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AARP STUDY: EMPLOYER TRAINING PROGRAMS PRODUCTIVE FOR WORKERS 50 AND OVER
News Release
June 27, 2008
A new AARP 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.
For more information or to view the complete study, please visit www.aarp.org/research/work/employment/invest_training.html.
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.