Aging Worker Initiative:
Strategies for Regional Talent Development
Background
The United States is in the midst of a demographic metamorphosis. Currently, 22.6 percent of the U.S. population is over the age of 55. The graying of America will be reflected in its workforce: between 2006 and 2016, the number of workers 55 and over is projected to increase by 36.5 percent, a significant jump when compared to younger populations.
The local workforce investment system is America’s primary means of delivering publicly funded employment and training services to workers and businesses. Because of demographic changes, the number of older workers who desire and need its services is expected to rise dramatically. Similarly, due to possible labour shortages in some regions and high growth industries, many businesses will seek out qualified, trained older workers as a labour pool.
Aging Worker Initiative Overview
The Aging Worker Initiative (AWI) seeks to expand the workforce investment system’s understanding about how to best serve the older worker population and develop models to share with all local workforce investment areas. Its ultimate goal is to provide better, more expansive services to older Americans for many years to come.
Grants awarded under the AWI focus on providing training and related services for individuals age 55 and older that result in employment and advancement opportunities in high growth sectors. The proposed strategies take place in the context of regional talent development efforts, and each is implemented by a strategic regional partnership.
Ten awards of approximately $1 million each were made to organizations in Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Texas, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin (complete list on page 2). The grants target older individuals who have been laid off and are seeking reemployment; who need to stay in the workforce beyond the traditional retirement age, but need training to increase their skills; and who face other barriers to employment such as disabilities or low levels of English proficiency.
Industries that grantees have chosen to focus on include: Healthcare, Energy, Advanced Manufacturing, Specialized Construction/Skilled Labour, Green Construction, Engineering, Architecture, Transportation, Information Technology, Accounting and Financial Services, and Administrative Support Services.
Award Winning Organization Location
Tecumseh Area Partnership, Inc. Indiana
Quad Area Community Action Agency, Inc. Louisiana
Coastal Counties Workforce, Inc. Maine
Baltimore Country Office of Workforce Development Maryland
Macomb/St. Clair Workforce Development Board, Inc. Michigan
South Central Workforce Investment Board Pennsylvania
Goodwill Industries of Houston, Inc. Texas
Vermont Associates for Training and Development, Inc. Vermont
King County Workforce Development Council Washington
Fox Valley Workforce Development Board Wisconsin
Grantee: Tecumseh Area Partnership (Indiana)
Industry Focus: Healthcare, Advanced Manufacturing, Information Technology, and
Transportation
Grant Amount: $1,000,000 Leveraged Funds: $600,000
This project will establish an Older Worker Skills Network within the
Work One system (Indiana’s One Stop Career Center system). A Career Transition Hub will be established within regional Work One Centers to provide “one stop”
information, services, counselling and training for older workers.
Projected Outcomes:
300 older workers will participate in grantrelated
activities.
90 older workers will begin education/training activities.
70 older workers will complete education/training activities.
60 older workers will receive a degree/certificate.
66 WorkOne staff will receive training.
12 training seminars will be available for employers.
60 older workers will participate in peer support and network groups.
30 older workers will participate in internships.
Grantee: Quad Area Community Action Agency, Inc. (Louisiana)
Industry Focus: Healthcare/Science, Construction/Skilled Labour, Energy, Transportation, Architecture/Engineering, and Financial and Administrative Office Support
Grant Amount: $1,000,000 Leveraged Funds: $321,000
The SilverForce project will create a talent development model that
recognizes older workers as a valuable labour pool, and includes employment and training strategies to retain and/or connect them to high growth, high demand
industries.
The model will:
Expand and increase skill development opportunities for older workers in high growth, high demand industries;
Cultivate career opportunities with employers providing flexible work arrangements;
Increase support services for job search, placement and retention through case management; Increase micro-enterprise and micro-enterprise education opportunities;
Advocate against discrimination of older adults in the workforce through public awareness and legal advice.
Projected Outcomes:
500 older workers will be served by the project annually with 300 completing education/training activities each year.
270 older workers who complete their education/training activities will enter employment annually.
A High Growth Career Information Handbook will be developed.
Six applied learning and clinical experiences, internships, and simulations will be developed and simulations will bedeveloped and implemented.
Grantee: Coastal Counties Workforce, Inc. (Maine)
Industry Focus: Healthcare and Energy/Green Construction
Grant Amount: $1,000,000 Leveraged Funds: $643,682
Through the development of a state wide education strategy, the
Seasoned Worker Opportunity Project will promote strategies for connecting older workers to occupations critical to Maine’s economy and simultaneously educate employers about the value of older workers. The state wide education strategy will encourage older workers to remain on the job beyond the age at which they might retire, and will identify, recognize, and promote Maine employers whose practices match the needs of mature workers. The capacity of Maine’s Workforce Investment System will be expanded to connect older workers to employers by establishing Seasoned Worker Navigators in each local area, expanding the Seasoned Worker Forums and establishing pilot Service Network Access Points (SNAPs) in older worker focused organizations. In addition, older workers will be offered education and training opportunities through work readiness and short term training programs.
Projected Outcomes:
200 older workers will begin education/training activities.
155 older workers will complete education/training activities and 153 will receive a
degree/certificate.
126 older workers who complete education/training activities will enter employment, and 118 will enter training related employment.
Four Employer Educational Seminars will be conducted.
4,000 employers and job seekers will attend the Seasoned Workforce Forums.
1,920 older workers will be served by the Service Network Access Points.
Grantee: Baltimore County Office of Workforce Development (Maryland)
Industry Focus: Healthcare
Grant Amount: $967,00 Leveraged Funds: $829,216
To address the region’s high demand for skilled workers in healthcare, the Maturity Works: Tapping Older Workers for High Growth Healthcare Careers project will strengthen the pipeline of entry level older workers into the industry; move lower skill older workers up career ladders; and retain experienced technical and professional workers after retirement age. OneStop Career Center capacity will be expanded to provide job readiness opportunities tailored to older adults’ learning styles and to provide career guidance to older workers on employment and training opportunities in the healthcare industry. Participants in the project will receive training in four types of health occupations, as well as basic skills training in language and math targeted to the health field. In addition, a regional campaign that encourages employers to hire and retain older workers will be implemented.
Projected Outcomes:
312 older workers will begin education/training activities.
260 older workers will complete education/training activities and receive a
degree/certificate.
249 older workers who complete education/training activities will enter training related employment
20 workforce development professionals (Older Worker Specialists) will receive training on serving older workers.
A self paced instruction tool for the Older Worker Specialists will be developed.
500 employers will be educated through various employer engagement strategies.
An employer outreach communication toolkit will be developed.
Grantee: Macomb/St. Clair Workforce Development Board (Michigan)
Industry Focus: Demand occupations in multiple industries
Grant Amount: $979,400
Leveraged Funds: $10,840,900
This project establishes a system to help unemployed older workers navigate and take advantage of the workforce and training services available in their local areas. Older Worker Navigators will be trained and implemented in One Stop Career Centers throughout the region. navigators will facilitate the process of career exploration, development of appropriate career ladders, selection of vocational training and/or basic skills remediation, as well as provide job search, assessment, and case management assistance to older workers. A local community college is developing a Credit for Prior Learning program that will give credit to older workers for their prior learning and experience and help them obtain a degree/credential in a shorter period of time. The project will leverage significant Workforce Investment Act funds and the Michigan No Worker Left Behind program to provide training in demand occupations to project participants.
Projected Outcomes:
2,823 older workers will receive services from Older Worker Navigators.
1,397 older workers will begin education/training activities.
1,117 older workers will complete education/training activities and receive a
degree/certificate.
894 older workers who complete education/training activities will enter employment, and
760 will enter training related employment.
30 workforce development professionals will receive Older Worker Navigator training.
Grantee: South Central Workforce Investment Board (Pennsylvania)
Industry Focus: Healthcare, Information Technology, and Advanced Manufacturing
Grant Amount: $971,200
Leveraged Funds: $612,500
This project seeks to modify the current Talent Development System operating in south central Pennsylvania by capitalizing on existing industry partnerships to focus on the unique needs of older workers. The project will focus on the development of support systems for unemployed older workers, job specific and other training for incumbent older workers, and progressive training for older workers interested in starting new businesses. It will also build the capacity of the regional workforce system by creating Older Worker Service Specialists and Business Liaisons at six One Stop/PA Career Link Centers. Industry partnerships will identify training needs, establish specific skill training courses, and determine the certifications and/or credentials to be issued to project participants.
Projected Outcomes:
318 older workers will begin education/training activities.
280 older workers will complete education/training activities.
259 older workers will receive a degree/certificate.
256 older workers will enter employment.
An Interactive Guide to Serving Older Workers will be developed.
A Technology Skills course for older workers to become computer literate will be developed.
Grantee: Goodwill Industries of Houston, Inc. (Texas)
Industry Focus: Accounting and Financial Services, Healthcare, Computer Technology, and Specialized Construction
Grant Amount: $999,949
Leveraged Funds: $110,970
This project will demonstrate that broad based training options and flexible schedules assist in promoting self esteem and job retention for older workers. The project will utilize a case management approach to identify and eliminate barriers that keep older workers from reaching their employment goals, which will encourage a uniquely coordinated effort to provide comprehensive services to older workers. The program will offer training to older workers that fosters mastery of today’s technologies; employability in high growth jobs; understanding of opportunities for entrepreneurship; and self esteem and confidence to excel in employment opportunities.
Projected Outcomes:
450 older workers will begin education/training activities.
375 older workers will complete education/training activities and receive a degree/certificate.
300 older workers who complete education/training activities will enter employment, and
157 will enter training related employment.
The Career Redevelopment for Experienced Workers curriculum will be developed and implemented.
Grantee: Vermont Associates for Training and Development, Inc. (Vermont)
Industry Focus: Information Technology, Finance and Administrative Support Services, and Healthcare
Grant Amount: $1,000,000
Leveraged Funds: $25,304,610
The Vermont Older Worker Demonstration will establish a state wide model coordinating “innovation assets”: people, institutions, capital, and infrastructure. It will synchronize existing training resources and create new opportunities for older workers who are disadvantaged, unemployed, incumbent workers, and retired to increase their workforce participation and technology efficiency. In addition, the project will investigate current employer responses to the aging workforce, as well as develop new strategies to focus on the needs of employers and the opportunities presented by the aging workforce. The One Stop Career Center system will be enhanced to better serve older workers better the development of a state wide network of affiliate Career Centers called Mature Workers Resource Centers. Additionally, for older workers interested in starting their own business, entrepreneurial training will be offered through Champlain College BYOBIZ and other eCommerce courses.
Projected Outcomes:
300 older workers will begin education/training activities.
285 older workers will complete education/training activities and 214 will receive a degree/certificate.
200 older workers who complete education/training activities will enter employment, and
180 will enter training related employment.
Four State wide Network of Mature Workers Resource Centers will be established.
Grantee: Workforce Development Council of Seattle King County (Washington)
Industry Focus: Healthcare, Information Technology, and Green Jobs
Grant Amount: $1,000,000
Leveraged Funds: $2,990,395
To meet these challenges, the Reinvesting in Older Workers project will
enable workforce partners to provide direct training and placement of older workers in order to close skill gaps and create new career pathways. This project is a regional expansion of the Mature Workers Alliance of Puget Sound and will target three disadvantaged populations of older workers: individuals with disabilities, ex offenders, and individuals with low level English proficiency. The project’s alignment with and customization of regional postsecondary training options will increase the number of access training points for older workers. Workshops and trainings in information and communication technology will be customized to the needs of older workers. Entrepreneurial training will help participants better understand their skills, marketability, and options for self employment.
Projected Outcomes:
148 older workers will begin occupational education/training activities.
118 older workers will complete occupation education/training activities and receive a degree/certificate.
89 older workers who complete occupational education/training activities will enter employment, and 80 will enter training related employment.
300 older workers will receive information and communications technology training.
112 older workers will receive entrepreneurial training.
90 older workers will receive limited English proficiency “bridge” training in green jobs.
Grantee: Fox Valley Workforce Development Board, Inc. (Wisconsin)
Industry Focus: Healthcare, Telecommunications, Manufacturing
Grant Amount: $1,000,000
The Wisconsin Regional POWER (Paths to Older Worker Employment
Readiness) will employ a six step plan to train older workers over the next three years. Step one includes an orientation and series of customized workshops. The workshops train participants in areas such as teamwork, communication, problem solving, and computer skills. Step two is comprehensive career counseling leading to one of the high demand industries targeted by the project. After participants chose an industry, they will be placed into cohorts that will meet regularly to study, discuss the program, and network. Participants then complete an educational program and earn a credential. Step three includes job readiness training, including resume workshops, mock interviews, and sessions on techniques for re-entering the workforce. In step four, participants take their new skills and credentials and enter employment. Step five includes followup activities to monitor the success of the participants and the project. The final component, step six, is an innovative feature which will recruit successful program participants to become mentors to new participants. These recruits will give presentations at the initial orientation and continue in their industry cohort group to provide peer mentoring.
Projected Outcomes:
80% of participants will complete their education/training and receive a degree or certificate.
75% of participants will complete education/training activities and enter employment.
At least 50% of participants will engage in mentoring in some way after successful completion of program.
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