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Working and ageing
76 Guidance and counselling for mature learners

counterparts (M=3.69) and appeared to be better motivated to learn than older
employees. Middle-aged employees were found to be significantly more
motivated to learn than their older colleagues. For job rotation without salary
increase the results show that older employees (N=53, M=2.6) significantly
differed from their younger (N=43, M=1.3) and middle-aged colleagues
(N=125, M=1.7) in this respect.

Impact on employability
To identify factors that have an impact on the dimensions of employability, a
multiple regression analysis was performed with one dimension of
employability as dependent variable in each analysis. In step one, the control
variables education, tenure of employment and tenure in current function were
inserted. In step two, the variables motivation to learn, ability to learn, learning
climate, job rotation without salary increase and support by supervisor were
added. The main results are:
(a) impact of personal factors: first it was tested whether a positive
relationship existed between motivation to learn and each dimension of
employability. Motivation to learn was found to explain a significant amount
of variance in occupational expertise, anticipation and optimisation,
personal flexibility, and balance. Ability to learn appeared to explain a
significant amount of variance in corporate sense;
(b) impact of organisational factors: regression analysis showed that job
rotation without salary increase had a significant negative relationship with
personal flexibility. This indicated that employees who often rotate jobs
without a salary increase did not adapt easily to changes in the
organisation. Learning climate proved to have a positive relationship with
three of the five employability dimensions, anticipation and optimisation,
corporate sense, and balance. Supervisor support was not found to have
a significant impact on any employability dimensions.

Age as a moderating variable
It was hypothesised that the impact of personal and organisational factors
differed for employees depending upon their age category. Multiple
hierarchical regression analyses were performed to understand better the
predictive validity of the distinguished factors. In step one of the analyses, the
specific factor (for example, motivation to learn) was inserted. Age was added
in step two, and in step three the interaction term ʻfactor * ageʼ was inserted.
This procedure was performed for each personal and organisational factor in
relation to each dimension of employability.