Focus on: The ReGROW project

A growing
market
With skills shortages opening up across
the country, there’s never been a better
time to invest in older employees

G
etting on to a training course is
relatively easy if you’re a youngster –
after all, provision for those who have
recently left school or college is pretty
substantial, and for most people, help and advice is
just a phone call away.
But what if you’ve been in the same job for years
– and you’re nearing the age where you think it’s
too late to change track or improve your skills?
And if you’re en employer, it’s easy to focus on the
company’s younger blood, overlooking workers
who’ve been loyal to the company over many years.
The recently completed ReGROW project, jointly
run by A4e and the Learning and Skills Council
(LSC), was aimed specifically at the over-50s in the I could
south-east of England to provide careers advice
and short courses and training for older employees see that my
in the workplace. The larger goal was to help to
improve their changes of being retained and ensure
career was
that they were better deployed in the workplace. heading for
The project came about after it was recognised
that older workers were being underemployed, a crossroads. Ronald Meese, now a fully-
along with growing skills and labour shortages in I needed to qualified certified bookkeeper.

the region. Research showed that older people were

less likely to get formal careers advice and help to
manage job changes than their younger peers.
The ethos behind ReGROW was that making a
small investment in preventing unemployment of
older workers would pay huge social and economic
dividends, not just to the state, but to the employer
and individual, too. The project was also designed
to gain valuable experience and knowledge for
future services such as Train to Gain and the Adult
Advancement and Careers Service.
Giving advice
During the project, A4e worked with four
Information Advice and Guidance (IAG) providers
and three training providers (two further education
work out what colleges and one Chamber of Commerce). In
my next step the first instance, employers were approached
by Employer Engagement Officers, who then
would be nominated employees to receive careers advice
from one of the partner agencies. Through these
Ronald meese
sessions, the employees’ various training needs
were established, and A4e and its partners brokered
appropriate training.
ReGROW client Ronald Meese recently
undertook training as part of the project, once he
discovered that he was likely to be made redundant
from his IT job.
‘I could see that my career was heading for a
crossroads, and that today’s IT was not what I
had originally been trained for,’ he says. ‘I needed

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 case study: ‘It’s helped me become
much more adventurous’
Reverend Béatrice Pearson is a vicar in Reading, Berkshire.
She recently undertook IT training as part of ReGROW to
improve her skills

‘Before becoming a vicar, I worked for Macmillan Publishing writing educational

books, so I was already computer literate. But I needed to learn how to do
things properly and be more efficient in things such as PowerPoint presentations,
spreadsheets and designing service sheets.
‘Because of my daily commitments, I couldn’t train with a full group, so a one-
to-one session was organised for me, which was brilliant. It’s helped me become
much more adventurous – I used PowerPoint with video clips in a school assembly
recently, and it was much more fun for the kids!’

improved motivation, increased productivity, greater

to work out what my next step would be.’ After
approaching his local Jobcentre Plus, Meese was put
in touch with ReGROW, and chose to undertake a
SAGE bookkeeping course. ‘I knew it was popular
among small businesses,’ he explains.
‘To take me through to retirement and beyond,
it was a positive move for me, especially as I was
made redundant from my original job much earlier
than expected. I’ve now become a fully-qualified
certified bookkeeper, and I’m really enjoying it.’
Huge benefits
As a result of the 19-month project, more than 80
per cent of employers said that they’d seen benefits
as a result of the advice and training, including
FAST FACTS
l The project engaged
with 353 employers, 92
per cent of which were
SMEs
l 1,138 employees, aged
between 50-85yrs, took
part
l 94 per cent of
employees went on to
successfully complete a
training programme
l The most frequently
undertaken training taken
up by employees was
information technology
l Two thirds of
employees said that they
were able to do their jobs
better as a result of their
training
l Half planned to do
further training, with
potential for progression
via Train to Gain
flexibility and stronger commitment to the company.
It also strengthened the bond between the employer
and employee.
The employers were particularly keen on training
that could be applied quickly on the job. Workers,
too, were very positive about the fact that they
were able to receive careers advice, and both
employers and employees valued training that was
occupationally-specific, short and focussed. Tailored
careers advice and training made people more
productive and improved their work/life balance,
suggesting possible future health benefits.
‘We’ve had a huge demand for ReGROW services,
both nationally and within the South East,’ says
Mark Shields, A4e Contract Manager for London
and the south east. ‘We’re currently trying to
influence policy makers to show them the benefits
of the programme. It’s actually cheaper to keep
people in work and retain their skills in the labour
market than get them back to work.
‘We also want to break down the myths
surrounding the older workforce. These workers are
proud, motivated and keen to train, and this can
be enhanced by short courses and guidance that’s
career-relevant.’
Lessons from ReGROW are now being reflected
in A4E’s Recruiting Older Workers (ROW)
programme for unemployed older workers, which is
being funded by the European Social Fund and the
Learning and Skills Council. It focuses on getting
unemployed people aged 50-plus back to work in
the Thames Valley region and Surrey, and runs
until 2010.
According to Shields, the programme has
been very successful so far. ‘Over 200 people
have engaged in the programme,’ he says. ‘It
demonstrates that there’s a huge demand for advice
from older workers.
‘There’s a direct correlation between those taking
short courses and those finding work. The skills that
users are gaining are really helping them to feel that
they can manage a change in their lives.’

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