The first online actuarial training for MOHRSS and its local branches

Press release | 01 July 2020
In partnership with Actuarial and Statistical Division at the Social Insurance Administration (SIA) of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS), the EU-funded project “Improving China’s Institutional Capacity towards Universal Social Protection” organized an online training on actuarial services targeting social security actuaries in China. The objectives of the training were to improve the participants’ knowledge of international standards and practices in actuarial work in social security and enhance technical capacity of MOHRSS to organize actuarial services.

The training took place online from 15 to 24 June 2020. It included a pre-course self-paced learning and assignment, 15-17 June 2020; and live interactive training sessions, 18-19 & 22-24 June 2020. It focused on the essential elements of actuarial work in social security and highlighted the role of actuarial work in supporting the development of social insurance. The training course included the processes of the actuarial valuation as well as the experiences and practices of the application of actuarial valuation results to policymaking and financing decisions.

The training was mainly delivered by Mr Simon Brimblecombe, the ILO Senior Actuary, and Chief Technical Advisor at the ILO Regional Office in Bangkok. Ms Zhang Jing, Regional Coordinator, East Asia of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries gave a lecture on professional training and certification activities in the region. Participants also benefited from peer learning and self-reflection through various individual and group exercises. The online training relied on the pedagogic and technological support by the International Training Centre of the ILO (ITCILO).

40 participants from national SIA, and its branches in 17 provinces and 7 cities (a total of 25 institutions including headquarters) were trained. Ms Yu Cong, Director of the Actuarial and Statistical Division observed that the training provided a valuable learning opportunity for these core members of the actuary team within MOHRSS and they expected continuous technical support from the ILO in the area of actuarial work for social security, in particular coping with social security challenges of an aging society.

The training is the first of a set of activities aimed at creating a curriculum and guidebook for training of trainers for MOHRSS. These materials aim at motivating practitioners to undertake professional actuarial certification and prepare them for that. The training will be followed by a series of e-coaching sessions on specialized topics in actuarial studies, which will occur bimonthly over a period of ten months. The project is also diagnosing the delivery of actuarial services in different provincial and municipal social insurance funds, in order to make recommendations to strengthen the capacity of MOHRSS to deliver actuarial services.