National Skills Summit
Innovative Initiatives: Targeted Populations
The National Council on Aging Workforce
Development Division:
Private Sector Initiative Special Training Programs
The
Challenge:
To place a significant number of mature workers aged 55 and older into every major industry of the new economy by 2003.
The
Solution:
To develop partnerships with employers and professional training organizations to ensure that older workers receive the skills they need to meet the demands of employers who are desperately seeking qualified workers.
The
Partners:
National Council on the Aging (NCOA), a private non-profit organization, serves as a national resource for information, training, technical assistance, advocacy, and research on every aspect of aging. NCOA's Workforce Development Division works with government, community, and business organizations across America to help older people find jobs, increase their incomes, and learn new skills.
Mellon Financial, a nation-wide bank, provides funding for office skills training to older workers in Los Angeles and Pittsburgh, and offers job placements for trained workers.
IT Works, Inc., a computer-based training corporation, trains older workers in Pittsburgh, for employment in the finance industry.
Home Builder's Institute, the education and training arm of the National Association of Home Builders, partnered with NCOA to develop a training program for older workers in Palm Beach, Florida.
The
Story:
As Russell Bliss advanced in age, he discovered that his social security benefits were simply not sufficient to meet his growing need for medications, food, utilities, and transportation. However, Russell had no idea how to generate another source of income. He had not worked for years, and possessed few marketable skills.
One day, while watching television, Mr. Bliss saw a news conference announcing a new employment partnership between the National Council on the Aging (NCOA), Mellon Financial, and IT Works, a technology training corporation. He signed up for an IT Works class sponsored by NCOA at the local YMCA and successfully completed a 100 hour training course. He learned basic keyboard skills, Windows applications, and financial software packages. Mr. Bliss is now employed at Mellon's Cash Management Center, where he earns rave reviews from his co-workers. Mr. Bliss is just one of 71 older workers who completed the training program. Fifty four were hired by Mellon Financial in part-time and full-time jobs. Another of NCOA's partners, PNC Bank, has also hired program trainees in their treasury centers. Both partners want NCOA to expand this training to Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, and Philadelphia. Mellon Financial is expected to provide private funding to support the continuation of the program in Pittsburgh and Los Angeles.
The partnership between NCOA, Mellon, and IT Works is one of many pilot programs launched by NCOA to return over 100,000 older Americans to the workforce by 2003. These partnerships with the private sector have shown that older workers have the potential to fill a wide variety of in-demand positions.
Another such partnership is with the Home Builders Institute, which works with NCOA to train older workers for new careers in the light home construction trades. The program, located in Palm Beach County, Florida, emphasizes the recruitment of women aged 55 and older. In the first year, 36 participants completed the training program, including 27 women with an average age of 72 years. Twenty-two trainees accepted jobs in related industries. In January 2000, a similar program began in San Antonio, Texas.
NCOA is able to develop such strong relationships with employers because it works with employers to define the specific skills they need in a worker. NCOA then provides that specific pre-employment education, training, and skill development. After the applicant is hired, NCOA pays the employer a pre-arranged percentage of the new employee's salary for an agreed-upon amount of time in exchange for the on-the-job training the applicant receives. NCOA continually monitors and evaluates the employee's performance. The result is a wealth of new opportunity for older workers and a pool of skilled employees for employers.
A Model of
Innovation:
The double layer of partnerships - with both employers and training organizations - assures that NCOA program graduates will enter the workforce both prepared and well-employed. NCOA provides employers with the support they need to develop trust in older workers.
Contacts:
Donald L. Davis, Vice President
Workforce Development
Division
The National Council on Aging
409 Third Street, SW
Washington, DC 20024
202-479-1200 (p)
202-479-0735 (f)
http://www.ncoa.org
Debunking Myths about Older Workers
Myth: Older workers cannot meet the physical demands of the workplace.
Fact: Less than 12 percent of today's jobs require significant physical strength or exertion, so older workers are more than capable of performing the duties of most jobs.
Myth: Older workers will be absent more often than others because of illness or other factors.
Fact: Surveys and studies consistently find that older workers have better attendance rates than younger workers.
Myth: Older workers are not trainable, and do not adapt well to new technologies and workplace demands and expectations.
Fact: Evaluations of older workers show that they demonstrate a high degree of flexibility and adaptability.
Myth: Older workers cost more and demand higher wages for entry-level jobs.
Fact: Studies show that older workers are willing to accept a beginner's wages for entry-level positions.
Sources: "Focus: Work Force 2000," Kansas City Business Journal, July 7, 1997
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