Employment Opportunities

ICT has revolutionised the way in which jobs operate today. The advance in computerisation across all jobs throughout the United Kingdom and other subsequent countries has allowed processes of all kinds to be carried out and completed in a more efficient process and manor. Computerisation has introduced a mass of new jobs through the global spectrum whilst similarly it has removed them also. Today there are radical changes in the way businesses operate and the introduction of IT has been the main effect in order for the introduction of this.
Being the next generation as a culture within Britain we have grown up knowing of the advances within ICT and have been educated subsequently with it. However for those already within the job market not being aware of the advances within computerisation, job losses widespread have occurred and this can be represented with there recent Royal Mail strikes due to the cut’s in employment to a more efficient machine counter part. However it is not merely job cuts that have occurred, with the introduction of computerisation jobs themselves have been created, requiring a new skill base of ICT techniques.
There have been in recent years a mass of new employment opportunities due to the introduction of computerisation. Engineers, programmers, system analysts and skilled technicians are just a few of the jobs created due to the advances within technology and the job market. These jobs have all been provided for due to the demand of computerisation throughout business and other areas of employment not only in England but globally. This has counteracting effect as although computerised machinery may remove the need for employment within an individual task, the application of the new equipment has made new jobs available for the maintenance of the machinery, or be it through other areas of its application. There are an array of new jobs that have been created due to computerisation such as;
· Engineers - Needed to manufacture the computerised products and subsequent parts.
· Programmers – Needed to write the software for a particular computerised product.
· System Analysts – Needed to design new computerised systems altogether.
· Skilled workers – Need to 1. Operate the new computerised machinery. 2. Operate the new computerised software.
· More staff overall may be needed due to the growth of the business due to efficiency of overall operation.
The new jobs created have allowed for many to learn new important skills that can be applied not only to their jobs directly but across all computerised systems alike. The importance of this may not be apparent at first but after reassessing the need for basic ICT skills one can see that the mass computerisation ahs affected all areas of work in some way or another.
With computerisation having a major effect on all areas of work, the need for basic computer skills has become an essential. Jobs have changed radically due to the introduction of ICT into the workplace, and this has allowed for employees to see benefits throughout their work. Computerisation has been seen to be a massive advance in the way businesses operate, and it has particularly improved the efficiency in the way in which one operates. Because of this employees can see changes in within their jobs over the past years due to;
· Reduced working hours – This may have come into effect as the efficiency of businesses has rapidly improved with the introduction of advanced computerised systems.
· The need for new skills – With all the new technology available, employees need to be trained in order to operate it effectively.
· Changes in skill level - Although a level of training is required, jobs that may have required a high level of skill may now be replaced by someone capable of operating a piece of simple machinery.
· Education – Advances in home education have provided students with the ability to gain qualifications from their own home.
· Communication – This has allowed for employees to access and work from either home or areas where before they would not have been able too.
· Increased efficiency – This has allowed for employees to produce more work increasing pay and rewards of that individual.
As we can clearly see the introduction of ICT has allowed for many new jobs to be created and completed by those who normally would not have been able. With this in mind we can see the computerisation of England and the UK a successful venture with benefits seen in other countries alike. The benefits it brings provide many businesses with the drive to aspire and expand with machines doing much of the work at an increased rate incapable to that of a regular human being.
ICT has similarly however reduced the need for many jobs as computer based machines have replaced those who would normally be employed to carry out the task. Jobs have been lost across the country and the effects of these can be seen due to the recent Royal Mail strikes occurring within England at present. Computerisation due to this does have a negative effect, its ability to carry out tasks more efficiently then an employee and its low maintenance costs mean job cuts can be seen throughout business. This can be due to;
· Skilled jobs – Those usually requiring many skilled engineers can now be carried out by one technician operating an array of computerised machinery.
· Data jobs – Jobs required for monitoring can now be replaced with sensory nodes which today provide the data logging rather than an employee.
· Quality Control – The sampling of products can now similarly be done by a machine removing the need again for employment.
· Loading and sorting – Today can be carried out by a machine and can be seen as a severe negative effect, due to the Royal Mail strikes.
· Typists – Today replaced by an individual capable of operating wood processing software.
· Organization clerks – Today can the work can be simply operate by that of a data based scheme.
· Telephone exchange –Today can be operated by computerised connection schemes.
· Car park – Attendance and payment can now be operated with a machine.
· Online shopping – This has meant masses of retail has moved online for reduced costs and larger profit margins, as no shop need be rented or purchased for item sales.
· Stock control – Today has been replaced by systems and the introduction of the bar code reader.
· ATM machines – Money today is withdrawn using a machine again rather than a clerk.
ICT and computerisation has rapidly changed the workplace, removing jobs, however subsequently creating them. Computerisation therefore has had massive benefits for society and created downturns. However with the next generation growing and learning to use ICT from an early age, the need for future training will be reduced and this can only be a good thing for reducing time in education and out of earning within a workplace.