1 Researchers : 10 altogether; 3 from Denmark, 2 from Finland, 2 from Norway, and 3 from Sweden. Scientific board: professor Antero Malin, Finland (project leader); associate professor Kjersti Lundetræ, Norway, associate professor Erik Mellander, Sweden (responsible for dissemination); senior research fellow Anders Rosdahl, Denmark (responsible for data)

 Project period: April 1, 2013 – March 31, 2016  Funding: 6.7 million NOK (≈ 0.92 million €)  Research theme: Separating age and cohort effects on learning and skills over the life cycle  Specific feature: Combines new survey data from PIAAC (Programme for International Assessment of Adult Competencies) with  population register data for the Nordic countries  earlier survey data – IALS (International Adult Lite- racy Survey), ALL (Adult Literacy & Life skills Survey) 2

 Largest and most comprehensive international survey of adult skills ever undertaken  24 countries  Target population: adults aged 16 to 65, residing in the country  Sample size: completed cases in each country  Data collection in :  Background questionnaire: computer-aided personal interview  Skills assessment: on a laptop computer or printed test booklet  New feature: adaptive testing (different blocks of items on the basis of respondents’ estimated ability) and automatic scoring  First results published October 8,

We consider the three domains of CFS in PIAAC, constituting key information-processing competencies: Literacy – the ability to understand, evaluate, use and engage with written texts Numeracy – the ability to find, use, interpret and communicate mathematical information Problem solving with Information and Communications Technology (ICT) – the ability to use digital technology communication tools and networks to locate and evaluate information and interact with other people 4

Cross-sectional observations:  CFS increase from age 16 to 25-35, whereupon they decline very fast.  Even when controlling for level of education, gender and immigrant background, the decrease is substantial. These observations provide the starting point for the project. 5

Examine how age and CFS relate in Nordic countries, studying similarities /differences, by subgroups Try to explain these associations: relative importance of cohort effects – factors related to when you were born – and effects of aging. Do work environments and private life conditions matter for the rates of skill acquisition and skill loss? Can skill loss be prevented or reduced through educational and labor market policies? Nordic countries sufficiently similar with respect to institutions and culture that skill differences may be linked to policy differences. 6

Cohort effects: individuals born at different points in time have attended different types of education – with respect to quantity and content (educational reforms), as well as pedagogics. Opportunities, attitudes, and motivation with respect to learning may differ across cohorts. Age effects: conceivably, mental abilities deteriorate as we age (biology); activities and contexts conducive to the acquisition and maintenance of skills may differ over life cycle, possibly decreasing by age (psychology, sociology) 7

…. how are we to accomplish separate identification of age and cohort effects? Time dimension: obtained by connecting PIAAC with IALS and ALL, and register data. Cohort effects : compare skills of individuals of the same age, but born in different years (PIAAC vs IALS/ALL) Age effects : follow cohorts over time by means of PIAAC + IALS/ALL; compare changes in skills of different cohorts observed at the same points in time, controlling for cohort effects. 8

 Descriptive report about data, trends, correlations. Presented at 2 Nordic conferences targeted at policy makers, practitioners, media.  8 research papers for scientific journals. Presented at research seminars, Nordic network meetings and international scientific conferences.  1 book summarizing results in non-technical terms. Closing discussion on the Education for tomorrow theme. Presented at 2 Nordic conferences for policy makers, practitioners, media.  Project homepage 9

 We hope that our results can provide input to the improvement of the acquisition, keeping up, and enhancement of adult CFS in the Nordic countries  By assessing the relative importance of different means – formal and informal education and training - the project can contribute to more efficient adult skill promoting practices. 10