All adults should be entitled to free basic ICT skills training, according to an independent government commissioned report published this week.

The review, carried out by Estelle Morris, outlines the importance of digital skills to the health and wellbeing of UK citizens as well as the wider economy and calls for a more focused strategy to address the growing ICT skills gaps.

Researchers estimate there are more than 11m adults who lack basic computing skills in England and that the elderly, those who are socially excluded and those with few qualifications are most at risk of being left behind as the world becomes increasingly reliant on digital technologies.

Morris said: “We must be ambitious about the level of ICT skills in the community. Increasingly, those who are not ICT literate will find themselves excluded as technology impacts on more parts of our lives.

“The government set high standards in 1997 and progress has been made. The ICT infrastructure has been transformed and skill levels have increased – particularly amongst the young. We need to be careful though, that we don’t settle for that. It is vital that all citizens, no matter what their age or their background, are given the chance to develop basic ICT skills.”

She said the government needs to have a clearer focus, be less bureaucratic and not as complex and that it must work with its partners from the voluntary and private sector to persuade people that they need to learn computer skills and make it easy for them to do so.

The report proposes an ‘entitlement’ to digital life skills for adults made up of a social marketing campaign to highlight the benefits of getting online, a helpline and website with online learning models as well as links to a range of resources, and access to a diverse range of computing skills providers to learn the basic skills needed to get online.

The government responded to the recommendations by saying it would consider the review in more detail as the Digital Britain report, which is a blueprint for the media and communications future of the country, begins being implemented.

“Being able to use a computer and access the internet is a basic skill for work and life in the digital age,” said Kevin Brennan, minister for skills in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS).

“I welcome Estelle Morris’ findings and will look seriously at how we can do more to improve basic computer skills for adults most in need – including the unemployed, those at risk of redundancy and older people – as well as those in jobs.”

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