Research highlights paucity of IT skills

13 million working hours a week lost because of IT illiteracy, claims training body

Companies frequently expect staff to resolve IT issues themselves

City & Guilds estimates that UK businesses lose over 13 million work hours a week because of IT illiteracy.

Research conducted by the training body suggests that 5.3 million workers spend two and a half hours a week fixing their own and others' IT problems.

Companies frequently expect staff to resolve IT issues themselves to keep support costs down, according to Ken Gaines, IT product manager at City & Guilds.

"Without proper training, novices can end up costing companies far more in terms of productivity levels," he said.

The research also highlighted the lack of IT skills training across the board, and found that over a third of workers report missing deadlines because of a lack of IT skills.

The level is worse for those aged between 19 and 21, according to the research. Some 43 per cent of workers in this age group fail to get jobs done on time because their IT skills are inadequate.

"For the UK to remain globally competitive, workers at all levels need appropriate training to use current and emerging information technologies," warned Gaines.