mankind created 150
exabytes of digital data1
2010
Created 8x more
data1
2013
Mobile apps
download > 21B2
2014
130M Enterprise users
in mobile cloud3
2020
2T devices connect to
the Internet4
IT capability to
leverage technology
for business differentiation
G
A
P
IT capability to
leverage technology
for business differentiation
1. “The data deluge: Businesses, governments and society are only starting to tap its vast potential,” The Economist, Feb. 25, 2010. http://www.economist.com/node/15579717
2. “Dataquest Insight: Application Stores; The Revenue Opportunity Beyond the Hype,” Stephanie Baghdassarian, Carolina Milanesi; 16 December 2009.
3. Juniper Research. http://www.juniperresearch.com/viewpressrelease.php?id=210&pr=181
4. “The Difference Engine: Chattering Objects,” The Economist, Aug. 13, 2010. http://www.economist.com/node/21009505

18. Widening Gap….. The Genesis?ClimbingtheTreefromtheTop
ClimbingtheTreeBottom-Up
Wrong Righ
t

19. The Shortcomings
• Unemployment
• Low productivity
• Incompetency
• Inability to cope with the 21st Century
challenges
o Offices characterized by large volumes of files,
file racks
o Documents occupying a lot of spaces, some of
which are obsolete and already turning yellow.
o Retrieval of document usually difficult and an
irrecoverable loss of important documents in
case of fire incidence and other natural disasters

20. The LINKAGE
Researches show that:
21st Century Skills = Innovative TP X
Access to
Technology
21st century skills can mean the
difference
between being successful in school or
struggling every day, and having a
career, or simply getting a job.

21. Nigeria
needs a workforce
that is skilled,
adaptable, creative,
and equipped for
success in the global
marketplace.
A Nation in Need

22. Nigeria must go beyond the 3R’s to:
• Have adaptive and practical skills required to
function
within the community, participate fully in global
digital
society
• Acquire meaningful literacy within a social
context
• Facilitate access to cultural, economic and
political
structures
• Recognize that new ways of seeing and thinking
Going the Extra Miles

23. • Empower the workforce by
enhancing their ICT skills to
benefit employers and the
nation as a whole
• Eradicate digital illiteracy
among them and thus enhance
the use of IT.
• Develop a large and highly-
skilled IT community that will
be one of the economic drivers
of the local economy
Creating the Standard

24. The generation of
• Significant economic and social benefits
• Capacity to remain abreast of technology
developments
• Effective use of technology to increase
productivity and competitiveness in all
sectors of the economy and operations,
Can only be achieved if we provide the
appropriate framework and inspiration for
establishing a digitally literate workforce.
Providing the Link

25. More Importantly
The significant rapid changes in society,
the transformation of education—
where and how learning takes place and
the changing roles of students and teachers
in the learning process
can only be capitalized upon if we
provide the framework and inspiration for
establishing a digitally literate teaching
force.

26. Digital Literacy: The Global Solution for 21st Century Challenges

27. • The ability to find, evaluate, utilize, share,
and create content using information
technologies and the Internet.
• A key enabler for building an inclusive
society and knowledge based economy.
DL = digital tool knowledge + critical
thinking + social engagement.
Digital Literacy, What is it?

28. Digital Literacy Model

29. • Do Nigeria workforce have the
skills they need to use digital
technologies?
• If they possess any, how are these
skills acquired?
• What types of support, training,
and professional development do
they need?
The BIG Questions

30. The Challenges
• Bridging the gap between technology skills and
innovative teaching
• Going beyond traditional software training to
providing
a scaffold that helps educators and personnel of
all skill
levels acquire knowledge.
• Shortage of digitally literate teachers
• Inadequate ICT training exercise;
usually ad‐hoc, short‐term
absence of a comprehensive framework of

31. Individuals
tend to over-assess their ICT
capability when applying for
employment.
and where there is no agreed
standard around particular skill sets,
there may be a mismatch between the
candidate’s actual ability and the
employer’s
Mismatch Galore

32. • Far reaching benefits touch every
aspect of society and the economy
• Requirement for the immediate
empowerment of our Population
The Internet and Computing Core
Certification (IC3) credential is its universal
test.
Digital Literacy, Global Priority

33. 33
4/23/2015
INTERNET &
COMPUTING CORE CERTIFICATION:
The Global Test of Digital Literacy

34. The stepping-stone into the ICT certification
pathway, a fundamental tool for measuring
proficiency in the latest key technologies for
study, work and life.
IC3 was created by Certiport, Inc. in 2000 to
address the need for a globally recognized
and accepted standard of basic computing
knowledge considered fundamental to
academic learning and a minimum
requirement for employment -Wikipedia.
IC3, The Stepping Stone

35. IC3 is based on global best practices and
requirements of education, test development
and industry,
• laying down foundational preparation for
every job and career, every field of study,
and
even social and personal lives that are
increasingly impacted by technology.
• The single best solution for verifying and
validating skills attainment and mastery in
digital literacy
As Espoused by GDLC

36. Standing out with IC3
A global training and certification
program providing proof to the world
that an individual is;
• Equipped with the needed
computer skills to excel in a digital
world. -
• Capable of using a broad range of
computer technology.
• Ready for challenges of work,
academic and life .
• Positioned to advanced your career
through additional computer

37. Computing Fundamentals
• 45 Questions
• 30% Simulation
• Vendor neutral
Computer Operating Systems
Managing Computer Files
Computer Terminology
Types of Computers & Mobile
Devices
Types of Software Applications &
Tools
Troubleshooting basic computer
problems
Devices and Peripherals

38. Key Applications
• 45 Questions
• 80% Simulation
• Based on
Windows 7 and
Office 2010
Common Application Features
Basic Database Interactions
Word Processing activities and methods
Spreadsheet Components
Worksheet Layout and basic formulas
Presentation Activities / Working with
Multimedia
Collaboration and File Sharing

39. Living Online
• 45 Questions
• 30% Simulation
• Vendor neutral
• Aligned with
National Standards
Internet Browsers and the WWW
Network types and features
E-mail communications
Digital Citizenship
Research Fluency
Using Search Engines
Legal and Responsible use of
Computers

40. Global Standard Recognition

41. Recognized in Nigeria
The IC3 is well-respected internationally, endorsed
and recommended by
NITDA - National Information Technology
Development Agency
CPN - Computer Professionals
(Registration Council of) Nigeria
NUC - National Universities Commission
TRCN - Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria

42. IC3…… the Missing Link
From digital literacy certification
in IC3, to professionally
recognized skills certification on
MCE, MOS, MTA, MCP, Adobe,
HP, Autodesk products, IC
Health etc.
IC3 provides the pathway to a
fulfilling and valuable career in
many different fields.

43. IC3 Digital Literacy
ITProfessional
DatabaseAdministration
SoftwareDevelopment
HTML/Gaming
Microsoft/HP
Technology
Associate
WebTechnologies
Print,Graphicsand
Media
Adobe
Certified
Associate
Engineering
Construction
AutoDesk
Certifications
Accounting
QuickBooks
Certified
OfficeMngmnt
Business
Professionals
LawProfessionals
Marketing
Finance
Microsoft Office
Specialist
Microsoft
Certified
Educator
IC Health
Heath-care
Professionals
Academia
Professionals
Pathway to Digital Fluency

44. Training for Success
Training to be a Versatilist to continuously
adapt, learn and grow in a fast-changing
world
“Versatilists are able to apply a depth of
skill to a progressively widening scope of
situations and experiences, equally at ease
with technical issues as with business
strategy.”

45. Core
IT/Trainin
g
IC3
MOS
MCE
MTA
HP
INTUIT
ADOBE
AUTODES
K
IC HEALTH
Administratio
n
Media and
Designers
Law
Professional
s
Health
Workers
Accounting/
Finance
Academi
a
Engineerin
g
Mapping ICT Skills to Job Roles

46. Achieving Global Standard in Digital Fluency
• Covering up the oversight in Nigerian Tertiary
Education System and broaden the perspective
to a national and global level in line with best
global practice
• Breathing a new life into training content,
leveraging technology in ways that powerfully
advance learning, strengthening Nigeria’s
workforce engagement in challenging, authentic
and intellectual works.
• Raising the Nigeria’s workforce competence
beyond the limits of ‘3Rs’ to the ‘3Cs’ qualities
of high-performance that today
characterize most competitive companies.

47. Cont’d
• Bridging the existing digital gap, thus solving the
associated skills gap among Nigeria tertiary
institutions’ graduates.
• Benchmarking a set of essential digital literacy
skills to function in today's business world
• Availing Nigeria’s workforce of digital portfolio,
proof of knowledge and proficiency required to
make them more job-ready, marketable and
competitive globally
• Earning the Nigeria’s workforce industry-
recognized credential, tools and skills set to enter
into workforce, armed to succeed in today's

48. Ecobank Group should collaborate to among other
initiatives:
• Develop a “roadmap for success” in achieving
Nigerians digital fluency
• Champion and adopt IC3 as standard of Digital
Literacy Nigeria
Capacity development must be acquired within the
context of today’s technological environment to
Nigerians thrive in the digital age
The Way Forward

49. ICT Training and Certification Roadmap

50. Entrenched from IC3 digital literacy to
other ICT training modules to attain
fluency at all levels of
• Nigeria education system
• Workforce preparation and
• Continuous professional
development
in line with best global practices.
Bringing All to Global Standard

51. Rethinking Education
Changes of this magnitude require a complete
rethinking of education…. in terms of
• Curriculum
• Development of Pedagogies
To ensure that every student acquires the high
level of skills needed to thrive in the dynamic
world of the 21st century.
51
“If we teach today as we taught yesterday, we rob our children of
tomorrow.” - John Dewey

52. • Hybrid ICT Curriculum and Content
(Age 3 - 16)
• IC3 Spark (Between SS1 & SS3)
• Global Digital Literacy Championship
Intervene Now

53. Career Progression for Colleges and Universities
Microsoft/H
P Technology
Associate
•Technology
•Science
Adobe
Certified
Associate
•Creative Arts
•Media
AutoDesk
Certification
•Engineering
QuickBooks
Certified
•Accounting
•Finance
IC3 Digital Literacy
Microsoft
Office
Specialist
•Management
•Marketing
•Legal
•Admin
Microsoft
Certified
Educator
•Education
IC HEALTH
•Medical
•Nursing
•Records
•Laboratory

54. A National Agenda• Promote a commitment to digital literacy as the
basic
skill required for all citizens.
• Benchmark and adopt globally accepted metric
standards
• Enhance digital fluency opportunities in
technological
innovation and workforce readiness.
• Develop timetables and milestones to ensure
appropriate accountability for assessing timely
progress
and ultimate success

55. Any nation
whose citizens best
harness the educational
and creative powers of
digital technology will
write the economic and
educational success
story of the21st
century.
Hope of Success

56. Investments
in people are fundamental
to social and economic development. But,
investments in technology
will do a little to improve the way
we work , learn and socialize
unless they are matched by efforts to build
capacity of the Nigerians to harness the
opportunities that
ICT offers.
Capacity Development… the Solution

57. The ‘3Cs’ is it…
Aside the basic skills of literacy and
numeracy, every Nigerian must also master
the "three C's" …Communication,
Collaboration, and Creative Problem
Solving.
And beyond attain technological
fluency, and, most of all, the skills and
attitudes needed to be a lifelong learner.
57

58. A Clarion Call
Position Nigeria
to do more to keep pace with
rapid technology, research, and
Societal changes to ensure that her
workforce and
student-graduates will be ready to thrive in
today’s knowledge based, global
society and have a prove of
specific digital skills to
fill job openings.

59. In Nigeria today
digital literacy is assumed.
This forces individuals to learn
fundamental skills by trial and error,
and non-systematic learning of core
computer competencies means that
many people have big gaps in their
understanding of how
the basics work.
A Worrisome Assumption

60. M A K E I C 3
T H E F O U N D A T I O N OF
Y O U R V I S I O N F O R
N A T I O N A L
S U C C E S S ! ! !

61. IC3- More Than an Exam….Complete Solution Pathway
 Pre-Training Assessment
 Benchmark knowledge and skill prior to training
 Learning
 Traditional Instructor-lead courseware and
textbooks
 Self-paced e-learning and instructional videos
 Practice Tests
 Validate mastery of subject and preparedness
for certification
 In-class or at-home
 Remediation
Focused help on areas for improvement
 Certification

62. Unleash Human Potential.
Exposure to computer
does not equal
understanding
computers
BRIDGE the DIGITAL GAP
Support Immediate
Empowerment of
Nigeria

63. Improving digital literacy
isn’t about having individuals work
harder
—it’s about ensuring they know how to
work smarter,
understand the rules of the game,
waste
less time trying to make things
work, and eventually be
more productive.
Productivity Jump Is It !!!

64. User testing is the key
to the process of retooling and
skilling of the workforce
to determine their varying stages of
ability
and see first-hand how they
use computers.
Your Competency in Doubt?

65. Aspire to possess
in a step to foster equal
opportunities
in the information revolution,
digital economy and be truly
equipped for
the mandate of
21st century
Take a Leap Today !!!

66. Be Competitive !!!
Initiate yourself, workforce and students into
today’s digital world
Equip all with the critical entry-level
skills needed to be an effective user of
the latest computer and internet
technologies to achieve school, career
and educational objectives, expand
productivity and improve profitability .

67. Some final thoughts…..
“For tomorrow belongs to
the people who prepare for it
today”
African Proverb
67

68. The decision is ours to either
RESTART
OR
SHUTDOWN
68
God Bless Nigeria !!!!!

69. Thank you!
Commit Technology & Consult Limited

70. Conclusion
It is an enormous task
to build the ICT infrastructure,
but more important to have a strategy for
developing the skills of workforce
by first addressing the digital
literacy needs of teachers and
FIX IT!
before addressing the needs of students.