Executive Summary - Bow Valley College

FACILITATING THE RETENTION/RE-ENTRY OF MATURE WORKERS IN THE WORKPLACE 3
Executive Summary
Current demographic and employment trends have highlighted the need to consider older workers
as a crucial component of the workforce. In the fall of 2008, Bow Valley College partnered with
Alberta Employment and Immigration to engage in a study that would address both barriers and
facilitators to rehiring or retaining 50 plus workers. A Steering Committee representing different
employment sectors guided the project. The findings and recommendations identify practices that
will retain mature workers in meaningful employment and facilitate a more diverse workforce that
would better meet the needs of employers and workers. The intent of this project was to answer
seven key objectives:
a) To identify and describe best practices in the attraction and retention of mature workers;
b) To gain an understanding of the kinds of information or services mature workers require to
successfully transition to a different work mode;
c) To identify and describe what adaptations employers need and/or are willing to make;
d) To identify barriers that exist on the wider system that prevent successful integration of
mature workers into the system;
e) To identify the systems and products which are already in place at Bow Valley College and
with employers that can be adapted to better serve mature workers;
f) To identify the adaptations required to existing college programs to be made to attract
mature students; and
g) To outline what new services/programs could be established by the College to assist in the
attraction and retention of mature workers in the work force.
The study involved data collection from a range of sources, including an extensive literature review,
input from key stakeholders representing different employment sectors, focus groups, and survey
data from employers, employees and job seekers. Interviews with career counselors and college
personnel were included in the study to gain a deeper understanding of the need for and
availability of support and training for mature workers and employers.
The key findings and recommendations of the study validate the best practices described in the
literature in terms of what both employees and employers see as key strategies and practices,
including:
Flexible work arrangements: This includes offering part-time hours, contract-based work
assignments, job sharing, or establishing varying work schedules with individual employees. In
reality, implementing this may prove to be more difficult. As discussed in focus groups and
follow-up interviews, employers may or may not be able to accommodate for an individual
worker’s needs, depending on the size and structure of the organization.