Aging societies face a shrinking workforce. Enabling people to work longer can help fill the gaps. One solution: lifelong learning that provides aging workers with the skills and confidence to adapt to new challenges.
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In a fast-paced, global economy, older workers might find that the education and training they received earlier in life is inadequate. But with a lifetime of experience, older workers can help make up for the lack of young people and improve their own wellbeing if they remain productive.
“Employment problems of older workers are often rooted in their relatively low literacy skills, not in ageing per se,” reports the World Health Organization. “There is a need for continuous training in the workplace and lifelong learning opportunities.”
The concept of lifelong learning embraces more than the accumulation of degrees, certificates and other "paper qualifications," according to the OECD, which argues: “Countries need to redefine what they mean by ‘qualifications’ in relation to lifelong learning.” Lifelong learning also means the informal passing on of valuable knowledge and skills from one colleague to another.
Knowledge workers of the world
Increasingly, governments, employers, and individuals are embracing the concept. In Finland, the National Programme for Ageing Workers targets adult learners with IT programs, distance learning and open universities, as well as financial support for older workers who continue in education.
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Japan’s Silver Human Resource Centers (SHRCs) are also targeted at older workers, while Canada has begun supporting training of unemployed workers aged 55 to 64.
France has introduced “Training through the Working Life” and “Individual Right to Training” laws that create an individual training passport containing the history of each employee’s educational and professional development.
Also in France, aerospace company EADS has prioritized career and skills development for workers over 45, while German small- and medium-sized companies that train workers over 45 receive government subsidies.
Some companies recognize that the public often perceives older workers as mature, sympathetic, and trustworthy. Westpac, an Australian financial services firm expanding into the personal financial advising market, therefore trained 900 new recruits over 55.
Keeping older workers’ knowledge and skills up-to-date benefits not just the economy but also civil society. Half of all U.S. adults aged 50 to 70 are interested in work — healthcare, teaching, youth work — that will improve their communities, according to a 2005 survey.
Studies also suggest that lifelong learning keeps people healthier, another benefit for aging societies whose healthcare systems are increasingly stretched. In the United States, according to a 2006 study, older adults participating in weekly arts programs reported better health, fewer doctor visits, and less use of medication.
editor: James Tulloch
publishing date: July 11, 2008
