Scottish workers have significantly poorer computing skills than their counterparts elsewhere in the UK, says a survey.
And a leading IT and software firm believes this will seriously hinder a sustained recovery.
In the latest Skills in Scotland survey 16% of businesses owners reported that skill gaps had a major impact on their business last year, with 27% citing a lack of basic IT skills as a major problem.
Alistair Findlater, managing director of Tycom, warns that government investment in IT is essential if Scotland is to compete. “In Scotland we have a productivity gap which could be closed by investing in IT skills," he says.
“Scots are 10% less likely to report that computers play an important role in their working lives, or that they use computers in an advanced manner when compared to their UK counterparts. That’s a relatively high figure when considering the ever increasing role of IT in the labour market and in supporting economic development.”
We have a big job to do in bridging the computer literacy gap, but it is nevertheless a vital challenge to overcome if Scotland is to compete with the rest of the UK, as well as on an international scale
Alistair Findlater, managing director of Tycom
Scots are also less likely to report that the internet is an important day-to-day tool in the workplace when compared to the average UK worker. The Skills in Scotland survey reports that the complexity of computer use in Scotland is 18% lower than the UK average.
Findlater adds: “Scotland must look to the future in establishing itself as a driving force of growth in the UK. In order to do this we must ensure that the workforce is adequately skilled to handle the ever changing role of technology in business and compete with the 'knowledge economies'.”
“We have a big job to do in bridging the computer literacy gap, but it is nevertheless a vital challenge to overcome if Scotland is to compete with the rest of the UK, as well as on an international scale.”
A recent report from the Clydesdale Bank reported that Scottish companies believe that IT industry is amongst the most entrepreneurial.
Meanwhile, a report by IT trade body ScotlandIS said there is an “urgent need” for ICT skills to be better embedded across Scotland to foster innovation in an increasingly service-orientated economy.
