Older workers gain new skills, confidence to compete in job market

BY KIRK STARRATT

kstarratt@kentvilleadvertiser.ca

NovaNewsNow.com

If you’re an older worker not ready for retirement and in need of a career change, it can be challenging to jump back into the job market.

Recognizing the obstacles facing older individuals in search of new employment and that the demographics are changing with more and more people crossing the threshold of age 50 all the time, the Valley African Nova Scotian Development Association (VANSDA) is offering the Targeted Initiative for Older Workers (TIOW) program.

Program participant Sandra Alward says, for her, the program is about survival. At age 50, she has been out of the workforce for a few years now and points out she didn’t grow up with computers like members of our younger generation. She said she didn’t know what Facebook was before taking the program. She said it was a starting point to get back to work and the experience was invaluable. “I feel it saved my life,” she said. “It gave me the confidence to go do it.”

However, after being given a job placement at the Old Orchard Inn in Greenwich, Alward said she ended up being hired full-time by Rogers Communications as a cable consultant.

The seven current program participants received their completion certificates from VANSDA Executive Director Robert Ffrench at a closing ceremony at the Old Orchard Inn Saturday morning, March 21.

Eight weeks in class, eight more in the field

TIOW coordinator Manu Davies said the program is being offered to people age 50-64 who still want to be part of the workforce. It involves eight weeks in a classroom environment helping to develop employability skills followed by eight weeks in a job placement. Hopefully, employers will be impressed and hire the workers.

As part of the closing, Glynis Simms, owner and operator of Just Right Child Care in Wilmot, gave a presentation on the challenges involved with opening your own business. Davies said the purpose was to illustrate the entrepreneurial option to program participants.

Ffrench said VANSDA hosted the regional pilot for the TIOW program when the project was being developed by Service Canada. This year, the third year for the initiative, the program is being transitioned to the jurisdiction of the provincial Department of Labour and Workforce Development.

He said the program provides an approach to help older workers grow their skills set and reconnect them with the labour market or offer them a bridge back into the workforce. Considering current demographics and the fact the population is aging, Ffrench said this is a timely program on the part of government and a much-needed approach going forward. There has been a high rate of success in terms of reintegrating older workers into the labour force through TIOW. “We are experiencing an outmigration of youth, but we have a vibrant aging population capable of making a valuable contribution,” Ffrench said.

He added everyone in western Nova Scotia would be better off because of this initiative and it’s really about recognizing the value of older workers. He told the participants they have made a change of direction in their lives. “On a personal level, you’ve accomplished something,” he said. “You should always be very proud of that.”

Ffrench said they plan to offer the program again in the fall, as it keeps growing in value. The local business community is buying into and supporting the initiative as it recognizes the potential of an untapped resource. “We really appreciate the efforts of all of you,” he told the graduating participants. “You represent VANSDA very well.”

Entrepreneurial option

One option for older workers looking for a new job is to start a business. Glynis Simms, owner and operator of Just Right Child Care in Wilmot, gave several helpful tips to the TIOW participants. She described herself as a lifelong learner and pointed out you take transferable skills every time you change your career path. If you have good people skills, she said you could pretty much go anywhere.

Simms suggested looking for something you’re good at and comfortable with when starting your own business. Start with a goal and a dream. “If you have a good attitude and feel comfortable with what you do, it’s achievable,” she said.

When getting started, it’s a good idea to ask questions of people already involved in similar business endeavours. In other words, find a mentor.

She said she had yet to take a leave of absence from her position as student support worker with the Annapolis Valley Regional School Board when she began developing her business plan for the childcare centre, which took a considerable amount of time. You have to take all aspects of the business into consideration when developing a business plan.

She said the Black Business Initiative was very helpful in pointing her in the right direction and the Internet is a valuable tool for examples of business plans and for general research. Simms urged the participants not to spend a lot of money until you know you have your ducks in a row.

The banks were not overly helpful to her when trying to raise enough capital to open, but she was able to obtain enough money through the CBDC to purchase a building.

Getting all the necessarily licenses was challenging and she had to go through a rezoning process to open the business. She said there were three community meetings, but no opposition was expressed. It was important to her that her neighbours didn’t mind the centre.

She said you have to be there and always be aware of everything going on when you operate your own business.