A heavy emphasis must be placed on ensuring young people are taught digital literacy skills Galway TD Hildegarde Naughton.
The government’s current literacy programme is due to come up for review by the end of 2020, and Deputy Naughton says that a heavy emphasis must be placed on digital literacy in its replacement.
“Our learners need to be given a strong foothold so that they are prepared for entering the world of work and further education, as well as being prepared for upskilling throughout their careers,” she added.
The current Literacy and Numeracy strategy has been a great success in raising literacy levels she insisted, but added that preparing for the future jobs market makes digital skills more important than ever.
“Skills such as coding and other digital skills will become increasingly necessary in the future and it is vital that we prepare our young people for this.”
“With the advent of Artificial Intelligence and other technology set to radically alter how we work, we must put our best foot forward when it comes to preparing ourselves.”
Not only should people have the right tools to enter the jobs market, Hildegarde Naughton said, but they must increasingly be ready to upskill throughout their careers.
““In this fast changing world technology is changing how we work, learn and do business. This will bring challenges, as well as opportunities.”
“We need to ensure we are ready to be resilient in the face of challenges and agile enough to grasp those opportunities,” the Fine Gael TD said.
““This involves upskilling our current workforce but also ensuring that the next generation is well prepared and well equipped to thrive in a changed world of work.”
