Equal - Digital Repository

Background

The Tick-Tock! Partnership works with employers in the South East to recruit and retain older workers, improve older people’s control over their working lives and increase social capital through volunteering. In the 1990s, older workers were excluded from the workplace through redundancy and early retirement packages. With falling birthrates and increasing life expectancy, the Government is now encouraging older people to continue working. Statistics for this area show that there are above average levels of unemployment for those over the age of 50, many of whom wish to work but have low levels of ICT skills, lack formal qualifications or are subject to age discrimination. Increased employment of this age group can help address the serious labour shortages in the South East that cannot be filled by the unemployed alone.

Aims

• Promote employability and learning opportunities for older people who may be suffering discrimination and inequality in the workplace
• Increase the number of older people participating in lifelong learning at work and in the community, both employed and unemployed, particularly those in excluded groups
• Carry out pilot projects to increase value for extending the working life of older people, especially the long-term unemployed, part-time workers, Asian women and ex-offenders.

Objectives

• Deal innovatively with the issues of the ageing population and its impact on society and the labour market, initially focusing on the South East
• Increase volunteering with a focus on non-traditional volunteering groups through faith groups and pathways to older working
• Fuller engagement of older people into lifelong learning incorporating appropriate learning styles and developing transferable skills
• Promote the engagement of non-traditional older people into learning, employment and volunteering through the development of social integration and informal learning
• Develop flexible work practices and non-traditional routes to employment for the long-term unemployed older workers especially in minority groups
• Empower offenders and ex-offenders through pre-release programmes aimed at reintegration of older offenders into society, learning and employment by becoming mentors and trainers, self-employed or volunteering
• Provide a holistic approach to volunteering opportunities, training, validation and recruitment opportunities, linking private, public and voluntary information for older people
• Develop an information, advice and guidance website for those aged 50 and above.

Target Group

People over the age of 50

This Development Partnership was not involved in Round One.

The Tick-Tock! DP has been developing and testing new delivery models, products and innovative ways of working to engage older people into lifelong learning and work. The intended impact is to increase the number of older people in learning, at work, and engaged in voluntary and community sector activities.