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New research, commissioned by database software company FileMaker, has found that the IT skills of “generation Facebook” are being wasted at work. 1,000 people who have left full-time education within the last three years were surveyed, and it was found that they generally have a strong confidence in their IT skills, but the organisations they are working for don’t always make the most of these.

The research showed that 82% of the 16 to 18 year olds felt confident about their level of IT skills going in to the workplace – a much higher percentage than the 64% who felt confident about their interpersonal skills. 85% of school leavers and university graduates that took part in the survey were taught how to use PowerPoint software while in their education but only around a third are actually using it at work. Similarly, 88% learnt how to use spreadsheet software but only 65% use it in their job. And, just over half said they had actively looked for creative ways to use technology at work.

Tony Speakman, regional manager northern Europe at FileMaker, has stated: “The generation of people coming into the workplace now have had technology round them all of their lives, so whether it’s Facebook or whether it’s MSN or what it might be it’s second nature to them …” “[To a parent it may seem as though] they seem to waste so much time on these social networking sites but actually what this means when they’re put in front of technology in a business sense they’re in no way intimidated by it and it is second nature to them.” Speakman also said that the “much more positive attitude to IT” of these education leavers is good news for business, adding they are “not there to kill things [IT systems]“.

He warned that businesses are failing to make the most of this innate love of technology: “We’ve all got email and we’ve all got access to the internet and so we probably tend to think we’re completely up to date. But what we’ve tended to do in many businesses is we’ve automated a paper process rather than necessarily look at the capability of the technology that you have and ask if there are even more efficient ways to use it”. To overcome this, businesses should consider doing a skills audit of new recruits and updating job responsibilities to ensure roles are aligned with skills. Speakman said: “If you audit the technology that you’ve already invested in, audit the people that you’ve got and the skills that they have then you could really start to drive some additional productivity improvements – and that goes straight to the bottom line of any business.”

However, the research also found that there is reluctance among businesses to invest in training for graduates and school leavers. Only 12% of respondents had received some formal training at work, while 49% said they had had to make do with on-the-job or unstructured training. Speakman said: “We have a culture that does not invest in training. And it is a cost-related thing in my opinion but that is probably a false economy.” He added: “Companies that are using technology to make themselves efficient, to make themselves responsive, to cut costs and control costs will ultimately be the more successful organisations – so technology will be a significant driver so what we’re saying is let’s make sure we’re using the skills of the people we’re employing.”Businesses have a responsibility to drive IT skills forward as “education very much looks to business” when it comes to setting the curriculum, he said. “If we as businesses up the ante then education will follow,” he added.