Computer professionals see e-exclusion risk for older people
Respondents to a recent survey on e-inclusion have indicated that they see older people and those with lower levels of education as at risk of being left behind as the information society develops. Some 72% of those responding to the survey from the European Computer Driving Licence Foundation (ECDL) said that the ageing population is at risk of being excluded from society due to the development of the information society, while 68% of respondents could see a strong correlation between levels of education and levels of participation in the information society. Asked about how best to address the e-inclusion challenge, the majority of respondents (computer professionals from more than 30 countries) agreed that public-private partnerships could be the best approach. The ECDL also found that many people have little understanding of the positive impact that information and communication technologies (ICT) can have on the quality of the daily lives. The foundation therefore recommends public campaigns to raise awareness of these benefits. The survey was carried out with the aim of contributing to the European Commission's preparations for the 2008 e-Inclusion initiative. The next step will be a high-level workshop on delivering e-inclusion, which will take place on 3 October in Brussels. The ECDL Foundation seeks to enable the proficient use ICT, empowering individuals, organisations and society through the development, promotion and delivery of quality certification programmes.