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CHAPTER 14
Realising the potential of older workers in Scotland 267

by workers aged 50+ over a 12-month period, around 12% of the workforce
(Braiden, 2009).
One of the key challenges facing both employers and individuals is
changing mindsets. For employers, it is educating, informing and reinforcing
key issues such as demographic change, the threat of losing valuable
knowledge from the organisation and increasing competition in the future for
younger workers with the necessary skills. For individuals, support and
encouragement in planning and changing their career trajectory in later life is
crucial as is appropriate advice and guidance on opportunities to reskill, retrain
and access appropriate learning and career opportunities to help realise this
goal and encourage individuals, where appropriate, to remain working longer
and later in life.

14.4. The role of lifelong learning

The University of Strathclydeʼs centre for lifelong learning has developed and
tested several projects designed to help older workers reengage in learning
and explore their options in later life ( ). Through combining 20 years of
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lifelong learning and employability experience, findings point towards older
workers being keen to learn and develop, with many willing to explore new
areas of interest. While some consider pursuing areas of personal interest,
others actively explore the possibility of changing career direction and
trajectory or are forced to reconsider the point at which they retire due to
financial circumstances. Lifelong learning can be a crucial common
denominator in both. Conclusions drawn from past studies carried out by the
centre (Novotny, 2006) suggest that, as individuals age, the opportunity to
participate in lifelong learning often reduces, with multiple barriers such as
time, cost, low self-confidence and self-esteem. Further, encouragement and
incentive to learn declines rapidly from age 45+, especially among those from
more socially deprived backgrounds, and is particularly prevalent among those
whose early experiences of ʻformalʼ education have been negative. Schuller
and Watson (2009) in their inquiry into the future of lifelong learning reinforce
this with data provided by NIACE. Table 14.1 shows the percentage of current
or recent participation in learning across the four life stages.

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( ) OWL, older workers learning project; and AWE, advancing womenʼs employability project.