Anyone done an ECDL who already had office experience?

[needthemoney]

Am thinking of ways of making my CV more attractive to prospective employers after being out the job market for 8 years.

I was previously in a very admin-based job, used Excel to manage budgets of up to a million pounds; produced detailed Word documents etc. But most jobs are asking for an ECDL or comprehensive Microsoft Office experience. Must admit to not having used Outlook and have used Powerpoint minimally for the odd presentation or two. Once when I went to a temping agency like Office Angels many moons ago they gave me at test which I passed on Access Database (which I had never used AT ALL before the test!).

I can see that the ECDL costs upwards of £250 - would I not be paying to go over stuff I already know but perhaps gleaning a bit more info along the way? Is that worth doing?

Still not sure whether I am eligible for any free courses from my Jobcentre - the rules seem to be different in Scotland. And I am well hacked off that I can't get any money from the ILA (Indidvidual Learning Account) system because they changed the rules and you can't get funding if you have got a degree already (which I have but that was nearly 20 years ago and completely irrelevant!).

So if anyone has done an ECDL as an adult, I'd love to hear your thoughts.