Many young people, despite being immersed in a digital environment, have little experience of using technology to solve problems.
According to an analysis by Change the Equation of results from the 2012 Programme for International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), 58 percent of young people between 16 and 34 years of age have low skills in using technology to solve problems. This means they are unable to, for instance, sort columns in a spreadsheet, locate a piece of information and send it via email. Younger people perform better than older adults—70 percent of 35-64-year-olds have low skills in using technology to solve problems—but neither score is comforting.
This is particularly disturbing as 80 percent of middle-skills jobs require skills in using technology, and those with the highest technology skills earn 40 percent more than those at the lowest level.
To address this, the brief suggests that schools need a better technological infrastructure, teachers need more help learning how to use and teach with technology, and curriculum must incorporate technology into project-based, real-world learning, facilitated by employer partnerships. Examples of programs that are succeeding in this sphere include Project Lead the Way and its STEM curriculum, as well as the National Academy Foundation career academies.
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