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How IT literate does a person need to be to get a job?
Comments
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vivatifosi wrote: »Most people from Asia know more than I do, and can do it in fluent English, which is possibly an altogether different lesson for me!
Perhaps it varies from region to region? I taught computers at a womens refuge the other year. The classes were mainly full of Asian women and they didn''t have a clue how to even get a mouse to work and most could not speak English either. They were given English lessons too at the centre.
Once they got to ECDL level, they had to use the local library as the classes were in great demand. The centre only had room for 8 in a class.RENTING? Have you checked to see that your landlord has permission from their mortgage lender to rent the property? If not, you could be thrown out with very little notice.
Read the sticky on the House Buying, Renting & Selling board.0 -
There are loads of basic compter training courses. This is the offering from Hackney:
http://www.learningtrust.co.uk/adult_learning/al_results_trustnet.aspx
ECDL is the European Computer Driving Licence IIRC. There is no more excuse to be IT illiterate than to be actually illiterate or innumerate.
I thought the DWP were giving free Clait type computer courses to all those who want them too?
Most colleges and evening schools give free classes to those on benefits.RENTING? Have you checked to see that your landlord has permission from their mortgage lender to rent the property? If not, you could be thrown out with very little notice.
Read the sticky on the House Buying, Renting & Selling board.0 -
vivatifosi wrote: »That's precisely my issue lemonjelly. We have a choice with developing underclasses - hand up or hand out. I'm firmly in favour of the first category. Realistically though, we can't talk about underclasses who don't do a days work and contribute nothing to society - a favourite topic here - without discussing how you do help people get a hand up.
In the past I worked in an office, surrounded by people with a reasonable level of techno-savvy and a good basic education (at the very least). I never had to deal with the public and didn't honestly know people like this existed. However they do, possibly in the hundreds of thousands. So what are we going to do about it? If we don't provide them with basic training and swallow the cost, then they will be economically inactive at a time when we need everyone possible of contributing to society to do so in order to spread the burden.
I've worked in the voluntary sector most of my life.
It still amazes me to this day how so many of us are unaware of all the great things we have, all the opportunities, which we take for granted.
I am ucky, I have a decent education, have had good support from family. I know where I can go to get a hand up if I need one.
Too many of us appear unaware that there are literally thousands amongst us who struggle with literacy issues, or access to what some of us deem "basic essentials".
If you can't read well, you ain't gonna go to a library. Therefore you won't know about the computers & facilities there.
So many in society actually spend the vast majority of their time coping, struggling by day by day. Actually, this links well with the board, because imo they have accessed easy credit to answer many of the problems they have faced in the past 10-15 years. That has now dried up. For me, the underclass will become more apparent, & raises the risk of social tensions (hence the social implications thread I started some time ago - must go & drag that one outta the doldrums!)
I think some of us need to be a little less blinkered, & consider how some people are actually coping out there.
Oh, & I'm 100% with you, hand up, not hand out. & in years of working with such a client group, I'd genuinly say that many in that position want the same. Lets buy em a fishing rod rather than give em a fish.It's getting harder & harder to keep the government in the manner to which they have become accustomed.0 -
MissMoneypenny wrote: »I thought the DWP were giving free Clait type computer courses to all those who want them too?
Most colleges and evening schools give free classes to those on benefits.
Not quite.
There are 2 sets of fees with all courses. Tuition fees, & exam fees.
Tuition fees will be waived if the student is on means tested benefits. Exam fees are not in all cases, & frequently a source of funding needs to be found to meet these.It's getting harder & harder to keep the government in the manner to which they have become accustomed.0 -
lemonjelly wrote: »#. Lets buy em a fishing rod rather than give em a fish.
Give a man a fish you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and he can lie about in a boat all day drinking beer.The truth may be out there, but the lies are inside your head. Terry Pratchett
http.thisisnotalink.cöm0 -
lemonjelly wrote: »
If you can't read well, you ain't gonna go to a library. Therefore you won't know about the computers & facilities there.
There are plenty of adverts on the tv about getting help with basic skills from Learning Direct though.RENTING? Have you checked to see that your landlord has permission from their mortgage lender to rent the property? If not, you could be thrown out with very little notice.
Read the sticky on the House Buying, Renting & Selling board.0 -
lemonjelly wrote: »Not quite.
There are 2 sets of fees with all courses. Tuition fees, & exam fees.
Tuition fees will be waived if the student is on means tested benefits. Exam fees are not in all cases, & frequently a source of funding needs to be found to meet these.
When did the exam fees come in? They use to be free to those on benefits. At the womens refuge I taught at, the government paid for the lot.
Clait is just a learning course for computers and you get a certificate afterwards. No exam needed.RENTING? Have you checked to see that your landlord has permission from their mortgage lender to rent the property? If not, you could be thrown out with very little notice.
Read the sticky on the House Buying, Renting & Selling board.0 -
lemonjelly wrote: »Not quite.
There are 2 sets of fees with all courses. Tuition fees, & exam fees.
Tuition fees will be waived if the student is on means tested benefits. Exam fees are not in all cases, & frequently a source of funding needs to be found to meet these.
beyond that you have to look to see how accesible this is to those of limited motivation.
I really wanted to do a couple of evening classes (not IT) and they weren't run at the local place through lack of interest. An alternative was offered, but too far for me to get to.
My limitations are purely animals. (sunset is at an awkward time as far as evening classes in winter go) but if I had kids, or a working partner home in the evenings, and limited improvement to the quality of life to attend something it would be easier to dismiss them. Further more, there is no public transport here to any things like this: I can afford fuel and a car, if you are needing this course for employment, can youin a similar rural area?
Added to other reasons (embarrassment, bad experiences with other previous education)....there are dozens of reasons people can come up with to avoid. The few that over ride these (better quality of life,more money....) are they really in place, now with rising unemployment?0 -
vivatifosi wrote: »I've noticed that there are three groups of people that are struggling with this. ....
The three groups are: women .......
You could try interesting the Equal Opportunities Board as they are pretty hot on any indirect discrimination against women.No reliance should be placed on the above! Absolutely none, do you hear?0 -
the government has introduced a scheme to give free computers to those on low incomes (and with children of a certain age) i believe.
i guess anyone who goes to school in the UK will be IT literate to a certain extent. i'm guessing the main problems are with the elderly and non-UK born citizens from certain places.
but wouldn't these people even have a problem writing up a decent CV and cover letter even before the internet revolution?
more course places i guess is the obvious answer. if the money can be found from somewhere?
maybe the unemployed IT literate could get a benefit boost for some skill sharing?Those who will not reason, are bigots, those who cannot, are fools, and those who dare not, are slaves. - Lord Byron0
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