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This report was commissioned by the Analysis and Equity Branch of the Commonwealth Department of Education, Training and Youth Affairs (DETYA). Its objectives were to report on barriers facing older Australian workers (aged 45 years and over) in gaining access to, and benefit from, training, and innovative and achievable policies for addressing these barriers. Specifically, the study sought to: quantify the current level of participation in work-related training of older workers and compare it with that of younger workers; determine how participation in work-related training by older workers has changed over time; identify factors that may restrict participation in work-related training by older workers; and, propose policy options that may help in removing barriers to the successful participation of older workers in work-related training. The report comprises: a comprehensive summary of relevant literature focusing on differences in the incidence of work-related training across age groups, types of barriers faced by older workers, and the types of initiatives introduced both by governments and employers to enhance training opportunities and outcomes for older workers; the results from analyses of three major secondary data sets (labour force data collected by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), ABS surveys of education and training experience, and the Australian Workplace Industrial Relations Survey (AWIRS)); findings from a series of focus groups designed to gather in-depth information from older workers and human resource managers about their reactions to the main findings of the analysis and the proposed policy options; three enterprise case studies providing examples of organisations in which policies for addressing the barriers to training for older employees are already in place; a synthesis of results from the project as a whole; and an examination of possible policy options. Show less

It is widely recognised that older workers are less likely to gain access to job-related training than younger workers. This article reviews evidence on the extent of age-based training differentials in Australia and the main barriers that inhibit older workers from accessing training. It is concluded that governments in Australia need to do far more to ensure that older workers are not denied access to training opportunities.

Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less