Older People’s Commissioner launches new learning course to inspire action against ageism in Wales

Older People’s Commissioner launches new learning course to inspire action against ageism in Wales

The Older People’s Commissioner for Wales has launched a new learning course designed to empower participants across Wales to recognise and challenge ageism, which is still seen as acceptable despite the significant harm it causes.

The interactive course, developed in collaboration with the Open University in Wales, draws on a wide range of evidence and older people’s lived experiences to help participants understand the scale of ageism and its impact – both on individuals and society more widely.

The course covers a number of key areas where ageism and age discrimination are common, including access to services, employment and recruitment, and within the media and advertising.

As well as growing knowledge and understanding, including about key legislation such as the Equality Act designed to protect people against discrimination, the course also offers practical information about how to take action against ageism, together with links to other helpful resources and organisations that can provide information and support.

While the course is primarily being targeted at staff working across the public sector in Wales, it can be accessed for free by anyone who wants to learn more about the role they can play in tackling ageism and age discrimination, and why this is so important.

Older People’s Commissioner for Wales, Rhian Bowen-Davies, said:

“Ageism remains one of the most persistent and overlooked forms of discrimination within society, impacting on the ways that older people are viewed, treated and valued.

“Ageism means that growing older is often only viewed only in negative terms, presented as something to be feared and associated with decline and dependence. This reinforces ageist attitudes and discrimination, limiting the opportunities available to us as we grow older and creating barriers to living and ageing well.

“So I’m delighted to be launching this learning course today to help provide participants with the practical information they need so they can recognise ageism and feel empowered to call it out or challenge it, which is a crucial part of making ageism unacceptable and bringing it to an end.”

The module has been developed following the delivery of face-to-face and online ageism learning sessions by the Commissioner’s team, which were attended by staff from a wide range of key public bodies and organisations across Wales.

Feedback from these events was hugely positive, which prompted the Commissioner to explore how learning opportunities like these could be rolled out more widely to benefit even more individuals.

The Open University’s OpenLearn platform proved to be ideal to support this aim, enabling the Commissioner to make the training available for free and reach out to a much wider audience.

Collaborating with the OpenLearn team and utilising their expertise and experience to prepare the content for use on an online platform rather than a face-to-face setting also helped to bring the module to life through including lived experiences and case studies, interactive sections and video content from organisations working across the world to fight ageism.

Dr Scott McKenzie, Assistant Director, Learning, Skills & Innovation at the OU in Wales said:

“The OU has a growing partnership with Wales’s public services, and through OpenLearn, we’ve worked with a range of organisations, including councils, colleges and statutory bodies. This new, free course reflects our core mission of opening up opportunities for all. A person’s background, including their age, shouldn’t stop them from reaching their potential.

“Providing free learning through OpenLearn is also central to this mission. We’re helping people develop new knowledge, support their communities, and take their first steps into lifelong learning.”

One of the organisations that supported the Commissioner by testing the course during the final development stages was Dysgu, the national professional learning and leadership body for maintained schools and settings in Wales.

Dysgu Chief Executive, Dr Gwenllian Lansdown Davies, said:

“As a new public body in Wales, we want all our work to prioritise creating equitable and inclusive learning environments, where everyone feels respected and valued. This collaboration by two trusted organisations empowers participants with useful legal context and practical ideas about what we can all do to tackle ageism and age discrimination.”

The Commissioner has shared the course with key public bodies and organisations across Wales so it can be rolled out to their teams, and is exploring opportunities for the course to be included within standard internal training programmes.

The Commissioner added:

“Ageism underpins many of the issues faced by older people, and at its heart – ultimately – is unfairness and injustice, both of which do not sit comfortably with us here in Wales.

“That’s why it’s crucial that ageism and the damage it causes is recognised and that we all play our part by standing up and speaking out against it, something my learning module will help to support.”