Baroness Estelle Morris calls for more support for 11.6 million who need basic computing skills training in England
An independent report by Baroness Estelle Morris calls for more support for 11.6 million who need basic computing skills training in England.
An independent review published June 2009 recommends an entitlement for all adults in England to access free training in basic ICT skills.
The review, carried out by Baroness Estelle Morris, was commissioned by the Government to assess whether the nation’s basic computing skills needs are being met.
Baroness Morris’s findings indicate there are an estimated 11.6 million adults who lack basic computing skills in England and that the elderly, those socially excluded and those with few qualifications are most at risk of being left behind in a world that becomes ever more digital.
Baroness Estelle Morris said:
“We must be ambitious about the level of ICT skills in the community. Increasingly, those who are not ICT literate will find themselves excluded as technology impacts on more parts of our lives.
“The Government set high standards in 1997 and progress has been made. The ICT infrastructure has been transformed and skill levels have increased – particularly amongst the young. We need to be careful though, that we don’t settle for that. It is vital that all citizens, no matter what their age or their background, are given the chance to develop basic ICT skills.
If this is to happen, the Government needs to have a clearer focus, be less bureaucratic and not as complex. It must work with its partners from the voluntary and private sector to persuade people that they need to learn computer skills and make it easy for them to do so.”
“The entitlement proposed in this independent review is a step towards achieving that.”