Ageless at Work - Skills for Care

One of the most interesting findings from the perspective of “Ageless at Work”, however, is the fact
that both employers and employees had often not realised that older workers had training needs.
While funding IAG and mentoring for older employees may be beyond the scope of this project, it
does reveal a need to improve the quality of the dialogue between older workers and their managers,
specifically in relation to skills development (and probably other aspects of employment).
“Experience Matters,” another SWOOP project, provides an interesting example of how long-serving
youth workers were supported - through a period of organisational change – to examine their current
working practices, take stock of their achievements and identify the factors that were helping or
hindering their further progression. Among the messages that emerged from the action learning
approach were the fact that while funds for training were welcomed by participants as a reward for
good performance, they also felt that it was assumed that older workers did not need recognition or
support but a consistent sense of decline in confidence suggested that it was important to compliment
and reassure long-serving staff (Stevens and Denbigh, 2007).
Promoting a culture of lifelong learning and maximising opportunities for informal
learning
The extent to which, and methods by which, employers promote a ‘culture of learning’ within the
workplace may be important to the effective engagement of lower skilled workers (UKES, 2009), many
of whom will be older people. Learning culture is also likely to reflect broader issues of work
organisation and culture with motivation to learn highest for those with autonomous job roles and
where information is shared across the organisation, and there is trust between management and
staff. Immediate work environments perceived to be inventive and encouraging also have an impact
on motivation to engage in and apply knowledge and insights to the work at hand. Conversely,
subcultures perceived to emphasize rules and compliance as central features of the immediate work
environment deplete employee motivation to convey learning and knowledge to the work setting and
may diminish the localised learning environment (Egan, 2008). Nythan (2006) identified seven
features of work that stimulated opportunities for informal learning (Table 11).
Table 11 Features of work that stimulate informal learning
Variety and control of one’s work task
Tasks that require the application of group knowledge thus offering possibilities for personal
development
Opportunities for constructive feedback from managers, co-workers and customers
Time for reflection on work tasks that require deliberation and choice
Possibilities for employee participation in shaping the design of the work environment
Bottom up ‘active’ learning, as distinct from ‘passive’ formalistic top down and standardised
training
Formal participation in problem handling and developmental activities.
Source: Nyhan (2006)
Skills for Care South West has published and piloted a guidebook on creating a learning
organisation (Skills for Care South West, 2009) aimed at managers and owners in small social care
establishments in recognition that ‘developing a learning culture lies at the root of achieving
Ageless at Work: Change workplace cultures, development skills. Good practice report 39