Helping older adults make career decisions NICEC PROJECT Lyn Barham Ruth Hawthorn

New national telephone and internet guidance service Very successful Evaluation raised questions about use by older people 1) Levels of use 2) Satisfaction with service Background

Does the medium (distance - telephone and internet) raise issues for older people? Is ‘career’ somehow different for older people? Areas of inquiry

Funded by Ufi Charitable Trust - using operating surplus from the delivery organisation Intended to inform career guidance services in England distance face-to-face Context of the inquiry

Methodology considerations researching ICT research with older people broad design issues Both studies are qualitative and exploratory no specific hypothesis methods that encourage free response Methodology

Sample sites across England urban / rural high / low employment rates Target age band years In the UK, state pension age is currently men65 years women60 years Fieldwork

Never generalise Can doesn’t mean will Can’t doesn’t mean won’t No clear order of preference ICT project - broad findings

Is it age? Advantages of a telephone service Quality of the telephone service ICT project - telephones

Computer skills generally ‘Do you have a computer?’ Time lag with Promotion of services to older users Specific information needs Need for collaboration with face-to-face services ICT project - internet and

What are they? ‘The focus of career management skills is upon competence in making and implementing decisions that determine one’s career, while the focus of personal and employability skills is upon the competences used within the positions that one enters as a result of decisions and transitions.’ (Watts and Hawthorn, 1992) Career management skills

Diverse ‘needs’ and ‘wants’ override any homogeneity arising from the ‘accident’ of age A general shift in value systems: what matters in life Career management skills - findings

Working key to emotional well-being Working key toWorking not key to financial well-beingfinancial well-being Working not key to emotional well-being Source: Department of Labour, New Zealand (2006) Career management skills - findings

Values: not ‘a job at any price’ Fear of pressure to move from state support to menial jobs Decrease in ‘work centrality’, for many, but not all Career management skills - findings

See retirement as a process, not an event Control over a staged retirement leads to better outcomes in later life (mental and physical health, and finances) Retirement

Blueprint for Life/Work Design self-knowledge and personal management learning and work exploration skills for managing transitions and work/life balance Lower- and higher-order skills lower: information search; CVs and resumés; applications higher: maintenance of self-esteem; realistic self- assessment; identifying development needs Supporting career management skills

Special services or special staff? Choice of media Staffing Training Marketing and promotion Implications for career guidance

Policy engagement is essential Opportunity in England with the design of new services Danger of outcome measures having perverse effects, especially for older people Implications for policy

REPORTS Full reports from both projects can be found at: er.pdf CONTACT DETAILS Lyn Barham Ruth Hawthorn