Furthering success: education, training and employment transitions for disadvantaged older workers

This report is the outcome of the Furthering Success project, which identified and analysed good practice in the provision of services and support to assist in increasing the employability of people aged 45 and over who are disadvantaged in the labour market. It builds on the earlier report Securing Success. The project aimed to answer the following questions: 1. Could adult and community education, vocational education and training and the Job Network improve the promotion of formal education and training to this age group, and their engagement with learning? 2. What are the key factors associated with the successful entry of older workers into formal education and training, their participation in it, and their transition to employment? 3. Are there ways in which the linkages between ACE, VET, the Job Network and local employers can be improved to increase participation in education and training and improve transitions? 4. What are the characteristics of good marketing, teaching and other system practices leading to successful outcomes in learning and moving into employment for this group? How are they implemented in practice? The project found that older workers who are Job Network clients have a significantly higher level of participation in training than the general population aged 45 years and over. However, opportunities exist to more clearly articulate employment pathways for older disadvantaged workers. Factors associated with successful entry of older workers into education and subsequent transition to employment included: clear and simple information about entitlements and access to training; more and better targeted programmes for mature-aged workers; and reform of employer attitudes towards older workers. Lack of intersectoral and interagency partnerships are identified as a critical gap in integrating support and resources to facilitate the employment pathways of older disadvantaged workers. Most local councils have an economic development unit, responsible for industry strategy and which collaborates with state bodies to implement state industry strategies. These bodies, along with local employer associations, are usually the most useful source of information about future areas of job growth. However, they are currently not actively promoting the job opportunities their development activities have generated to local people