Learning and the older workforce

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Learning and the older workforce

• Stephen McNair
• Director
• Centre for Research into the Older Workforce
• University of Surrey

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What is the problem?

• We are living longer
• Life expectancy rose by 30 yrs in 20th century,
• We are not replacing the workforce
• lowest ever birth rate (1.6 per woman),
• young people entering the workforce later,
• largest ever age cohort approaching retirement,
• ageing workforce a major constraint in 6/14
  occupational sectors
• We are saving less
• lowest ever savings rate,
• highest ever personal debt,
• average pension yield halved 2000-2003
• This is not sustainable people will have to
  work longer
• Age discrimination legislation is coming (2006)

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What is CROW?

• Response to labour market problems in the South
  East but national/international interests
• Based in University of Surrey, funded by SEEDA
  since 2002
• Partnership with NIACE and PRA
• Work to date
• National survey of job change 20
• Postal survey 50-69 yrs
• Qualitative interviews of older workers gender
  and qualification
• Study of employer behaviour for DTI (to inform
  legislation)
• Literature/resource base
• Briefing papers on key issues

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Key questions

• What would persuade people to stay in work
  longer?
• What can employers do to make work more
  attractive?
• What can Government do to help?

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As people age

• Capacity for work does not decline for most
• Poor health main cause of early retirement in 50s
  can be reduced
• Motivation to work does not decline but
  flexibility becomes more important
• Loyalty to employer rises
• Participation in work and training declines
• Styles of working and learning change
• Some differences are effects of generation, not
  age

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What people want

• To work
• Control and internally generated goals
• Skill use
• Variety
• Clarity of purpose
• Financial security
• Interaction with others (quality and quantity)
• Respect/ social position

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CROW Omnibus Survey How far are older workers
different?

• A national Omnibus Survey (ONS) of 5400 job
  changers aged 20-69
• Spring 2003
• 1136 in 50-69 age range
• Examining
• job changes in last 5 years
• reason for change
• effects of change
• support for change
• usefulness of the support
• aspirations for work after retirement

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How different are older workers?

• Job mobility declines with age
• Career motivation remains most important
• Qualification levels of older people lower
• Until 60 most change results in more
  responsibility and skills, and longer hours
• After 60 pressure and flexibility become serious
  issues
• Declining health a major factor in early exit
  much is avoidable
• Few people receive any support
• Most would consider work after retirement if it
  was sufficiently flexible
• Self employed stay longest

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Older workers are not all alike the choosers
and the chosen

• Choosers - choose paid work
• qualified,
• professional/managerial,
• control over work,
• mission/purpose
• Survivors - need paid work
• unqualified,
• unskilled/semi skilled,
• least control over work
• Jugglers choose a balance
• Sub degree qualifications
• Full social range
• Overwhelmingly female
• Balancing work and other commitments
• CROW/ONS Omnibus Survey 2003

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CROW Postal SurveyIndividual attitudes to work

• Postal survey
• 50-69 yr olds
• 400 responses drawn from Omnibus sample
• Employed and retired
• Examining
• Experience of work and discrimination
• Attitudes to work
• Attitudes to policy issues

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Postal survey key findings

• 50 are in some form of work (8 describe
  themselves as retired)
• Little difference in attitude between fully
  retired and employed
• 18 report age discrimination
• Retirement is natural no reason
• Workers want to go on working, non-workers dont
• Half of the retired would have liked to stay if
  work could have been flexible/part-time
• Attitudes to work are positive

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People like work
CROW Postal Survey 2004
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Would you like to do some paid work after
retiring from your main job?
CROW Postal survey - all
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Education and training in later life things we
know

• Those who had least get least, and less as they
  age
• Most people get less as they get older
• Most people get little advice
• Neither employers nor individuals invest much
  unfounded fears of poor returns and declining
  capacity (young people are less reliable and
  loyal)
• No evidence of declining capacity if training
  provided
• Little explicit education/training provision on
  any scale except for highly qualified and
  unemployed

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Things we dont know?

• How far is the decline in training an issue of
  supply or demand
• What is currently offered, to meet what needs
• Who are the main providers state, public,
  private, voluntary
• How many older people seek guidance and with what
  results
• Is the training offered appropriate
• learning styles
• repetition of old training
• trivial training issues or approaches
• failure to use experience and expertise
• unduly didactic approaches

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Learning needs and the older workforce an
analytical framework

• Information, advice and guidance
• Lifecourse learning
• Retention
• Re-entry and return
• Second careers
• Succession and knowledge management
• Health
• Community engagement
• Role of informal learning and AP(E)L

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Evaluating interventions work and learning

• Does it provide
• control
• opportunity to use of skills and experience
• variety and work/life balance
• clear purpose
• financial security
• physical security
• social interaction
• respect and status

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More information, including reports and briefing
papersfromwww.surrey.ac.uk/education/CROW

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Advice, guidance and support

• Take up is minimal
• Policy discriminates
• Is it available?
• Where do people expect to get advice?
• What are the barriers
• Challenging Age

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Retention

• Easier than return
• Remaining up to date to retain current employment
  status
• Preparing for promotion/progression

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Re-entry and return

• Acquiring new skills and knowledge needed to
  practice ones old occupation after a break
• Confidence building
• Discrimination proofing
• Lessons from women returners and unemployment
  education?

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Succession and knowledge transfer

• Mentoring
• Consulting
• Supervision
• Matching this with rapidly changing organisations
  and technology

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Second careers

• Is starting again different from starting first
  time?
• Will apprenticeships help?
• Self employment learning to be entrepreneurial

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Health

• Understanding health at work physical and
  mental
• Learning to manage health positively

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Community engagement

• Making a contribution
• Fighting isolation
• Voluntary activity

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Informal learning

• Do older people do more informal learning?
• What is the role of APEL?
• Do older people recognise their continuing
  learning?

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Lifecourse education

• learning to manage life changes
• plateauing
• children leaving
• caring roles
• retirement
• bereavement