Working and ageing - Cedefop - Europa

9.1. Introduction
CHAPTER 9
Changing patterns of guidance, learning and careers of older workers in Europe 167
9.1.1. Context of the research
In March 2010, a research team completed a major comparative study of
changing patterns of work-related learning and career development in Europe
(Brown et al., 2010). The research was funded by the European Commission
in 2008 in light of a review of continuing vocational training (CVT) policy
(European Commission, 2002) and the Council resolution on lifelong guidance
(Council of the European Union, 2008). This chapter examines strategic
biographies of almost 300 older workers aged over 45 who participated in that
study, as they moved through different work and learning contexts as their
careers and identities have developed over time. The older workers were a
subgroup of a much larger sample. Data were collected using an online survey
from over a thousand respondents drawn from 10 countries (France; Germany;
Italy; Netherlands; Norway; Poland; Portugal; Romania; Turkey and the UK).
Participants were mainly in full-time permanent employment in their mid-career
(aged 30 to 55), having achieved skilled worker or graduate qualifications in
engineering, ICT or health, working primarily in health, ICT, education or
manufacturing. The sample included a small subset of participants with few
qualifications and/or who worked in jobs requiring few qualifications.
The study sought to develop an understanding of the different ways
individual careers unfold over time. This chapter examines how different types
of learning, work and guidance interact across the life course and how they
are linked to adaptability and mobility in the labour market. Many cases
demonstrated the value of learning while working, as this helped individuals
keep their skills, knowledge and competences up-to-date and maintain a
positive disposition towards learning. Access to opportunities for learning and
development is crucially important, though some individuals were much more
proactive than others in taking advantage of these opportunities. The role of
career guidance for older workers is also examined, particularly as it relates
to successful transitions involving upskilling, reskilling, career change,
perspective transformation and increased likelihood of remaining active in the
labour market for longer.
9.1.2. Challenges for guidance of an ageing workforce
Older people are becoming an ever larger proportion of the population and
recent employment legislation has been in part designed to encourage older
workers to continue working. Proposals to increase or abolish fixed retirement
ages mask the fact that distinctions between work and retirement are