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This study using the systematic review of existing research approach, set out to find evidence on whether participation in education and training improves older people's productivity and keeps them in paid employment for longer. This topic was chosen because one of the implications of Australia's ageing population is a predicted skills shortage. Older workers remaining longer in the paid workforce and their participation in further education and training have often been cited as the main answer to overcoming the predicted skills shortage. While it is believed that many older Australians (45 years and over) are up-skilling or retraining in order to maintain gainful employment or pursue other interests, what is not known is the extent to which education and training makes a difference in reversing the trend of early retirement and improving older worker participation in the labour market. The agreed review question was: What evidence is there that skill development activities for the mature-aged (45 years and over) lead to improved attachment to the labour market and/or improved productivity? The systematic review focused on seven studies, completed in the last five years, that were identified as meeting the criteria for relevance and quality of findings in relation to the review question. The review indicates that policy-makers in vocational education and training (VET) should continue to encourage skill development for the mature-aged as a means of improving their productivity and longevity in the labour market. However, they need to be mindful that skill development activities alone are not likely to be sufficient. There needs to be a package of measures to remove the barriers that many older workers face to training and to their subsequent attachment to the labour market. The review has also uncovered a need for more research to enable a better understanding of the particulars of which skill development activities work for which particular groups of mature-aged people, and under what circumstances.