For mature audiences only | Investing in older workers is key to successful work force development
President of Seasoned Workforce LLC of Rockland, an advocate for older workers and the companies that employ them
All we hear about is budget shortfalls, job losses, recession, tax increases, stimulus packages and government spending. Government bureaucracy continues to function but with limited attention being paid to the future. Have we forgotten who we are? In the past 100 years we have built the most progressive and powerful country in human history. But because of greed by a few we’re wallowing in the worst recession in our lifetime. If ever we needed more creativity from both the public and private sectors, now is the time.
For example, Maine’s Department of Education announced in early July that it ordered more than 64,000 new computers for students and faculty. With a shrinking school population, debate continues about programs and cost. There should be no debate about the program’s importance in teaching technology — but it’s critical for everyone to learn, not just children. We need to refocus more of our efforts on older people. The tools, infrastructure and even the educators are available.
Let’s go back to the basics. Education, cooperation, hard work — all this leads to invention, innovation and the expansion of our economy and our quality of life. To be successful we need to include the entire population.
Think about the population age 50 and over, seasoned people, the workers who built our world. Their accomplishments are extraordinary. They put men on the moon, invented computers and the Internet, made advances in technology beyond our wildest dreams; they created our quality of life and inspired American leadership around the world.
What does all this mean in the 21st century? The seasoned workers are not done. Along with all their other accomplishments they have discovered ways to extend life expectancy, too. When Social Security was adopted in 1935, payments started at age 65 but life expectancy was only 63. Today, people are living 20 and 30 years longer.
Just imagine the cost of entitlements, healthcare and social programs if people aren’t active mentally and physically. Work has always been a great motivator to keep people active. With the changing world and shrinking work force, it becomes evident the seasoned worker again may hold the key to our economic revival and our future.
The industrialized world is rapidly aging. In the report “World Population Aging 1950-2050” by the population division of the U.S. Department of Economic and Social Affairs, four major population trends were defined:
- Populations are aging at unprecedented rates in human history
- The trend is pervasive. Populations throughout the entire world on average are getting older.
- The trend will endure; younger populations of centuries past will not return
- Aging of the population has profound implications in many facets of life
Government has studied the aging problem from every angle; now we need to mobilize our institutions and prepare for the future. Our educational infrastructure is in place. There is a critical need to develop more opportunities to help the seasoned population catch up with new technologies. Remember, the Internet and most computer advances have taken place just within the past 20 years.
While the education system was teaching children about new technology, seasoned people were at work running our companies, raising families and building our world. Seasoned people are learning these new technologies, but many older workers are being left behind and need help.
We need more creativity from government using what we already have available.
More cooperation is needed between state agencies (labor and education in particular) and private-sector companies. Local adult education and community colleges are responding, but more effort is needed.
A collaboration among the public and private sectors, Maine’s Workforce Investment Boards, Seasoned Workforce LLC, Bonney Staffing, community colleges, several area chambers of commerce and other agencies received a $1 million demonstration grant to develop strategies to connect older workers with important occupations, while simultaneously educating employers about the value of older workers. The Seasoned Worker Opportunity Program is expected to train and place hundreds of experienced workers in new jobs.
Regardless of grants, all the partners need to collaborate now to prepare the future’s work force. We need to attract workers of all ages, train them and help them understand their importance to the future of Maine and the country.
For any size company, the education of our population is critical. The current recession is ending and we’ll need workers of all ages to rebuild our economy. The idea of lifelong learning is more than goal at this point in our history — it’s a necessity and critical to the future of Maine.
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