Young ‘hit by lack of computer skills’

Poor computer skills could be hampering young people’s career chances, a charity warned.

About one in eight say that they do not believe their computer skills are good enough for the job they want to do, according to a poll by the Prince’s Trust.

And this rises to almost one in five (18 per cent) for young people who are “Neet” – not in education, employment or training.

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The poll asked more than 1,300 British 15 to 25-year-olds – including 265 Neets – about their computer skills.It found that around one in six (17 per cent) Neets said they believed they would be in work if they could use a computer better, and about one in four (24 per cent) said they dreaded filling in online job application forms.

The survey was published to mark the launch of a new Prince’s Trust scheme designed to engage schoolchildren with science and technology.

Under the initiative, staff from the Science Museum will visit Prince’s Trust clubs in schools to work with young people who are at risk of exclusion or under-achieving.

The scheme follows a £500,000 donation to the Trust last year by musician will.i.am.