Movement.
• In Portugal, a National System of Recognising, Validating and Certifying Prior Learning (RVCC) is being implemented through a network of centres. Adults, whether employed or unemployed, are offered a three-tiered service, namely information, counselling, and complementary training, including the accreditation of competencies. Careers guidance providers and public and private enterprises refer people to the centres.
Lesson – 7
CAREER GUIDANCE FOR OLDER ADULTS
Policy Issues
• Ageing populations will require both later retirement ages and more flexible transitions to retirement. But policy-makers have been slow to mobilise career guidance services in order to support active ageing.
• Older adults need specialised information and advice to support active ageing: more fulfilling leisure; voluntary work; and activities to keep themselves mentally and physically fit. Yet career guidance services currently provide little help with this stage of people’s lives.
• Flexible transitions between full-time work and full-time retirement (mixing full-time work, part-time work, voluntary work and periods of inactivity) will require much closer harmonisation of career planning and financial planning. This issue needs to be addressed by policy-makers.
• There are few examples of effective responses to the challenge of providing career guidance services to older adults. There is no Government initiative to develop a systematic approach in this area.
Questions That Policies Need To Address
• What implications do lifelong learning and active ageing policies have for the provision of career guidance for older adults?
• Given present demographic projections, what is future demand for third-age career guidance likely to be?
• How can career guidance help to encourage people to create more flexible pathways between full-time work and full-time retirement (for example blending part-time work, voluntary work and short periods of full-time work with leisure)?
• Given the complex interactions that exist between taxation, retirement income, pension arrangements and working hours and employment contracts, how can a closer integration between career guidance and financial planning be created for older adults? How should such integrated services be funded?
• What special training is needed by career guidance staff working in this area?
• Which institutions, associations and groups are likely to be interested in developing and to be competent to develop third-age career guidance services? How can governments work in partnership with them?
Some Policy Options
• Draw on available evidence, or commission research on, the correlation between active ageing and health.
• Develop links with investment and retirement funds to discuss links between financial planning, career planning and flexible transitions to retirement.
• Stimulate career guidance provision for older adults by outsourcing to associations that work closely with them.
• Adopt innovative approaches to service delivery, based around ICT and telephone technology, in order to cater for unmet needs.
• Explore how the role of the public employment services might be expanded to better cater for the career guidance needs of older adults.
• Encourage enterprise and community based initiatives to reverse the trend to early exit and long-term unemployment among older workers.
• Support the potential role of industry in preparing older employees for active retirement.
• Encourage employers to make career guidance a part of retraining and work redesign strategies to retain older workers for longer periods.
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