IT skills need to be maintained

by Rudy Scheinost

Using a PC is something which the vast majority of Britons do every day in their working life, yet IT skills are often taken for granted.

Many of today's younger workers will have been using computers and Microsoft applications since their early years in school, so it is vital that older members of the workforce are up-to-date with their IT know-how.

Michael Dean, head of marketing at the National Computing Centre, said that many jobseekers and workers become complacent about IT and fail to see that maintaining the skills can keep them ahead of the competition.

"The more IT-savvy you are, the more opportunities you're going to find around – not least because virtually every job involves the use of IT somewhere," he said.

Mr Dean added that recruiters also need to keep IT training in mind and not marginalise it or put it off until the last minute, because this means staff will not benefit as much.