Age discrimination barriers are stripping people of training opportunities
According to new research people aged in their 20s and 30s are more likely to receive management or leadership training and those aged 55 and over.
Growing older in England seems to become less appealing by the day. With the age to retire due to increase to 67 between May 2026 and March 2028 and the rules constantly changing around UK state pension rates, it’s safe to say people are struggling. What’s more, opportunities are being taken away from older people at work, meaning their experience isn’t even worthwhile.
New findings from Corndel’s WorkPlace Training Report 2024 have highlighted that over half of over 55s haven’t received any management or leadership training in their current role. In addition, experts found employees in the 23-38 age bracket were most likely to have participated in management and leadership training in their current role, with 67% having received training to support their development.
Against this backdrop, the research, which consisted of 1,000 UK employees and 250 HR decision makers at large organisations, found 55% of the over 55s haven’t received any technical skills training on how to use digital tools and technologies, such as ChatGPT, from their employer in the past twelve months. This is over twice the number of younger adults aged 18 – 25 (27%) who haven’t received training in these critical areas within the past year.
Lack of confidence
According to the research, over half of over 55s (54%) say professional development is an important factor in their decision to stay with an organisation, suggesting employers need to shift their thinking around offering training and development for employees who are in their fifties and over.
Worryingly, one in five over 55s (19%) don’t feel confident enough in their current skill set to find new employment or pivot their career if they were to lose their current job. In contrast, less than one in ten (8%) didn’t feel confident in their ability to find a new job or pivot their career with their current skill set.
James Kelly, co-founder and CEO of Corndel, said: ‘Skills power people and power organisations. Without providing access to adequate training opportunities, we are not allowing this group of the workforce to thrive. And businesses are potentially losing out on the huge value that this experienced group of the workforce can add if they have equal access to ongoing technical and management skills training.’
‘Continuous learning and upskilling needs to be embedded into the UK’s workplace culture. In an era of the great ‘unretirement’, with thousands more over 55s working longer than ever before, alongside a time where both technology and working practices are evolving at lightning speed, people in all roles, at all levels of seniority and across all age groups should have the opportunity to enhance their skills and learn new skills to prosper in today’s workplace.’
Case study
Robin Razzell is a highly experienced commercial project manager with a 24-year career spanning engineering, retail, and IT systems development. He currently works as a data analyst at Mitie Energy. Robin is currently enrolled on the Corndel and Imperial College London Data Analyst programme.
Robin says: ‘I’m a believer in lifelong learning. Twenty or thirty years ago, career progression by the time I got to my level often plateaued. However, now, unless you are staying ahead of the curve, you essentially become redundant, because the environment in which we work is moving forward so quickly. If you want to remain relevant to the workplace, you must upskill, it doesn’t matter what age you are. Without that upskilling, you will shortly find yourself side-lined and of no more use if you’re not educated about the current trends in the workplace environment.’
Image: Unsplash
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