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 noninstitutional population age 65 and older increased by about 60 percent, while the civilian noninstitutional 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.
If you are an employer, to access a pool of motivated mature workers, contact your local WorkSource Center. Visit http://www.worksourcecalifornia.com/ and click the Business Resources link on the left. Mature workers seeking employment may also visit the same site and click on Services for Job Seekers.
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 Special Report on 5 Easy Disability Tips to Immediately Increase Agency Accessibility by visiting http://www.human-solutions.net Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/human-resources-articles/todays-mature-workers-are-learning-new-skills-1293314.html
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