Digital Literacy (CA0039)
Overview
At-a-Glance
Action Plan: Canada, Second Action Plan, 2014-2016
Action Plan Cycle: 2014
Status:
Institutions
Lead Institution: Employment and Social Development Canada
Support Institution(s): NA
Policy Areas
Capacity BuildingIRM Review
IRM Report: Canada End-of-Term Report 2014-2016, Canada Progress Report 2014-2015
Early Results: Marginal
Design i
Verifiable: No
Relevant to OGP Values: Yes
Ambition (see definition): Low
Implementation i
Description
The Government of Canada will support the development of tools, training resources,
and other initiatives to help Canadians acquire the essential skills needed to access,
understand, and use digital information and new technologies.
IRM End of Term Status Summary
Commitment 10. Digital Literacy
Commitment Text:
The Government of Canada will support the development of tools, training resources, and other initiatives to help Canadians acquire the essential skills needed to access, understand, and use digital information and new technologies.
Increasingly, Canadians are required to use technology to access, use, and create digital information in their work and other daily activities. Similarly, digital literacy skills are needed to take full advantage of the benefits of open data, information, and dialogue. The potential reach and impact of Canada's open government activities can be significantly augmented by efforts to ensure citizens understand how to make use of the technologies that enable open government.
In order to target these activities more effectively, initiatives will be undertaken to better understand the relationship between digital skills and labour market and social outcomes. To this end, the Government of Canada will develop tools, training resources, and other initiatives to support digital skills development by Canadians.
The Government of Canada will work with partners in the private sector, civil society, and academia to ensure that federal digital skills initiatives are aligned with nongovernmental efforts being undertaken in this domain.
Deliverables to be completed in 2014-16:
- Sponsor projects to increase understanding of the relationship between digital skills and relevant labour market and social outcomes, including building a profile of Canadians' digital skills competencies by region and by demographic group.
- Develop online tools, training materials, and other resources to enable individual Canadians to assess and improve their digital skills.
- Fund private sector and civil society initiatives aimed at improving the digital skills of Canadians (e.g., digital skills in rural small business, essential skills for Northern youth, business technology management accreditation).
Responsible institution: Employment and Social Development Canada
Supporting institution(s): None
Start date: November 2014 End date: 30 June 2016
Commitment Aim:
The aim of this commitment is to support the development of resources that facilitate digital literacy. It emphasizes skills required to understand and use digital technology, but does not address the issue of access to technology itself.
STATUS
Mid-term: Limited
At the time of the mid-term report, the lead agency—Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC)—was working on seven reports based on a range of themes identified in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), but none of the reports had been released. ESDC also supported the development of an online assessment tool for education and skills online, which had not been released. Progress had been made toward the third milestone in the form of two grants and contribution projects to test models and tools for improving digital skills, carried out by the Université de Québec à Montréal (UQAM) and the Community Business Development Corporation, respectively. Both were ongoing at the mid-term reporting period.
End of term: Substantial
There is no evidence of progress on the first milestone as the PIAAC report had been released prior to the start of the second action plan and the seven thematic reports noted in the mid-term progress report still have not been released. The second milestone, however, was completed: Education and Skills Online, the online assessment tool developed with support from ESDC, was released in both official languages in 2016. Education and Skills Online, http://www.oecd.org/skills/ESonline-assessment/takethetest/ The two projects constituting the third milestone were also completed. The UQAM project resulted in an online training game, Neuro-Ludus, which helps improve information processing skills. Rewired for Technology, http://www.rewired4technology.com
The project carried out at the Community Business Development Corporation produced training material to support small and medium sized enterprises in rural parts of the country. Ten small rural businesses piloted that project across five provinces: Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Québec, Manitoba, and Alberta. Workplace Digital Skills, http://www.digitalskills.biz
Did it open government?
Access to information: Marginal
The effect of this commitment on opening government was minimal. The reports based on PIAAC results have yet to be seen. While the Education and Skills Online tool was completed, its use requires an access code that is available for purchase by institutions, organizations, and researchers. Education and Skills Online Assessment, http://www.oecd.org/skills/ESonline-assessment/abouteducationskillsonline/ The project carried out at UQAM is more accessible, as the training game is available online as an app for both Apple and Android. The project carried out by CBDC resulted in improved digital skills among project participants. Workplace Digital Essential Skills in Rural Small Businesses: Final Research Report, http://www.srdc.org/media/199928/digital-skills-report-en.pdf
Carried forward?
This commitment was not carried forward to the third action plan.