Upskilling China’s children and youth
New world. New skills.
At PwC China, we are upskilling those where the need is greatest through our ‘New world. New skills.’ initiative, helping others to adapt in times of change. We have upgraded some of our existing education programmes with digital elements, including upskilling students with digital literacy, and strengthening university students’ digital skills to boost employability. We have also developed new programmes to reach a much broader beneficiary group via online channels.
Shanghai Adream Charitable Foundation (Adream Foundation) is one of the key charity partners that PwC China has been working with to help close the skills and opportunity gap for children and youth in rural areas of China, and to improve digital literacy among broader groups.
Adream Centers
Since 2019, Adream Foundation and PwC China have opened seven ‘Adream Center’ classrooms at schools in Yunnan and Hebei provinces, benefitting over 6,000 students. The classrooms are all equipped with multimedia teaching facilities and provide tablet PCs, books for students and training materials for teachers. The multimedia devices and interactive teaching techniques give local students the opportunity to gain more knowledge and narrow the digital skills gap.
We have also developed a new financial literacy curriculum with Adream Foundation which is aimed at benefitting tens of thousands of middle school students annually. Fostering the mindset and raising awareness of finance management can help students develop good financial habits at an early age and make wise financial decisions. Since its launch in 2018, over 660 teachers have delivered this new course to classes in 319 schools across China, reaching 66,380 students.
Digital literacy upskilling
In 2021, PwC China worked with Adream Foundation to launch a much broader scale digital literacy upskilling project through online channels, available to any individual in need beyond children and youth. The project contains a series of educational video and audio programmes on eight topics including smart city, big data, urban digitalisation, AI and smart home, linking daily life scenarios to digital concepts, skills and new technologies. These aim to raise awareness and create digital agility, enabling people to upskill in order not to be left behind. Since launching, over three million individuals have benefitted by accessing this online content.
Tech carnival
Following the success of the ‘Tech Carnival’ piloted in rural schools across Suichuan, Jiangxi province in 2021, we have been working with Adream Foundation to expand the programme to cities, as improving digital literacy skills is equally important to the growth of urban children.
The carnival focuses on eight themes, including information security, sports first aid, food nutrition, transportation safety, energy, waste, biodiversity and analytical thinking.
In September 2021, the ‘Tech Carnival’ was unveiled in Changning, Xuhui and Yangpu districts of Shanghai, with nearly 200 families participating. The events were carried out via ‘pass-through’ games, giving children the chance to gradually gain different types of knowledge and learn about the application of science and technology in their lives. The carnival also helped cultivate children’s interest in science and their spirit of exploration.
"Tech Carnival empowers children with technologies to make their dreams come true. With PwC China, we cultivate students' innovative spirit and practical skills through online live broadcasts and offline activities, helping them apply technologies to carry out their dreams."
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