Older workers Given that apprenticeship for older workers is a relatively new phenomenon, little is known about their experiences and perceptions of the programme and its relevance to them. In policy terms, there has been a surprising lack of debate about what apprenticeships for older workers are for. However, there has been growing interest in older workers and training more generally, including research on: trends in the availability of different types of training; older workers’ attitudes towards and experiences of training; and a major NIACE study of the ‘relationship between training and working life after the age of 50’ (see further reading below for more details). Whilst the research confirms that participation in training declines with age, there is little evidence of older-worker resistance to training when they are given the opportunities. Research we have undertaken on older workers’ experiences of training and qualifications supports this finding and provides some hints about their likely attitudes to apprenticeship. In one project, we focused on groups of older, experienced employees in two companies: a manufacturer of steel-based products with 700 employees (A); and a steel- processing mill with around 200 employees (B). In both companies, labour turnover had been low historically and the majority of employees had several years’ service. Company A designs and manufactures


bathroom showers, thermostats and valves. A key indicator of the company’s commitment to workforce development is its well-developed internal labour market in which staff, including ex-apprentices, can gain promotion through to senior management. In keeping with its emphasis on workforce development as a central dimension of its quality and competitiveness strategies, the company introduced a pilot progression programme for production operators based on attainment of a National Vocational Qualification level 2 (NVQ 2) in engineering production. We investigated whether involvement in the programme led to learning opportunities and experiences beyond those encountered in daily work situations. The data showed that there was little difference between the everyday learning experiences of those involved and not involved in the pilot, although those participating in the programme were slightly more likely to state that they ‘had learned something new’. Both groups reported learning on-the-job and from colleagues as the most popular methods of learning at work. They indicated that they felt supported and could ask for help when needed, and that they were often involved in helping others to learn. Overall, the positive attitudes towards workplace learning were consistent with a workplace environment characterised by the high-involvement working practices evident throughout the company.


Good reputation Company B manufactures steel rods and bars for the construction industry. As a result of its struggle to match cheaper imports from overseas, the company’s workforce was contracting. Historically, the company has had a good reputation for training and apprenticeship, but the apprenticeship programme had been suspended and the in-house training centre disbanded. As a consequence, the personnel manager set up a scheme to fund non-work-related education and training, off-the-job, for those employees who wanted to continue learning but whose jobs could not be ‘expanded’. As part of the study of company B, we conducted a survey exploring experiences of, and attitudes to, training as well as interviews. The findings showed that the majority of respondents felt positively about training both for its relevance and for the activity itself. A quarter of respondents indicated that they would like to participate in ‘formal’ learning activities (for example, college courses or distance learning) outside the company. While this proportion is significantly smaller than the proportion of respondents who indicated that they would like to participate in job-related learning at the company, it indicates that there is an appetite among some older workers for learning beyond the parameters of what they need to know in order to be able to perform their (current) jobs effectively at work. Across both companies, the older, experienced employees in our study appeared to be positive about learning when it was seen to be relevant and helped them to do their jobs better or more easily. Those employees 54,000 (30 per cent) of the approximately 180,000 starts in 2010–11 were over 45 years old. Perhaps most challenging to the conventional association of apprenticeship with young people, is the revelation that nearly 4,000 people aged 60 or above started apprenticeships. That most of these apprentices will be conversions helps explain these numbers.


SPRING 2012 ADULTS LEARNING 11

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