Neet young people fall behind on IT skills

The charity’s digital literacy survey asked 1,378 young people aged 15 to 25, including 265 who were Neet, about their IT skills.

It found just 30 per cent of Neet young people had created a Word document in the past year, compared to more than half (55 per cent) of all those surveyed.

In addition, only 48 per cent of Neet young people rated themselves as “very good” at using a computer compared to 71 per cent of those in education.

The research also found that one in 10 Neet young people cannot send a CV online and said they felt “out of depth” using a computer. While 35 per cent said they rarely or never looked online for jobs.

Of those Neet young people surveyed, one in six believed they would be in work if they had better computer skills.

The trust is concerned that poor IT skills among Neet young people is undermining their ability to find work.

“A lack of computer literacy can hold young people back and this is damaging their job prospects,” said Martina Milburn, the charity’s chief executive.

“Without basic computer skills, young people will not be able to pursue career paths and passions because they can’t get a foot in the door.

“With youth unemployment on the rise again, we need to arm our young people with the skills they need in today’s tough job market.”