Today’s Mature Workers Are Learning New Skills
Years ago, young people went to school, earned their high
school diploma or college degree, and then went to work. After high school
or college graduation, most adults never again set foot in a classroom. They
worked their way up the corporate or blue-collar ladder for forty years and
then retired. The skills they needed to learn they got on the job.
No longer! Today, there are more adults than traditional students enrolled
in higher education. Even people approaching retirement age are taking adult
education courses, earning degrees online, or brushing up on skills at
technical centers. Businesspeople can be found earning their MBAs, nurses
are adding to their skill set, and IT specialists are flocking to technical
schools to earn higher certifications.
Education demographics are changing. As recently as 1997,
twenty-one percent of employed older workers had less than a high school
education, compared to only ten percent of those ages 25-64. By 2007, the
gap had narrowed: of all older workers just thirteen percent had less than a
high school education, compared with nine percent for younger workers.
Studies in Canada confirm the trend. Over the past ten years in both Alberta
and British Columbia, the proportion of older
workers with a post-secondary certificate, diploma, or bachelor’s degree has
increased to 59 percent. During that same time period, the proportion of
older workers with less than a high school diploma dropped to 13 per cent in
Alberta and 11 per cent in B.C. Higher education levels are associated with
higher levels of mature worker employment and lower levels of unemployment.
Workplace demographics are changing, too. According to the
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in the decade between 1977
and 2007, the civilian non-institutional population age 65 and
older increased by about 60 percent, while the civilian non-institutional
population age 16 and over increased 46 percent. Yet employment of people 65
and over doubled, while employment for people 16 and over increased by less
than 60
percent. This means that more and more mature workers are
finding and keeping jobs.
What Do These Changes Mean for Employers?
Mature workers are increasingly competitive in the job marketplace and are
getting hired. They are better-educated than in the past and are succeeding
in mastering today’s job skills.
The Philadelphia Inquirer recently reported that one investment management
firm has discovered that older workers hired as part-time telephone
customer-service representatives often performed better than their younger
counterparts. Upon completion of their training, they tend to outscore
younger workers on the final exam. Older workers also are better able to
handle aggressive or unhappy callers on the phone.
Mature workers increasingly have the skills and education
needed by employers. The growing number of older people with higher
education means that they are more likely to stay in the work force, adapt
to new technologies, and provide value to their employers. Savvy business
owners are taking advantage of the education and skills of today’s mature
workers.
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Lisa Jordan
is a disability and workforce development expert. Lisa uses her keen ability to
identify challenges and develop solutions so
that workforce development professionals can increase their comfort level,
productivity and effectiveness when working with a diverse clientele. Download
Lisa’s White Paper on 5 Easy Disability Tips to Immediately Increase Agency
Accessibility by visiting
http://www.human-solutions.net.
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