Valuing Australia's Older Workers

1
Valuing Australia's Older Workers

• Professional Development Workshop for RTOs

2
RTO Workshop - Content

• Valuing Australia's Older Workers an overview
• Some facts
• Emerging needs
• Opportunities for RTOs
• Professional Development Kit for RTOs
• Other resources/support
• Questions
• Close

3
Valuing Australia's Older Workers

• Some Facts
• Australian Baby Boomers are retiring
• Numbers of young people joining the workforce are
  declining
• Australias fertility rate is below replacement
  levels

4
Valuing Australia's Older Workers
Fertility Rates within Australia 1921 to 2051
Source ABS Cat No 3301.0
5
Valuing Australia's Older Workers
ABS Population Projections
6
Valuing Australia's Older Workers

• Australias Working Population
• Labour growth rates have risen to around 180,000
  per annum
• Predicted downturn to an average of 19,000 per
  annum by 2020
• The decline in supply has already commenced
• Will accelerate sharply over the next 10 years

7
Valuing Australia's Older Workers
8
Valuing Australia's Older Workers

• The Impact
• By 2010 serious labour shortages could exist
• Some have already appeared in varied industries
• TAS, SA, NSW and VIC will be first to feel impact
• WA and QLD will be affected slightly later
• Marginally employed currently filling the gaps

9
Valuing Australia's Older Workers

• This decline in growth will result in
• Reduced labour supply
• Reduced skills availability
• Potential negative impact on ability to produce
  goods or services in Australia

10
Valuing Australia's Older Workers

• Numbers of young people are declining
• Numbers of older people are increasing - relative
  to the population
• Many employers are already facing skills
  shortages
• These shortages are predicted to get worse
• Employers may face serious labour shortages -
  especially in small/medium business

11
Valuing Australia's Older Workers

• The Challenges
• Attracting new employees
• Retaining current workers
• Maintaining a skilled and knowledgeable workforce
• Addressing perceptions and attitudes
• Promoting an ageless workforce
• Encouraging a life-course perspective on work and
  learning
• Older workers will play an important part in
  meeting the future needs of the workforce

12
Valuing Australia's Older Workers

• Older Workers are
• Already skilled and experienced
• Bring a training investment with them
• Possess attitudes of loyalty, persistence,
  quality
• Have a knowledge of products, customers, systems
• Represent many of the future customers

13
Valuing Australia's Older Workers

• Emerging Needs
• Work arrangements
• Age diversity
• Skills, knowledge and qualifications
• - recognition - life transitions
• - funded training - career transition
• - cross-age communication - retraining
• - technological changes

14
Valuing Australia's Older Workers

• Implications for RTOs
• Work closely with employers and industry
• Promote a life-time perspective
• Accommodate individuals
• - external factors and influences
• - attitudinal and cultural issues
• Integrate business-specific with lifelong
  learning and personal development
• Design and develop user friendly and accessible
  resources
• Focus on recognition of prior skills and knowledge

15
Valuing Australia's Older Workers

• Employers will expect RTOs to analyse
• Roles, responsibilities and staffing requirements
• Job design and task breakdowns
• Career pathways and qualification mapping
  processes
• The linking of current training materials

16
Valuing Australia's Older Workers

• Employers may need to design and develop
• Specific learning resources
• Time and cost efficient learning activities and
  materials
• Diversity training
• Customised training

17
Valuing Australia's Older Workers

• and practical approaches to
• Cultural and behavioural issues
• Recruitment practices
• OHS requirements
• . targeted to HR Professionals, Managers,
  Employee Relations staff and Recruitment Personnel

18
Valuing Australia's Older Workers

• Employers will also need support and advice that
  assists them to
• Attract new employees
• Retain staff
• Manage skills requirements

19
Valuing Australia's Older Workers

• Learners will expect
• Learning activities and materials that are
• Flexible, responsive and demand driven
• Succinct and detailed, tailored to the learners
  work environment
• Less formal, more focussed on work-based learning
• - tied to immediate work requirements
• - modified to work circumstances
• - cost effective and accessible
• - relevant to learners interest and perceived
  needs
• - judicious and professional

20
Valuing Australia's Older Workers

• All learning and assessment experiences should
• Take into account all prior learning
• - formal
• - informal
• Foster innovation and entrepeneurship
• Involve the learner
• Focus on practical hands on application
• Allow learners to achieve through
• - small incremental steps
• - opportunity for repetition
• - no time limits for achievement

21
Valuing Australia's Older Workers

• Critical factors for consideration
• Work with employers, industry, recruitment and HR
  management
• Develop and implement effective strategies
• Reinforce a life-course perspective
• Address entrenched attitudes and barriers
• Provide a non-threatening training environment
• Foster a demand driven approach to skills
  development
• Emphasise recognition of prior learning and
  experience
• Customise activities and services
• Remove cultural, systemic or personal factors
• In short be learner driven

22
Valuing Australia's Older Workers

• Some suggestions
• Identify challenges for industry and client
  groups
• Review current courses/services offered
• Analyse current methodologies and practices, with
  particular emphasis on older learners
• Create new approaches and innovative services
• Consider staffing, resource and facility
  requirements
• Identify professional development needs for the
  team

23
Valuing Australia's Older Workers

• The benefits
• Successful outcomes
• Win more clients
• Gain a competitive edge
• Less complaints
• Grow trade through referrals and repeat business
• Compliant in legal and Registration obligations

24
Valuing Australia's Older Workers

• The Valuing Australia's Older Workers
  Professional Development Kit for RTOs
• Purpose
• Content
• - section one
• - section two
• - section three
• - section four
• RPL
• Other resources

25
Valuing Australia's Older Workers

• Any questions?
• Close