What is Computer Literacy and How Can I Improve It?

UDPATED FOR 2024 – Keen to improve your computer literacy? Explore courses today and get your computer literacy skills up to scratch. 

A decent level of computer literacy is vital for many jobs and is a cornerstone of white-collar work in the UK and beyond. 

But what is computer literacy, and what are some computer literacy benefits? In this article, we’ll break down the key elements of computer literacy and let you know how to build skills in this area.

Most of the programs in the Microsoft Office suite are used every day by businesses of all shapes and sizes. Having skills in this area will go a long way to ensuring that your computer literacy level is where it needs to be. 

Microsoft Word is the most commonly used word processing software, and this can be used for writing and creating documents of any kind. 

Microsoft Excel is an essential tool for anyone creating or editing spreadsheets. For those working in roles that require any sort of management of numerical data, Excel is an essential tool. Some techniques and areas you’ll need to understand to effectively use Excel are as follows:

For those who will be communicating with people inside and outside of a business, Microsoft Outlook is a commonly used email tool. Being able to understand how to manage your inbox, send and receive emails and set up automated emails is a vital skill set for those working in an office environment. 

Microsoft PowerPoint is a go-to presentation software that is the industry standard when it comes to sharing data and wider information with your team or company. Although this software can be quite simple to learn, understanding how to create more complex presentations and show data sets in a more engaging way can help you to stand out and ensure that your presentations align with your company’s style. 

In order to learn skills in this area, accessing online Microsoft courses can give you the knowledge you need to use this software in the workplace. Better still, becoming formally qualified in this area is something that you can point to on your CV to demonstrate to an employer that you have solid computer literacy skills. 

Many digital roles require employees to have a basic understanding of image editing and graphic design. The job of creating images that can be sent out to clients or placed on a website in a small business might be a group effort, with employees expected to exhibit some skills in this area. 

Completing Graphic Design courses can be a great way to get a basic understanding of skills in this area and boost your overall computer literacy.

Although the jump between basic computer literacy and coding might seem large, getting to grips with some simple coding is easier than you might imagine. Many digital roles overlap with front-end development roles that can build on a relatively basic understanding of computer literacy. 

Understanding the basics of HTML, Python or Java through completing Programming courses will give you an advantage when it comes to exploring digital roles, and can allow you to apply for more advanced job opportunities.

Instead of using email as their main form of internal communication, some companies are using collaboration apps like Slack and Trello. Understanding video conferencing tools such as Zoom is becoming an essential digital skill as well.

As well as enabling employers to schedule and track workloads, these visual platforms allow their employees to collaborate on tasks from anywhere in the world. So if you fancy working flexibly, we recommend becoming familiar with a couple of collaboration tools.

Most companies now have a social media presence, so it’s worth developing your skills in this area, even if you don’t want to become a social media marketer. Skills that will impress employers include the ability to create original content for a variety of platforms and a sound understanding of management tools like Hootsuite, TweetDeck and Buffer. Being able to analyse the effectiveness of social media campaigns is also a sought-after skill.

Exploring social media management courses can give you a great skill set to build from and can ensure that you can oversee a business’s social media account.

For those who become computer literate through understanding how to use software applications and computer programs, the digital world is opening up to you. The number of roles and opportunities you can find on LinkedIn grows immensely if you can display a level of digital literacy. 

Information Technology and basic computer skills are a core part of many businesses today, and through simple online courses, learners can put themselves in an excellent position to enter the modern job market.