For employers and older workers

Age UK Training works with employers, intermediary agencies, and government departments and agencies to identify, influence and promote work opportunities for people aged 50 and over in the UK and elsewhere in Europe. 

WorkWise

WorkWise is a tailored training, consultancy and action research programme helping job seekers and employees aged 50 and over, their recruiters and employers, and business support organisations and government agencies, in any sector.

WorkWise comprises five components (action research, engagement, support for older workers, support for employers, and retention) that can remove barriers to employment and encourage the inclusion of people in later life in the labour market.

The five WorkWise components can be offered together as a programme, as delivered from our centre in St Helens, encouraging job seekers aged 50 and over to enter and progress in employment and make choices about extending their working lives.

The five WorkWise components can also be adapted as tailored programmes or projects to meet specific requirements; for example, our age equality and diversity in employment programmes and action research projects, which help businesses, intermediary organisations and government agencies manage an older workforce, improve recruitment and retention and benefit from non-ageist employment practice, while meeting the requirements of legislation around age in the workplace.

Preparation for retirement

Planning for retirement in your workforce enables you as an employer to retain for business growth the skills and talent of older workers, by supporting you in helping employees make decisions about work and retirement, and enjoy healthier, more active later life.

Age UK Training’s preparation for retirement seminars are tailored to meet the specific needs of your workforce and include topics such as adjusting to life in retirement, health and finance, benefits and wills, and opportunities and hobbies. Optional topics include extending working life, flexible working, and volunteering.

Our preparation for retirement seminars can be delivered to groups of any size. We recommend that seminars include employee partners as in our experience their participation brings added advantage.

Seminars for groups of up to 20 participants cost:
£1090 for a one-day event
£1680 for a two-day event

Both prices include an information pack for each participant, with a copy of the popular Age UK publication Choices in Retirement.

Our customers for preparation for retirement seminars include:

The Archbishops' Council

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)

Hampshire primary care trust

Lambeth College

 London boroughs of Barking and Dagenham, Hackney, and Tower Hamlets

Age equality and diversity in employment

Age UK Training designs, delivers and manages training, consultancy and action research for government departments and agencies, intermediary agencies, and businesses, on how small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) and other employers can benefit from non-ageist practice and age diversity, in the employment, development and retention of workers in later life. We also identify and promote work opportunities for people aged 50 and over in the UK and elsewhere in Europe.

This work has resulted in recognition in the UK and elsewhere in Europe, and in Australia and America.

Our age equality and diversity work includes employer distance learning toolkits and awareness raising programmes.

Skills Analysis
This European-funded project tested and promoted new ways to combat discrimination and inequalities in the labour market through transnational co-operation. Skills Analysis included age awareness seminars for employers addressing the implications of demographic change.

Human resource practitioner toolkit
The HR practitioner toolkit is a suite of distance learning tools for employers managing age diversity in their organisations and seeking to maximise the performance of their workforce. The toolkit includes as topics age auditing, age profiling, better recruitment, improved retention, and retirement.

The HR practitioner toolkit was commissioned by the University of Strathclyde on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and published in the DWP report Age Diversity Training: Open learning package.

Action research

Age UK Training welcomes opportunities to collaborate at regional, national and transnational levels to inform employment, skills acquisition and workforce development policy and planning, and help shape practice that enables the inclusion and equality of older people in employment.

Our action research projects include:

Work options
Our work options project designed and tested a face-to-face information and guidance service for workers approaching or over 50, to help them understand their options for work, training and retirement, and support them in planning for later life. This project was part of an action research programme for the DWP to inform policy and strategy.

Invest to save
On our invest to save project for the DWP, we worked with six NHS trusts to test ways of overcoming employment barriers for older job seekers in the health service. These included developing relationships between the trusts’ human resource departments and local Jobcentre Plus, recruiting potential older workers, delivering an introductory course to potential workers, and encouraging the NHS and Jobcentre Plus to assist with securing employment.

Swoop
South West Opportunities for Older People (Swoop) was an 18-month Equal project providing practical solutions in Bridgewater to unemployed people aged 50 and over, who were under-represented in the labour market and less likely to receive training than any other working age adults. The tailored programme was based on our WorkWise model and provided training and support to help older people back into sustainable employment. Swoop involved transnational activity in Poland.

Transnational activity

Age UK Training welcomes the opportunity to share our expertise in international collaborations relating to learning and employment. Our areas of expertise include:

• overcoming barriers to learning and employment
• promoting social inclusion
• combating age discrimination
• ageing and its impact
• promoting, using and undertaking volunteering
• developing the health and social care workforce

We can complete tailored transnational activity with you, for example:

50+ employability: WorkWise
Belgium, Germany, Poland, Sweden
WorkWise has been cited as a good practice case study at a number of national government and international events in Europe. We contribute to debate on overcoming barriers to employment for older people, intergenerational working, active citizenship and volunteering.

Mentoring: Ageless at Work
Finland, France, Sweden
The transnational Equal project Ageless at Work commissioned us to conduct two years of action research in England, France and Finland. Ageless at Work introduced new responses to the issues around an ageing workforce, and produced two transnational guidance packs. This work was featured in the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC) 2007 conference in Sweden, and mentoring now appears in government strategies and many employment, skills acquisition and workforce development services delivered by other providers.