With generous support from the MetLife Foundation, the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) has worked with seven regions across to country to identify priority industries, examine the job and career opportunities in those industries, and highlight the opportunities that are most appropriate for mature workers. Based on a U.S. Department of Labor supported a three-year Aging Worker Initiative (AWI) between 2009 and 2012. a five-part series of papers have been generated: Tapping Mature Talent: Policies for a 21st Century Workforce.
“…mature workers have very defined “soft skills”, i.e. work ethic, workplace appropriateness, that might be lacking with the younger generations. Strong customer service skills that mature workers who’ve been in the workforce for several years have developed allowed for an easy transition into the identified logistics positions where providing high levels of client and customer service is critical to the individual companies’ success.”
Here are a few examples:
Healthcare: Patient Liaison Representative – This position’s duties include helping provide guidance to new patients, helping with scheduling patients, collecting vital insurance and other information from patients, and helping to guide patients through the medical processes they require.
Energy: Purchaser/Buyer – This position requires an employee to purchase machinery, equipment, and other parts that are necessary for a manufacturing or other unit. The main skills that are required for this include softer skills such as critical thinking, decision making, negotiation, and problem-solving.
Information Technology: Sales Positions – There are a variety of sales positions in this sector and these are seen as mature worker appropriate because they can provide an easy transition from another sector such as pharmaceuticals or engineering and do not require much additional training. The most important requirements for a good salesperson are strong work ethic, a customer service personality, and the ability to take the initiative.
Logistics: Pricing Analyst – A pricing analyst develops research and makes recommendations on pricing for products and services by looking at market variables, conducting financial analyses, and helping to build revenue models. Because there is no defined certification or degree for this position, many times mature workers with experience in either the logistics or marketing and finance fields can transition to this position based on their previous experience. This position is also a good fit for someone with a military background as there can be strong overlap between processes and technical information in this position and the military logistics operations. Soft skills such as work ethic, problem solving, and critical thinking are desired for this position and employers note that a customer service background and the willingness to learn are more important than previous experience in the field.
Engineering: Environmental Engineer Technician -This job requires strong project management skills and much of the work in this position is overseen by an engineer or environmental scientist.
Lots of addition information at: http://cael.org/Research-and-Publications
What other jobs are you finding that appeal to mature workers?