Employability and information literacy in the

workplaceHow having information skills will help your

business

Why do workplaces need information literate employees?

Search engine users who understand that the accuracy of the information given on websites is variable•UK 50%•Wales 33%

Internet usage among SMEs •Wales 75%•UK 81%

•1 in 6 employers in all sectors in Wales consider the IT skills of their employees to be below a minimum standard

2006 survey of 132 SMES found•Average of 12.7 hours per week spend using

internet•6.4 of those hours spent looking for information

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. It has been estimated that the cost to UK SMEs of inefficient information searching and retrieval is between £3.7 billion and £8.2 billion per year.

From De Saulles. 2007. Information literacy amongst UK SMEs: an information policy gap. Aslib Proceedings 59 (1) pp. 68-79

Questions for employers to consider:

• Do your employees communicate and share information in the most appropriate way?

• Are you able to make business decisions based on the most reliable data?

• Do you make use of the latest knowledge in your field?

• Is your data managed efficiently, safely and ethically?

• Do you and your employees suffer ‘information overload’?

Employability – what employers look for

Problem-solving skills

Business and customer awareness

Positive attitudeTechnical skillsIT skillsCreativityInnovation and

collaboration

InitiativeWillingness to

take risksStrategic thinkingCommunication

skillsSelf-managementLiteracyAnalytical skills

How information literacy skills underpin employability attributes

‘Information literacy is a critical business skill that is as important as project management,

communication skills or presentation skills’