50+ Europe:
Strategies to Overcome Barriers to Employment for the Over 50s

Aims

To support people over the age of 50 in accessing and securing employment
To raise employers' awareness of good practice in employing and training older people
To develop training for employers in managing age diversity

Outcomes

An interactive vocational guidance tool for people over 50 to support them in their jobseeking
On-line training for employers in developing strategies to recruit and retain the over 50s
Guidelines for Good Practice in employing, supporting and training older workers, and in promoting age diversity in the workplace
A policy report and recommendations on age diversity in the work place, highlighting good practice

Methodology

This project undertook two complementary strands of development work:

investigating the needs and experiences of the over 50s in jobseeking and work
collaboration with employers and HR managers to understand their needs; employment practice; ways of overcoming skills shortages; and to identify good practice in the employment of older people.

Partners

The project worked with partners in four other European countries to explore and compare approaches to skill shortages; policies and strategies for employing the over 50s; and to the development of vocational guidance and training.

France		Université d'Avignon www.univ-avignon.fr
Norway		Senter for Seniorpolitikk, Oslo www.seniorpolitikk.no
Poland		Stowarzyszenia Promocji Przedsiebiorczosci, Rzeszow www.euroinfo.org.pl
Spain		Confederacion de Empresarios de Aragon, Zaragoza www.crea.es
UK		University of Surrey, Guildford www.surrey.ac.uk