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Aarp Study : employer training programs productive for workers 50 and over
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A new AARP US national survey
has found that workers age 50 and over are satisfied with employer-based training
programs offered to them (79 percent), and they participate in those programs
in large numbers.
But while two-thirds (67 percent)
of workers questioned online said that they received all of the training they
had desired or made no requests in the previous two years, one in four (24 percent)
reported that they were able to participate in only some of the training desired.
Another 8 percent said they were unable to participate in any of the training
desired.
The inability to participate in work-based
training was especially acute with low-income and less-educated individuals.
For example, more than eight in ten (85 percent) workers with at least a four-year
college degree had taken employer-based training within the previous two years,
compared to only 50 percent of workers with a high school degree or less.
Given the somewhat uneven participation
rate, the study called for working to ensure “that training opportunities
are offered and clearly communicated to all workers,” including those
with less formal education.
The report also suggested that organizations
consider creative ways to bridge the educational barrier by making training
more appealing to those with less education by customizing approaches to training,
depending on workers’ needs.
The new study comes at a time of
increasing focus on workers age 50 and over and, coincidentally, on training
and development by American companies. The report states that “slowing
labor force growth”, plus longevity and other factors, means that 50+
workers will likely figure more prominently in the workplace than ever before.
(For example, U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics projections show that one in three people in the U.S. labor force
will be ages 50+ by 2016, up from 28 percent of the workforce in 2007.)
These and other business changes,
including “increased competitiveness accompanying globalization,”
have resulted in organizations facing “unrelenting pressure to continuously
build and sustain workforce knowledge and expertise through rigorous training
initiatives,” the report stated.
In announcing the results of the
study today, Deborah Russell, AARP’s Director of Workforce issues, said:
“For employers to be successful
in recruiting and retaining 50-plus workers, they will need to consider ongoing
training as a key strategy. Ongoing training and development is what mature
workers view as a top attraction in an ideal workplace.”
AARP collected the data for the study
through an online survey of workers age 50 + employed by companies with at least
10 employees. The study is titled: “Investing in Training 50+ Workers:
A Talent Management Strategy.” The survey was administered by Knowledge
Networks of Menlo Park, CA. At the same time, Towers Perrin, a global professional
services firm, interviewed a select group of employers for an accompanying analysis
of training observations. Towers Perrin drafted the final report as well.
The range of training topics included,
among others, computer skills, specific technical or professional skills, formal
courses that lead to certification or degrees applicable to the job, management
skills training, occupational safety training and communication skills training.
Among the other key findings
of the survey include:
• More than
six in 10 (62 percent) who took training in the previous two years said that
it increased their productivity at work.
• More than
nine in 10 (93 percent) of respondents said they enjoy learning new things,
and 77 percent expressed interest specifically in work-related education.
“The passion
for knowledge does not disappear or diminish simply because a worker passes
the age 50 threshold,” the report said.
• The majority
of 50+ workers said they were comfortable with a variety of learning methods.
However, classroom-based training was clearly the preferred method, with 90
percent saying they were comfortable with small-group classroom training of
less than five participants, and 8l percent expressing comfort with classroom
training in a group of five or more participants.
About AARP AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan
membership organization that helps people 50+ have independence, choice and
control in ways that are beneficial and affordable to them and society as a
whole. AARP does not endorse candidates for public office or make contributions
to either political campaigns or candidates. We produce AARP The Magazine, the
definitive voice for 50+ Americans and the world's largest-circulation magazine
with over 33 million readers; AARP Bulletin, the go-to news source for AARP's
39 million members and Americans 50+; AARP Segunda Juventud, the only bilingual
U.S. publication dedicated exclusively to the 50+ Hispanic community; and our
website, AARP.org. AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity that provides security,
protection, and empowerment to older persons in need with support from thousands
of volunteers, donors, and sponsors. We have staffed offices in all 50 states,
the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
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