Older generation 'can learn through technology'

A £20 million fund will go towards helping older people in the UK access education and digital technology. The Learning for Pleasure initiative will include a project at Tyneside Cinema to help those aged 60 and older create moving images and use a range of online learning and communication tools. Minister for Further Education, Skills and Consumer Affairs Kevin Brennan said he hopes people will embrace the opportunities to create a brighter future, commenting: "The benefits of learning for pleasure in an informal setting are wide-ranging – and they benefit the community as well as the individual." 

According to the Office of National Statistics, there has been an increase in the number of people aged 65 and over. While in 1983 this demographic made up 15 per cent of the UK population, it made up 16 per cent last year. 

A survey by 'Just Retirement' revealed that 90 per cent of people aged 50 and over use email regularly as a means of communication – one in five of whom are at least 70 years old. Nigel Barlow, head of research at the company, asserted that the older generation would catch up with younger age groups in terms of online activity. 

Meanwhile, Microsoft has launched a scheme called 'Britain Works', which allows people to access free resources to enable them to build up their skills and knowledge of technology in the workplace.

Frank O'Donnell, expert in Education, at PA Consulting Group (PA) comments:

"PA believes that technology, to support learning, increase access and develop capacity, is the defining feature of the future environment for learning. Technology offers the older generation a new 'channel' to access learning and provides the flexibility to allow participation at a time and place that is determined by the learner, not the provider. However, as these initiatives are developed and implemented, it is important that they focus not only on the supply of learning material but also the demand if they are to have a sustainable impact. 

"The key to effective informal learning lies in adapting the learning material to the situation, not only making it available but ensuring that it also stimulates a desire to participate. Initiatives such as Learning for Pleasure must therefore give equal consideration to ensuring both that learning material can be accessed by older people and that demand is stimulated in a way that sustains beyond the life of the initiative.”