What is this series about? Please click to read the introduction.
Myth #1: “Technology is the young person’s domain these days – If I need more technical skills I can just hire younger people – they don’t need training."
Don’t mistake confidence for competence. If American business could thrive solely on cell phone and game console skills, this statement might be correct. However, that is not the case – one has to consider the evidence that young people leaving high school and entering college or going into the workplace are woefully behind in their knowledge of business oriented applications – the kinds of applications covered by ICDL.
Young people have grown up with more onscreen displays and cryptically-labeled buttons than the over-30 crowd, certainly. But – understandably - they have mastered only those applications that they use – and that interest them. Unless a young person has had to master professional document creation, or has faced the kinds of problems a math-focused application like a spreadsheet might require, or any of a myriad other situation commonly found business – but not in high school – there is no reason to expect that young person to have even attempted those skills, much less mastered them.
Stories are rampant about both the highly skilled and the woefully unskilled. About the lack of what many consider common knowledge – as well as stories about incredibly capable individuals who had skills and knowledge beyond their years. So what’s new? This has been the case for centuries. The boys and girls of the AV club spend their free time playing with technology, and are impressive at using the tools.
But on average, young people – without any special training or attention – have no better facility with the common business applications than any adult who has not been trained. Both groups – students and workers – need help and training. ICDL provides both the means and the incentive through the study programs included in the Ohio package, as well as through the certificate and documentation of their achievements – to provide a useful program for young people headed either to higher education or to the workplace.
Ohio’s community colleges, career centers and other community institutions are already supporting programs in this are. ICDL offers both the users and the program providers a new kind of structure and a new set of worthy goals.
--> Watch for the last installment of this series - Conclusions - and a wrap-up of the 10 Myths about computer skills training in Ohio.
(-- originally posted by Rich Bowers, Coordinator, Ohio IT Clearinghouse)
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