THE DIGITAL DIVIDE: COMPUTER USE,
BASIC SKILLS AND EMPLOYMENT
POLICY CHALLENGES
■ The different labour market conditions in
Portland and London place a premium on ICT
use at home or in the workplace. In Portland ICT
competence appears to improve the chances of
getting employment and retaining it. Whereas in
London there is little evidence of such direct
benefits to employability from gaining ICT
competence; jobs were abundant during
2000-2004 and any additionally required skills
were learned ‘on the job’.
■ The digital divide is reducing more quickly in
Portland than in London but a solid minority in
both countries still have little access to or use of
ICT. This points to a degree of marginalisation in
the workforce of those without digital skills,
which is likely to be particularly evident at times
of economic stress. At such times (as in
Portland) those with good digital skills will be
less likely to lose their jobs than those without
those skills.
■ Employment and ICT use support the
development of literacy proficiency. Hence,
enhancement of literacy proficiency is aided
substantially by time spent in employment and
exposure to ICT. There is less evidence of effects
in the other direction i.e. of improved literacy
proficiency influencing the take-up of ICT or the
likelihood of getting employment.
■ From the London evidence it appears that ICT
use is tied to progression in employment for
men. For women it is more closely aligned with
engagement with the labour market.
More generally we can conclude that absence of,
decline or stagnation in any of the competences
reflected in the three divides increases the
likelihood of marginalisation and exclusion. This
reinforces the case for continuing and expanding
adult basic education provision. The need to
enhance and continually update digital competence
takes particular priority. At a time of economic
downturn such competence becomes a ‘key skill’ in
re-engaging with the labour market and
maintaining a secure position in it when the
economy improves. However, digital skills cannot
sensibly be seen in isolation from the other
foundations of employability in which literacy
proficiency, and increasingly numeracy proficiency,
have a central place. Employment itself is of course
the other major bastion of protection as it supplies
not only the means of gaining skills but the
opportunity to practice, fine tune and develop those
skills.
CONCLUSIONS
This study has shown the existence of ‘virtuous’
circles where enhanced skills work in tandem with
employment experience to reinforce prospects
further. The ‘vicious’ side of the circle is also
evident from our findings. Lack of ICT access and
use coupled with consistently poor literacy is likely
to damage employability further. The consequence
is more, rather than less, marginalisation in the
labour market. The need then becomes to improve
and update continually adult educational provision
so that it keeps up with modern employment
demands.
It appears that boosting literacy proficiency is
unlikely to be sufficient to reverse labour market
exclusion processes on its own. A combination of
literacy provision that raises ICT competence
alongside the creation of employment opportunities
is more likely to convert the vicious circle into a
virtuous one.