Disabilities; Social Bias; Visual Impairments; *Work Environment IDENTIFIERS *Older Workers

This manual provides information and suggestions on training the increasingly older work force. An introduction addresses a needed emphasis on training programs to retain older workers as employees and development of effective training that focuses on needs and limitations of older adults as learners. It introduces McDonald's McMaster's Program, which aims to employ individuals over age 55. The following section discusses myths surrounding older workers: (1) older workers are less productive; (2) older workers cost more to train; (3) older workers raise the cost of benefits; (4) there is an older/younger worker conflict; (5) older workers prefer to not work; (6) older workers are absent more; (7) older workers have more accidents on the job; (8) older workers leave the job; (9) older workers do not want to be trained; and (10) older workers lack basic skills. The third section focuses on reasons for the low self-esteem of older workers. The fourth section discusses required skills for a trainer and other topics of interest to trainers: design of learning contracts, time requirements and constraints, print size of materials used by older workers, and the learning environment. The last three sections describe limitations of aging employees: vision, hearing, and physical limitations. Contains 16 references. (YLB) * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document.