e-skills UK: IT skills are "essential"

18:00 18th June 2009

An industry insider has emphasised how important computer training is for modern Britain.

Karen Price, chief executive officer of e-skills UK, said: "Everyone needs IT skills; they have become as essential as the ability to read, write and understand basic mathematics."

Research from the company has discovered that over 90 per cent of jobs now need IT skills of some level.

Ms Price's comments follow the release of a study by Baroness Estelle Morris yesterday which recommends all adults receive free, basic IT training.

The report was commissioned by the government to find out if the UK's computing skills requirements were being met.

It discovered there are around 11.6 million adults in England who are lacking basic computer skills.

Among these, the elderly, socially excluded and those with few academic qualifications are at risk of at being abandoned by an increasingly-digital world.

A study from the Communications Consumer Panel found 80 per cent of people believed it should be possible for people to gain the skills and confidence to use broadband at home.