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The Chief Executive Officer of International Computer Driving Licence Foundation (ICDL), Damien O’Sullivan, says that many young people entering the job market lack essential digital skills despite being active users of social media platforms.
Speaking during a presentation at the Computer Society of Zimbabwe-Digital Skills Breakfast Meeting at Golden Conifer, O’Sullivan said employers around the world are increasingly frustrated by graduates who are comfortable creating online content but struggle with basic computer tasks required in the workplace.
According to O’Sullivan, while many young people can easily navigate platforms such as TikTok and YouTube, they often lack fundamental workplace computer skills.
“Employers say content creation on YouTube or TikTok is wonderful, but young people do not know how to create a folder to save files or use basic shortcuts like copy and paste,” he said.
He described the problem as the widespread belief that young people are naturally digitally skilled simply because they grew up using smartphones, tablets and social media.
O’Sullivan noted that many graduates entering companies with degrees in fields such as finance, engineering or management still require training on basic computer use, something employers believe should already be part of their education.
He said businesses expect new employees to be able to use laptops, manage files, process documents and work with data from the first day on the job.
“They don’t expect to teach you how to use a laptop or how to use Excel, they expect you to already know those things,” said O’Sullivan.
O’Sullivan cited findings from the International Computer and Information Literacy Study, conducted by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement, which found that while ICT device usage among students is high, their actual digital competence has not improved.
The study assessed teenagers across several countries and revealed that although more than 80 percent of students believed they had strong word-processing skills, only about 40 percent demonstrated those abilities in practice.
Similarly, while many students believed they were proficient at using the internet, only around 30 percent were able to perform tasks effectively when tested.
O’Sullivan said one of the main reasons for this gap is that digital literacy is included in many school curriculums but is rarely assessed in the same way as subjects such as mathematics, science or languages.
“If there is no exam, it is not taken as seriously,” he said.
He also noted that the absence of strong assessment systems means students are not being pushed to develop practical digital competence.
He urged students and young professionals to focus on building practical computer skills that will allow them to work with data and analyse information.
“Your degree will only be valuable to an employer if you can perform, and performance today means being able to use a computer effectively,” O’Sullivan said.
O’Sullivan also cautioned young people against relying entirely on artificial intelligence tools to complete tasks such as writing CVs or doing work assignments as employers ultimately look for people who can demonstrate genuine competence.
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