Examination of Computer Literacy Competence in the Workplace: The Case for the American and German Manufacturing Industry
Dr. Juan Carlos Barrera, Dr. Axel Lamprecht

Abstract
Accelerated advances in information and communication technologies are widening the offering for new ways to producing and distributing knowledge. Technological progress has fundamentally altered how we live and work, as well as, how we learn and have transformed the world into a global community. The manufacturing industry in developed economies has struggled to train and to turn their workforce into a computer literate group that keeps abreast of changes in computing and information technologies, since most of the work in manufacturing sectors does not rely on this type of literacy to perform well. This paper presents an examination on current computer literacy competence in the manufacturing industry between groups of workers (Managerial and Labor) in USA and Germany. Special emphasis is granted to the discussion of the similarities and differences found in computer literacy between these groups of workers, and the implications associated with having literate and illiterate groups in the workplace.

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