<p>The Australian IT industry doesn't recognise the importance of Microsoft Office as a systems development tool. That's according to Michael Kirkwood-Smith, a judge of the 'IT Software Solutions for Business' category at WorldSkills Australia.</p><p>WorldSkills Australia is a not-for-profit organisation that holds competitions to "encourage young Australians to develop their skills and give them an opportunity to compete against the best in the country to benchmark their ability" and "develop their skills much, much further than their courses offer", according to Kirkwood-Smith.</p><p>The organisation is part of a much larger global entity, WorldSkills International, which has branches throughout the world. Together, these branches hold regional, national and international events, where people aged between 17 and 22 can demonstrate their professional skills in a variety of categories, including IT, construction, automobile technology, floristry, landscaping and more.</p><p>According to Kirkwood-Smith, the Australian IT industry doesn't recognise the importance of Microsoft Office skills - particularly its value for small business.</p><p><a href="http://www.voiceanddata.com.au/articles/55736-WorldSkills-IT-competitions-addressing-the-value-of-Microsoft-Office-in-Australian-small-businesses-">Keep reading...</a></p>