Problem-Solving Skills of Israeli Higher Education Graduates in Tech-Rich Environments: An Analysis of PIAAC Data

The knowledge-based economy and the information society highlights the importance of developing new competencies for personal, professional and social integration. Problem-solving in technologically rich environments (PS-TREs) is one of these competencies. This research examines the relationships between higher education and the PS-TREs competencies in both professional and daily life contexts, controlling for socio-personal characteristics (e.g., age and gender). Specifically, we focused on Israeli higher education graduates in comparison to their counterparts, between the ages of 25 and 65 in Israel, using data of 5342 participants in the PIAAC survey dataset. Using logistic regression models, our findings indicate HE graduates acquire higher levels of PS-TREs, compared to their counterparts. This result is positively mediated through socio-personal characteristics such as being older or being a woman. Specifically, the probabilities of HE graduates utilising PS-TREs at work and in daily life are higher than that of participants with lower level of education (3, and 3.27 times higher, respectively). We find gender and age disparities, favouring male and younger participants. The probabilities of females using PS-TREs at work, and in daily life are lower than male participants (70%, and 67%, respectively). Moreover, each additional year is correlated with a 4% decrease in the likelihood of using PS-TREs in daily life. Interestingly, the acquisition of higher education (HE) is associated with further narrowing of gaps, particularly in the context of work. This study highlights the importance of HE in reinforcing PS-TREs skills in adulthood to mitigate social and labour exclusion.