The knowledge factor

People lacking in ICT skills and knowledge are totally unable to benefit from the opportunities the Information Age has created. This is due to lack of education in the developed world and even more so in the developing world. There is a huge difference in skills between those people who are competent in the use of ICT and those who are not; for example, this is reflected clearly  in most UK schools and also between generations.

Globally

There is currently a shocking division between the developed and developing world’s knowledge of ICT. Look at the chart:

This indicates that only 1.8% of Africans have internet access compared with 30.6% of Europeans. This shows how substantial the divide is. In the recent 'World summit on the Information Society' in Tunisia, the Global Knowledge Partnership held a special session on ‘Financing Knowledge in Africa’. This shows that education is a key part in the effort to try and bridge the gap on a global scale.

Locally

The divide is massive on a global stage but it is also very noticeable locally. In the UK approximately 27 million people are ‘digitally excluded’ and do not have internet access according to a recent report by BT. The report also warned that the gap between the ‘have-nets’ and ‘have-not's’ will get much larger if the government and other organisations fail to engage the minds of the people who have so far rejected the benefits of the Information Age.

To try and bridge the gap, the government has made ICT a compulsory subject at school and all students must now learn about digital technologies. However, I believe more could be done by civil society working more closely with communities to strengthen ICT initiatives. This would benefit those who did not have the opportunity to study computing when they were at school, those from previous generations.

Click next to find out about the economics contribution to the divide…