Capt'n FlashArt,
You might want to take a look at the European Computer Driving License (ECDL) on the British Computer Society site <http://www.bcs.org.uk> or the ECDL site itself <http://www.ecdl.com>
The ECDL is computer competence certification. It is based on a logbook (which you can buy from the BCS for £25) and you have pass a test for each of seven modules (Principles of IT, Operating System, Word Processing, Spreadsheets, Databases, Presentation, and Network Services ie. e-mail & web browsing). The tests cost £5 each and when you pass a test, it gets stamped into your logbook. Once you have passed all 7 modules, you get a Computer Driving License (if you pass any four modules, you get a "Starter" Computer Driving License).
The ECDL is not difficult, but neither is it trivial - once you get your license, quite a few companies will recognise you as computer literate.
There is a book called "ECDL - The Complete Coursebook" by Brendan Munnelly, ISBN 0717129608, Published by Gill & MacMillan at about £17. I think it's being reprinted at the moment, but should be available during April - try Amazon. Or there are quite a few colleges in the UK where you can do it in the evenings.
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Feline
(I Sit, I Watch, I Smile)