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Ambitious social enterprise providing free IT skills

Learning News

As organisations’ IT training budgets continue to be cut, an ambitious social-enterprise is offering an innovative free solution. The online course-provider ALISON.com has just announced details of an introductory Information Technology course released to the public.

With IT training budgets cut, the interactive course provider; ALISON.com is beginning to offer a solution. The website offers a suite of free high-quality interactive courses on a range of IT and digital literacy topics. The website recently launched a free foundation course on essential computer skills entitled "Introduction to Information Technology".

The course is an ideal introduction to the world of computers and IT in an increasingly digital world. The course practically examines a multitude of topics including data, problem solving, biometrics and security and more.

According to the latest Irish Computer Society (ICS) survey, 20% of ICS members will be cutting their training budgets in 2010. In another survey, Irish IT managers and executives revealed that their companies are cutting IT budgets by up to half this year.

These reports coincide with a recent research report which suggests that within five years, 90% of jobs will require IT skills. The study, entitled "Post Crisis: e-Skills are Needed to Drive Europe's Innovation Society" argued that European organisations must invest in training their staff in emerging "smart " IT technologies.

If companies wish to continue to be competitive they must embrace new technologies and ensure the employees have the skills to work in an increasingly IT-driven world. That's the view of Global Knowledge country manager Steven Purcell. "In the last year, a lot of companies, like everyone in the economy, sat on their budgets and did not spend money on anything - either new technologies or training. Companies are now beginning to look at how they can get the best out of their staff and their systems".

In spite of the need for employees to be digitally literate, straitened economic circumstances are forcing companies and organisations to cut their IT training budgets. While many companies cannot afford to invest in IT skills training in the current economic climate, they can also ill-afford to upskill their staff or risk being left behind. Companies and organisations which embrace "smart" IT technologic have proven to be more efficient, more productive and more cost-effective.

ALISON.com offers a catalogue of free self-paced courses in life skills and workplace training to satisfy the need for upskilling without the excessive expenses. The free course-provider recently launched a foundation course on essential computer skills entitled "Introduction to Information Technology".

Introduction to Information Technology