Posts by Mary Jo
GenSync 2017 booklist
I’m often talking with older workers about their value and values. The shift we’re all experiencing as a result of better health and increased longevity can be confusing. I’ve enclosed four books (all 2016) that opened my eyes to the fact we’re living in a most unusual time. These are my top picks today out…
Read MoreIncremental progress, always
For a year, I’ve worked full-time immersing myself in all things workforce development. Major takeaways: Ageism remains an acceptable prejudice. Talent is key. Resources for older workers to maintain, improve their talent are invisible. Employers and educators have disparate goals and metrics for success. Where to start? Learn, from dozens of coffees, lunches and phone…
Read MoreWorkforce training pays off for Pratt & Whitney shareholders
Training was part of all my first jobs. I was hired to do the job but my employer (rightly) assumed I’d do my best work if they invested in training me. As a result, workforce training enhanced my productivity leading to my efforts enhancing shareholder value. Thirty years ago, MN employers prided themselves on extensive…
Read MoreWorkers in MN’s tight labor market
I just read the most-recent TRENDS workforce report from DEED. Great news for workers, sort of. It shows the Twin Cities’ annual unemployment rate at 3.3% in 2015, the lowest our region has seen since 2000. The report: https://mn.gov/deed/assets/Metro_tcm1045-249846.pdf In our booming metro economy, over 1.1 million workers are between the ages of 25 and…
Read MoreWorking through Retirement
Working through retirement, as featured by Richard Heisenberg, NextAvenue Money & Work Editor, in his article, “A Sneak Peek Into the Future of Work and Retirement“; I liked these points very much: Not everyone can work in Retirement Health challenges (physical and cognitive) prevent some from working. Physical health issues are especially problematic for older…
Read MorePostpone Death—Continue Working
Want to share an excellent article: Retiring Retirement It’s long but very thorough. This paragraph caught me: After controlling for confounding factors such as demographics and poor health, the researchers made a startling find: People who worked at least a year past retirement age had an 11 percent lower risk of dying during the study period.…
Read MoreThe Death of Early Retirement?
Just read about someone bemoaning the loss of early retirement—and the reason is that few workers have prepared for it or want it. Is this a problem? Retiring at age 60 is a relatively-new social construct—developed when life expectancy was 65. Living until 85 presents opportunity—and challenges. I’ve been surprised to realize how much I…
Read MoreCongress Proposing a Cut in Senior Training Program
As I’ve explored the community resources available for mature workers a program titled SCSEP (Senior Community Service Employment Program) has been pointed to as an example of the Federal Commitment to older workers. Funded by the Older Americans Act, SCSEP provides subsidized, service-based training for low-income persons aged 55+ who are unemployed and have poor…
Read MoreThe Big Idea in 4 Minutes—Coming of Age in Aging America
Just learned of Coming of Age in an Aging America, a public media project aimed at creating conversation and action to productively shape America as an aging society. Sloan Center on Aging and Stanford Center on Longevity are among the partners providing contact, research and discussion. I know of no other program in the media…
Read MoreWorkforce Training and Readiness
Today, MPR News broadcast a conversation with Chris Farrell and Twanna Black (Northside Funders Group) about barriers to employment in the face of a growing workforce shortage. MN employers complain about the lack of skilled, trained employees for a wide range of positions. From the opposite perspective, prospective employees report a variety of hurdles to…
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