ECDL-certified competency in basic computer skills can help reduce running costs for businesses, according to the results of a major new survey.
The wide-ranging study, “Cost of
Ignorance in the Information Society,”
was written by researchers from the
SDA Bocconi University in Milan.
It discovered that Italian workers
waste an average of 16 days per
year on computer problems, costing
the country’s economy EUR15 billion
annually. But the researchers also
discovered that basic ECDL preparation
can help slash this cost of computer
ignorance by dramatically increasing
the efficiency of staff who use
computers.
The researchers defined “computer
ignorance” as the economic impact of
a delay in ensuring that a workforce
is computer literate. A main aim of
the study was to quantitatively assess
the cost which computer ignorance
can have on companies and the Italian
economy. In a telling insight, it was
discovered that 70 percent of time
lost on computer problems relates to
applications included in training that
prepares learners for ECDL certification.
As part of their research, the analysts
assessed the computer skills of about
200 people, composed of Bocconi
university students and employees of
medium and large companies. The
participants took the same test before
and after completing a preparatory
course for obtaining the ECDL. The
improvements in individual productivity
were notable, ranging between 20 and
40 percent, depending on the initial
level of skill.
The researchers also found that the
computer literacy problem varies
on the basis of the size of the
organisation, company or public body.
The most critical areas, noted the
study, are Italy’s small and medium
enterprises where the economic
constraints are tighter, but where there
are also cultural barriers to overcome.
“The results of the research are
revealing,” said David Carpenter, CEO
of ECDL-F. “They offer further proof
that while a lack of core computer
skills can impact a nation’s economy,
training that leads to ECDL certification
offers a clear solution.”
The researchers said that although
one out of two people in the working
population in Italy uses a computer in
the workplace, only 18 percent of the
workforce has received basic training,
compared with an overall European
figure of 27 percent.
Franco Filippazzi, ECDL Programme
Manager for Associazione Italiana per
l’Informatica ed il Calcolo Automatico
(AICA – the ECDL licensee for Italy),
noted that the increasing popularity
of the ECDL is helping address this
skills gap. Following an agreement
with the Ministry of Education and the
Headmasters Organisation of Italian
Universities, most first-year university
students will undertake the ECDL, a
development expected to lead to a
sharp increase in core computer skills
throughout the Italian workforce.