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* Atleast Project Title is Required.
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Project No. |
HRD 05 2022A
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Project Title |
Fostering Digital Competency, Building Re-Employment Capacity, and Enhancing Well-being for Older Adults in the Digital Economy
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Project Status |
Completed Project
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Publication (if any) |
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Fund Account |
APEC Support Fund
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Sub-fund |
ASF: APEC Cooperation on Combating COVID-19 and Economic Recovery (CCER)
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Project Year |
2022
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Project Session |
Session 1
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APEC Funding |
140,531
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Co-funding Amount |
92,651
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Total Project Value |
233,182
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Sponsoring Forum |
Human Resource Development Working Group (HRDWG)
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Topics |
Human Resources Development
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Committee |
SOM Steering Committee on Economic and Technical Cooperation (SCE)
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Other Fora Involved |
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Other Non-APEC Stakeholders Involved |
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Proposing Economy(ies) |
China
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Co-Sponsoring Economies |
Chile; Indonesia; Korea; Malaysia; New Zealand; Papua New Guinea; Thailand
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Expected Start Date |
01/10/2022
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Expected Completion Date |
31/12/2023
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Project Proponent Name 1 |
Fan Xianrui
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Job Title 1 |
Vice President
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Organization 1 |
The Open University of China
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Postal Address 1 |
Not Applicable
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Telephone 1 |
Not Applicable
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Fax 1 |
Not Applicable
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Email 1 |
fanxr@ouchn.edu.cn.
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Project Proponent Name 2 |
Wang Yi
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Job Title 2 |
Director
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Organization 2 |
Department of International Cooperation and Exchanges, Ministry of Education
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Postal Address 2 |
Not Applicable
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Telephone 2 |
(86-10) 66096348
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Fax 2 |
Not Applicable
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Email 2 |
guojichu@moe.edu.cn
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Declaration |
Fan Xianrui and Wang Yi
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Project Summary |
The “ageing population” has been increasing worldwide and younger older adults have become an integral part of potential human resources in APEC economies. Conversely, older adult education (OAE) has gradually moved to online since COVID-19. Due to a lack of digital competency, oftentimes younger older adults could neither enjoy a virtual life nor up-skill or re-skill for re-employment when faced with quarantine policies. To address these issues, China proposes a project to build digital competency, increase re-employment and enhance well-being for younger older adults within APEC economies. Firstly, the project will conduct research on the needs of younger older adults in terms of digital competencies for social and economic well-being in the context of COVID-19. Second, the project will hold a hybrid conference to share practices on OAE. Finally, the project will deliver training for policymakers and academics from APEC economies. Research findings, best practices and recommendations will be generated and shared. |
Relevance |
Issues: The United Nations describes ‘older persons’, or the elderly, as those aged 60-65 years and above (United Nations, 2019), and it proposes that an economy is an ageing society when the proportion of this group is over 10%. Based on these standards, statistics show that the number of ageing population in some APEC economies is dramatically increasing in the 21st century. For example, in 2020, the ageing population in Japan accounted for 28.4% of its total population. The ageing population in Hong Kong, China was 18.2%; Canada 18.1%; the USA 16.63%; Australia 16.21%; Republic of Korea 15.79%; Russia 15.51%; China 13.5% and Thailand 12.96% respectively. Research shows that the emerging generation of younger older adults (researchers claim the age between 45-65 are younger older adults) is active and tends to embrace creative challenges, opportunities to learn and enjoy the chance to contribute to their community. Educational activities are known to benefit the health and well-being of older adults and society as a whole. Older Adult Education (OAE) is not a new topic. Many economies have been implementing OAE since the 1960s. However, the majority of OAE programs are entertainment-oriented and they cannot cater to the diverse needs of younger older adults in the 21st century. Younger older adults receiving formal education is not uncommon, with population structures experiencing major changes in many APEC economies, more and more younger older adults are being encouraged to get back into the labour market through formal education. However, education for younger older adults has gradually moved online due to lockdowns and quarantine policies relating to COVID-19. This has posed great challenges for many younger older adults due to their lack of digital competency. Without digital competency, they could neither enjoy the advancements of technology nor re-skill or up-skill for re-employment. Improving their digital literacy and skills could greatly benefit their well-being in a number of ways. To address these issues, the project aims to enhance sharing and understanding of the needs of younger older adults in terms of re-employment and well-being, as well as the policies and practices on fostering their digital competency through research, conferences and training. The goal is that younger older adults with stronger digital competencies and well-being will have a sustainable and meaningful impact on the social and economic well-being of APEC economies as a whole. Eligibility and Fund Priorities:
This project falls under the APEC Support Fund Sub-Fund for APEC Cooperation on Combating COVID-19 and Economic Recovery. The project facilitates APEC economies to better adapt to available and innovative digital tools and the digital economy to boost economic recovery and growth. It also aims to build capacity for younger older adults in the context of COVID-19. The project meets the following criteria: 1) Sharing of experiences, lessons and best practices from economies’ efforts and actions to combat COVID-19 and manage outbreaks. 2) Initiatives that promote digital economy development and application of new technologies including, but not limited to, tele-medicine, online education, teleworking, and contactless economy that could facilitate the recovery of economic activities disrupted by COVID-19. 3) Initiatives to enhance digital capacity for vulnerable groups, to recover and build resilience to economic disruptions caused by COVID-19.
Capacity Building: The project will build the capacity of APEC member economies in the following ways: 1) The first step is aimed at identifying the kind of digital skills younger older adults need in APEC economies. The research findings will be shared with member economies. For those economies not reporting an ageing society, this information can be saved for their future reference or when they are ready to foster digital literacy and skills for younger older adults. 2) By sharing policies and practices on fostering the digital competency of younger older adults for their social and economic well-being, APEC member economies will be better informed of challenges and potential solutions in their own economies. 3) By delivering online training to relevant policy makers and practitioners, the project aims to equip target groups with digital literacy and skills. In turn, this can expand the kind of human resources that are needed in a digital economy. 4) The target groups of the project are younger older adults, both men and women, further demonstrating inclusivity. |
Objectives |
The objective of the project is to improve the digital capacity of younger older adults in APEC economies. Younger older adults equipped with digital literacy and skills will not only benefit from enhanced social well-being but once they return to the labor market in the digital economy they’ll be able to contribute meaningfully to economic well-being. The project will utilize technology to promote educational inclusivity as well as develop human resources to enhance economic development in APEC economies. |
Alignment |
Alignment to APEC: 2022 APEC priorities focus on Open, Connect and Balance. The objective is to intensify inclusive human resource development, as well as economic and technical cooperation, to better equip people with skills and knowledge for the future. According to the research on OAE conducted by the Open University of China from earlier 2021 to earlier 2022, many economies and regions have been in an ageing society, examples are Australia; Canada; China; Indonesia; Japan; Hong Kong, China; Malaysia; and so on and so forth. These economies, though with a large number of ageing population, have not paid full attention to providing systematic education to this group of people. Notably, when COVID-19 hit the world, much more human resources with digital literacy and skills are needed, and offering training for them comes to the agenda for higher education institutions. However, the research findings showed that some researchers in higher education institutions in these economies have just realized the status quo, and they have not put into any action yet. With the aim of bridging the gap and enhancing collaboration with partner universities, China proposes this proposal. 1) The direct beneficiaries of the project are younger older adults. Through better understanding and addressing their needs in relevant policies and practices, younger older adults in APEC economies can enjoy better social and economic well-being. This will, in turn, support sustainable and inclusive economic growth and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region. 2) Adopting online delivery leveraging technologies is a way of widening access to education and training on digital competency. 3) In the context of ageing, facilitating younger older adults with digital literacy skills can help to expand the supply of human resources. Consequently helping economies to recover faster in the post-pandemic era and beyond. Alignment to Forum: The project aligns with HRDWG’s theme for 2022: “Shaping Smart Citizens with Digitalization and Eco-friendly Awareness.” It also aligns with priorities for 2021: Increasing inclusion and sustainability for recovery by building a better society for all people.
The project aligns with HRDWG Forum priorities, including the objective of HRDWG Strategic Plan 2017-2020, which is “providing people in the Asia-Pacific region with 21st Century competencies and skills” and proposed actions in “supporting inclusive and sustainable growth to address the social dimensions of globalization, including equality and the needs of vulnerable groups”. It also aligns with the action plan “ensuring that the needs of the most vulnerable groups in society—such as youths, women, migrants and people with disabilities—are addressed through inclusive design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluations of HRD initiatives”, as well as proposed actions in “supporting inclusive and sustainable growth to address the social dimensions of globalization, including equality and needs of vulnerable groups”. It also aligns with the action plan of APEC Framework on Human Resources Development in the Digital Age, which is to “examine the impact of new technology and digitalization on the world of work”. Furthermore, the project implements HRDWG priorities by introducing an exploration on the inclusiveness and fairness of businesses in terms of the digital economy, preparing the workforce with knowledge, skills and values relating to digital literacy and skills, and protecting vulnerable groups from prejudice and injustice. |
TILF/ASF Justification |
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Beneficiaries and Outputs |
Outputs: As shown in the cover page, the project will produce a Background Paper, develop 3 online microcredential courses, host a Hybrid Conference, and produce a Project Summary Report. The specific activities are listed below: 1) Background Paper The project will deliver a Background Report, based on research on the status quo of digital literacy and skills of younger older adults in member economies in order to identify the skill requirements. The tentative methods used in the research will be surveys, desktop research and semi-structured interviews. The main purpose of the research is to identify problems on digital literacy and skills facing younger older adults in member economies. Based on the research findings, the Background Paper will be drafted with the aim of providing solutions to the problems. Best practices and case studies will be shared and recommendations will be proposed. The estimated length of the Background Paper is around 25-30 pages, and it will be shared at the Hybrid Conference. The proposed outline of the research approach is as below: | Research Topic | Status Quo on Digital Literacy and Skills of Younger Older Adults in APEC Economies | | Methodology | Surveys Desktop research | | 1. Semi-structured Interviews
conducted through webinars | Do you think younger older adults in your economy encounter difficulties in today’s digital society? Is this recognised as a significant issue in your community? Are there sufficient resources and assistance available to these individuals to assist them to improve their digital literacy? | | | What are the key barriers and difficulties they encounter | | | What kind of digital literacy and skills do you think they need? | | | | What do you see as the impact of younger older adults lacking digital literacy? | | | What sort of initiatives or policies are being implemented in your economy, to assist younger older adults to access and improve their digital skills? Please provide examples if possible. | | | What kind of jobs they can undertake once they improve their digital capacity? | The target audience could be policy makers, academics and researchers in member economies. The tentative member economies are the co-sponsor members and those which are interested in the project, and we will find as many member economies as possible. We plan to send 3000 surveys and interview 20 policy makers, academics and researchers. The budget of this output is about $5000, which is self-funded by the OUC. 2) Three (3) online microcredential courses regarding digital literacy & skills and re-employment orientation. Details of the courses are listed in the below table. | #NO | Name of the courses | Outlines | Texts | videos | Online texts | | 1 | Get online skills in today’s digitalization | Oct 2022 | Nov 2022 | Feb 2023 | Mar 2023 | | 2 | Online course design & development for older adults | Oct 2022 | Nov 2022 | Feb 2023 | Mar 2023 | | 3 | How to motivate older online learners | Oct 2022 | Nov 2022 | Feb 2023 | Mar 2023 | Course objective: Course 1: This course serves to facilitate mastery of the needs and cultivation of digital literacy and skills of the younger older adults. This course will provide information and knowledge to grasp the urgent needs of younger older adults to improve their digital literacy and skills in digital life, digital work, digital leisure and entertainment, digital learning and other aspects, constructing a digital literacy and skills training system for the elderly to adapt to the new era work of digital technology, digital transformation, digital enterprises and the development of digital economy and society. Course 2: This course is aimed to enhance the awareness of policymakers in APEC economies about the digital era and improve their understanding of digital transformation. It will provide evidence-based recommendations to online curriculum design for younger older adults to improve their digital ability. This course will also increase and deepen the knowledge of policymakers about the objectives and resources of education for the elderly. In terms of course content, the course includes five modules: guidance, basic principles, cases and practice, design and implementation, tools and methodology. Course 3: This course focuses on measures to improve employment opportunities such as eliminating age discrimination, improving the employment skills of the middle-aged and elderly, providing employment assistance for the middle-aged and elderly, and promoting flexible employment, drawing on policies to improve employment opportunities for the elderly. This course aims to build forward-looking policy support and social co-governance environment support to promote the employment of the elderly. | Courses | Target audience | Modules included | Total length | Content design | End-of- course exam | Online resources | Certificate | | Get online skills in today’s digitalization | Policy makers | 2 | 20 hours | include interactive activities | Yes | videos or links to resources | Yes | | Online course design & development for older adults | Academics and researchers, policy makers | 3 | 20 hours | include interactive activities | Yes | videos or links to resources | Yes | | How to motivate older online learners | Policy makers | 2 | 20 hours | include interactive activities | Yes | videos or links to resources | Yes | The budget of the 3 online microcredential courses is about $30,000, which is self-financed by the OUC. 3) 3-day Hybrid Conference (potentially held offline in Beijing dependent on quarantine policies) on ‘Improving Digital Capacity for Younger Older Adults in APEC Economies’ will be held with three aims: a) Firstly, to share the Background Paper about younger older adults’ digital skill status quo in member economies; b) Secondly, to share the best practices for improving digital literacy of younger older adults in China; and c) Thirdly, to launch the 3 microcredential courses and present the courses to policy makers, practitioners and faculties from partner organizations in member economies. In order to accommodate participants who cannot attend physically, online participation will be available. The proposed agenda of the conference is in below: Tentative Conference on Improving Digital Capacity for Younger Older Adults in APEC Economies (The topics are proposed and might be revised accordingly in reality.) | Date | Activities | Venues | | Day 1 | Registration | Offline and online | | Day 2 | 9:00-12:00pm | Keynote session 1. Officials from Chinese Ministry of Education (Topic is about China’s contributions to the ageing society) 2. APEC Secretariat representative (Speaker 1: Topic is about the meaning of this project) 3. OUC representative (Topic is about the strength to deliver the project) | | | 14:00-17:00pm | Panel discussions about the Background Paper Topic 1: Theories on Older Adult Education Topic 2: Practices on Older Adult Education (Speaker 2) Topic 3: Case studies on Older Adult Education (Speaker 3) Topic 4: Recommendations | | | 19:00-21:00pm | Activity 1: Discussion on Get online skills in today’s digitalization Activity 2: Group works and discussion of the outcomes on Day 2 | | | Day 3 | 9:00-12:00pm | Keynote session 1. Representative of the Online Microcredential course team General introduction to the 3 online courses 2. APEC representative Topic 1: Project development since Oct. 2022 (Speaker 4) Topic 2: Actively responding to the ageing society and stimulating the vitality of the ageing society (Speaker 5) Topic 3: Case studies from member economy (Speaker 6) | | | 14:00-17:00pm | Group works (Workshops) Topic 1: A study on the influencing factors of the employment intention of the elderly group in the context of ageing society (Speaker 7) Topic 2: Research on improving ability of elderly employees in the era of digitalization (Speaker 8) Topic 3: A comparative study on the employment status of elderly women (Speaker 9) | | | 19:00-21:00pm | Activity 1: Discussion on Online course design & development for older adults Activity 2: Group works and discussion of the outcomes on Day 3 | | | Day 4 | 9:00-12:00pm | Panel discussions Topic 1: Case studies from member economy (Speaker 10) Topic 2: Recommendations on improvement of the courses | | | 14:00-17:00pm | Topic 1: How to motivate older online learners Topic 2: Implementing quality assurance system of digital ability for younger older adult in OUC | | | 19:00-21:00pm | Activity: Group works and discussion of the outcomes on Day 2, 3 and 4 | | 4) Project Summary Report with recommendations will be produced and digitally published as an APEC publication, and it will conform to the APEC rules and regulations. Its content will include the reasons of delivering this project, how the project is delivered, what views and ideas researchers and academics have, the feasibility of the online micro-credential courses to the younger older adults, and recommendations to policy makers of member economies if possible. The tentative number of pages is about 30-50 pages. The Budget of the Project Summary Report is about $15,000, which is self-funded by the OUC. 2. Outcomes: Using a numbered list, describe the specific impacts, changes or benefits that the Project is expected to deliver, which directly support the Project Objective (above). These include changes in policy, processes, or behaviour in the participating institutions, or in APEC more broadly. Be sure that each Outcome can be measured and is a direct result of the project. The project is expected to deliver its impacts, changes and benefits as follows: 1) Outcome 1: Project participants increase their knowledge of the key gaps and needs of younger older adults in relation to digital skills learning; 2) Outcome 2: Project participants increase their knowledge of best practice policy responses to the identified digital skills gaps and needs of younger older adults; and 3) Outcome 3: Improved opportunities for APEC economies to share information and collaborate over issues relating to older younger adults’ digital skills needs. 3. Beneficiaries: Who are the direct project participants and users of the Outputs? Describe their qualifications, level of expertise, roles/level of responsibility, gender, economies represented, government departments, APEC fora involvement, etc. Explain how they will use and benefit from the project. Who else will benefit from the project and how? The project aims to benefit a wide range of participants in order to address the issues regarding the well-being of younger older adults in the era of digitalization. 1) Policy makers are the first cohort of beneficiaries. Policy recommendations and reports on improving digital literacy and skills for younger older adults will be presented to member economies. The intention is that this will give an insight to policymakers into their relevant decision-making processes when developing welfare or human resource policy. 2) Academics and researchers in higher education institutions are the second cohort of beneficiaries. They will be involved in conducting studies on the digital gap existing among younger older adults. Research papers and reports will be shared, which will make contributions to research on ageing populations. 3) Teachers are beneficiaries too. Firstly, they will accumulate experience in improving online micro-credential courses; secondly, they will be tutoring younger older adults and will subsequently obtain experience in delivering online education for younger older adults in different economies. 4) Younger older adults, including younger older women, are the direct participants as they will receive training from the comprehensive online courses. It is expected that they will improve their digital capacity following the training and they will be able to, not only entertain themselves in their virtual life, but also get re-employed with their newly-obtained digital skills in the labor force. 5) The research and reports will be shared with APEC fora, such as the Telecommunications and Information Working Group (TELWG), and Policy Partnership for Women and the Economy (PPWE). 6) Developing digital competency in the digital era is of interest to other non-APEC stakeholders like UNESCO, the research findings and reports could be shared with UNESCO and its affiliated institutions. |
Dissemination |
Background Paper and Project Summary Report will be generated from the project and these results will be disseminated in the following ways: 1) Background Paper will be shared and disseminated on the Hybrid Conference. 2) The Project Summary Report will be an APEC publication and disseminated via the APEC website. 3) The microcredential courses are one of the outcomes of the project and the target audience of the courses are policy makers, academics and researchers and the younger older adults who wish to improve their digital capacity. And the online courses will be made available on the OUC’s platform. There is no intention to sell the outputs from the project. |
Gender |
The project will involve both men and women from start to finish. Two Project Overseers (PO) have been selected at the application stage and one PO is female. The research findings and reports will be shared with researchers, academics and teachers regardless of their gender. The online micro-credential courses will be delivered to anyone in need, including younger female older adults. | Targets | | Female Participants (%) | 40% are expected to be younger older adult women, though this may be different in each economy. Statistics show that the number of younger older adult women is larger than that of men possibly due to life expectancy and, therefore, this percentage could be higher in some economies. | | Female Speakers/Experts (%) | 40% of female speakers and experts will be guaranteed. When inviting speakers and experts, female participants will be encouraged. | Referring to the Guide on Gender Criteria for APEC Project Proposals in the Guidebook on APEC Projects, please tick the pillar or pillars that this project supports, in promoting women’s economic empowerment: | | 5 Pillars (you may tick more than one) | | 1 | Access to Capital and Assets | | | 2 | Access to Markets | √ | | 3 | Skills, Capacity Building, and Health | √ | | 4 | Leadership, Voice and Agency | | | 5 | Innovation and Technology | √ | |
Work Plan |
| Timeline | Tasks | Deliverables | | Oct 2022 | Research and develop outlines of the 3 courses | Outlines | | Nov 2022 | Draft and develop the text of the 3 courses | Draft of 3 courses | | Oct – Dec 2022 | The project information will be circulated within member economies to find partners. Open Universities, or open and online education institutions from co-sponsoring economies and the members with a comparatively larger percentage of younger older adults are expected to be involved in conducting the research. The OUC has partners in APEC member economies and we keep regular contact, we could brief them the project and invite them to contribute to the research. We also need APEC Secretariat to help finding partners for data collection. | A survey of younger older adults’ digital skills will be designed and developed | | Jan – Mar 2023 | Prepare and submit Background Paper | Background Paper submitted to the Secretariat | | Feb 2023 | Design and develop videos of the 3 courses | Videos | | Feb – Mar 2023 | Preparation of the Hybrid Conference and tasks including identifying the venue (the virtual platform) and developing a General Information Circular (GIC) (with the agenda, identifying speakers, confirming speakers and participants included) | Detailed Conference Agenda will be developed and submitted to the Secretariat | | Mar 2023 | Online versions are developed | Uploaded on the host platform | | Mar 2023 | Contract on Hybrid Conference will be signed | Contract signed | | Apr 2023 | Submit the APEC Project Monitoring Report to the Secretariat | APEC Project Monitoring Report | | Apr 2023 | The 3 online microcredential courses will be tested and trialed | Online courses are ready | | May 2023 | A Hybrid Conference (offline hosting possibility in Beijing dependent on the quarantine policy) on ‘Improving Digital Capacity for Younger Older Adults in APEC Economies’ will be held. | Conference implemented | | May – Jun 2023 | To evaluate and improve the microcredential courses | A feedback survey will be designed and disseminated among partners in member economies | | May – Jun 2023 | Disseminate evaluation survey to participants at the Hybrid Conference | Survey and Completion Report | | Jun – Jul 2023 | The online micro-credential courses will be delivered to partner organizations within members | Online microcredential courses shared | | Oct – Dec 2023 | Draft and submit the Project Summary Report to the Secretariat for review and approval for publication, and endorsement by HRDWG | Published outputs | | Feb 2024 | Submit the APEC Project Completion Report and supporting documents to the Secretariat | APEC Project Completion Report | | 6 months after project completion | A survey of the results of the 3 microcredential courses | A report of feedback | | 6 to 12 months after project completion | Participation in the Longer-Term Evaluation of APEC Projects survey conducted by the APEC Secretariat | |
Risks |
| No. | Risks | How will it be managed? | | 1 | Economies whose ageing population is over 10% are expected to be involved in the project. However, the OUC has no direct contact with higher education institutions including online providers in some of the economies. This may lead to fewer member economies participating in the project. | It is hoped that the APEC Secretariat could assist with coordination. | | 2 | A face-to-face conference is expected, however, it is not clear what will take place in May 2023. | A Hybrid Conference is planned for the moment. It is expected to be much clearer end of 2022. | |
Monitoring and Evaluation |
| | Evaluation Focus | Indicators | Target Goals | Evaluation Method | Reporting Method | | Outputs | 1. Background Paper | 1. 25-30 pages 2. At least 5 case studies 3. At least 5 recommendations | March 2023 | Submission to the Secretariat | Completion Report | | 2.Contract of the Hybrid Conference | 1. Contract drafted and executed | March 2023 | Submission to the Secretariat | Signed contract | | | 1. Online micro-credential courses (synchronous and asynchronous) | 1. No. of online micro-credential courses provided | 3 | Event Attendance List | Completion Report | | 2. No. of participants (excl. speakers/experts) | 80 | Event Attendance List | Completion Report | | 3. % of participating men/women (excl. speakers/experts) | 60/40 | Event Attendance List | Completion Report | | 4. No. of speakers/experts engaged | 20 | Event Attendance List | Completion Report | | 5. % of speakers/experts (men/women) | 60/40 | Event Attendance List | Completion Report | | 6. No. of attending economies | 16(at least) | Event Attendance List | Completion Report | | 7. No. of travel eligible economies | 7 | Event Attendance List | Completion Report | | 8. Content developed and deployed | 31 Mar 2022 | Certification by PO | Contract | | 2.Hybrid Conference | 1. No. of participants (excl. speakers/ experts) | 100 | Event Attendance List | Completion Report | | 2. % of participating men/women (excl. speakers/experts) | 60/40 | Event Attendance List | Completion Report | | 3. No. of speakers/
experts engaged | 30 | Event Attendance List | Completion Report | | 4. % of speakers/
experts (men/women) | 60/40 | Event Attendance List | Completion Report | | 5. No. of attending economies | 10 (at least) | Event Attendance List | Completion Report | | 6. No. of travel eligible economies | 7 | Event Attendance List | Completion Report | | 7. Content developed and deployed | 31 March 2023 | Certification by PO | Completion Report | | 3. Project Summary Report | 1. No. of pages | 30-50 | Certification by PO | Email to the Secretariat | | 2. Submission to the Secretariat | October 2023 | Submission to the Secretariat | Email to the Secretariat | | Out-comes | Outcome 1: Knowledge increase | 1. Project participants increase their knowledge of the key gaps and needs of younger older adults in relation to digital skills learning | 70% of participants report knowledge increase | Post-Conference evaluation survey of participants | Completion Report | | Outcome 2: Knowledge increase | 1. Project participants increase their knowledge of best practice policy responses to the identified digital skills gaps and needs of younger older adults | 70% of participants report knowledge increase | Post-Conference evaluation survey of participants | Completion Report | | Outcome 3: Information sharing and collaboration | 1. Improved opportunities for APEC economies to share knowledge and collaborate over issues relating to older younger adults’ digital skills needs. | 70% of participants report identifying opportunities for collaboration | Post-Conference evaluation survey of participants | Completion Report | | Others | | | | | | |
Linkages |
The project seeks to advance digital literacy and skills for younger older adults including older women, aligning with the aims of the Telecommunications and Information Working Group (TELWG) and Policy Partnership for Women and the Economy (PPWE). Research findings, reports and the micro-credential courses could be shared with these fora. Developing digital competency in the digital age is also of interest to other non-APEC stakeholders like UNESCO. Therefore, research findings could be shared with UNESCO and affiliated institutes. The research results could be shared with other international associations relating to open and distance education, such as the Asia Association of Open Universities (AAOU), the International Conference of Distance Education (ICDE). Experts from the above-mentioned fora and organizations could be involved in the conference. The Open University of China has been engaged in older adult education from an international perspective since April 2022. The work over the past year has paved way for the current project; to provide micro-credential courses with the aim of improving younger older adults’ digital literacy is a developing trend which directly responds to the ageing society according to the findings of the OUC’s research. However, no evidence has been presented concerning short courses and, therefore, these cutting-edge courses are expected to provide an insight into the academia. To train potential human resources by leveraging technology-assisted education with the aim of improving social and economic well-being is the mission of APEC. Younger older adults are gradually becoming a key part of the labor force to recover the economy in many member economies in the post COVID-19 era. The project is in succinct alignment with the mission of APEC. The project aims to make contributions to policy recommendations, research and teaching in the field of older adult education with the support of the funds. No such suitable funding has been found for the research team so far.
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Sustainability |
How to continue the impacts: According to the national census, the number of older adults aged 65 and above accounts for 13.5% of the total population in China in 2020. This means that China is an ageing society. Measures have been taken by the central government to respond to the increasing number of ageing population, one of which is to set up the National University of Older Adults (NUOA) by the OUC. The project will be integrated into the development of the NUOA as an international collaborative project once the APEC project is completed. It will be a regular project in NUOA supported by the OUC. Currently, the OUC has conducted research on older adults internationally and some partner organizations are from APEC member economies, such as Australia; Canada; Hong Kong, China; Indonesia; Japan; Malaysia; and the United States. Once the project is completed within the APEC funding framework, the research will be continued with the partners and will be disseminated within open university community worldwide with an aim of sharing practices in the field of older adult education. How to support the beneficiaries: NUOA is planning to set up an International Alliance of Digital Education and Digital Economy for Older Adults, and conferences, workshops and seminars will be held regularly in the Alliance. Findings will be shared with policymakers and within academia so that academics, researchers and teachers are involved and informed. The micro-credential courses, as part of lifelong learning courses, will be open to learners and will be updated in accordance with social and technological development. Therefore, the beneficiaries of the project, including policymakers, academics and researchers, teachers, younger older adults and related organizations will continue to be kept in the loop. Next steps: 1) Tracking economies six months after the event by partner organizations and a report will be developed on the best practices of improving digital literacy and skills for younger older adults in member economies. 2) An annual report on younger older adult digital literacy skills will be published, and will be open to scholars across the world with research interests in older adult education. 3) Learning resources regarding older adult education will be mobilized on the platform and more short courses will be available for learners to select. 4) A research institute for older adult education will be set up in the NUOA, where further research in related area will be conducted. 5) An international conference will be held annually to share research findings and best practices in the older adult education arena. 6) A training system dedicated to improving digital capacity for younger older adults will be established in order to keep them up to speed with the development of science and technology. Measures to ensure future actions: 1) Human resources support. The OUC will organize a group of staff dedicated to this project in NUOA, including professors, teachers, experts, technicians, and entrepreneurs to work as tutors and to facilitate the project. 2) Financial support. The OUC will make an investment once it is approved by APEC funding with an aim of supporting older adult education in the future. 3) Technology support. Using technology to deliver education is a monumental advantage of the OUC as an open university. The OUC will support and update the project with emerging technologies, such as AI, big data, blockchain in order to enrich the learning experience for younger older adults. Measures to the progress of the outcomes: One of the measurements to the progress is to provide policy recommendations on a regular basis, and the other one is to evaluate the project according to the number of participants. |
Project Overseers |
Madam Fan Xianrui from the Open University of China and Mr. Wang Yi from the Ministry of Education in China are the appointed Project overseers. Madam Fan Xianrui is the Vice President of the Open University of China, responsible for the Lifelong Education Research Institute, Information Technology Department, Finance Department, International Cooperation Department, and Secondary Technical School. She is also the Executive Director of the Committee of Health Care and Health Education under the Chinese Society for Technical and Vocational Education. Madam Fan received her master's degree in Management from Peking University. Before her service at the Open University of China, she worked at the Personnel Department of the Ministry of Education of China, including the Director of the Staffing, Deployment, and Labor Division, and the Director of the Personnel and Labor Division. During her service in the Ministry of Education, Madam Fan led the formulation of guiding principles and policies for human resources development in China's education sector. Mr. Wang Yi is the Director of the Department of International Cooperation and Exchanges in the Ministry of Education of China. He is mainly responsible for making and providing policies and inviting experts to participate in research projects and cooperation. |
Cost Efficiency |
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Drawdown Timetable |
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Direct Labour |
| No. | Specific Tasks (Scope of Services – SOS) | No. of Hours | | 1 | Project logistics, including printing agenda, dissemination of the conference notice, liaise the speakers, renting for venues. | 30 | | 2 | Short-term clerical assistants’ or secretarial tasks – drafting meeting minutes | 30 | | 3 | Proofreading of Background Report, Online Courses and Project Summary Report | 100 | | Total: | 160 | |
Waivers |
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Are there any supporting document attached? |
No
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Attachments
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