"We have to make computer systems easier to use, rather than expect
people to learn to use what we provide. This should be an overdue
lesson in humility for IT."
That was the reaction of Philip Virgo, strategic adviser at the
Institute for the Management of Information Systems (Imis), to a
new survey which shows UK workers place a relatively low value on
IT skills.
The survey of a cross section of the UK workforce found that
workers believed that having advanced IT skills was most likely to
boost their wage packet, while the most important skills in doing
their job were soft, rather than technical skills.
Some 76% cited communication skills as most important, with 65%
choosing team working and self-motivation. In contrast only 38%
mentioned basic IT and just 20% advanced IT skills.
The relative lack of importance staff attached to their IT skills,
Virgo said, was a sign of a backlash by those working outside the
IT department to the quality of some of the computer systems they
have to work with.
The survey, by market research firm Mori, found one in four British
workers felt they lacked the skills to do their jobs properly while
44% had not received any training in the last 12 months.
Paul Butler, chief executive officer of KnowledgePool, said the
results highlighted staff enthusiasm for training, but showed "a
gap exists between the desire to learn and the commitment of
British companies to the development of their people".
Mori interviewed more than 800 people for KnowledgePool, the
training services subsidiary of Fujitsu Services.