At the event we want to consider what now needs to be done to ensure that national and regional infrastructures and support systems for the development of skills and to access employment is sufficiently tailored and flexible to help older workers.  

The 24 hour session will explore how we can begin to implement changes across the four key areas for consultation: understanding the workforce, attracting and retaining the best people and improving the sector image, training and developing a modernized workforce, and increasing the diversity of the workforce.

The 24 hour session will explore how we can implement changes across the four key areas for consultation: participation in education, training and employment, delivering a relevant curriculum, workforce development and accountability for young offenders’ education.  

A background paper and participants list will be posted on the website week beginning 16th July

By the end of this event the aim will be to have:

• Agreed amongst the key stakeholders a shared approach – including those elements that need to be common and central to the framework, and areas where there can be flexibility

• Agreed starting points for each agency in introducing a shared approach and how this might influence the way in which agencies carry out other areas of work

• An agreed protocol, checklist and trouble shooting process to ensure that the agreed strategy is not compromised or driven off course by the strategies and actions of individual stakeholder organisations.

• An agreed timeline and milestones for rolling out the strategy within the wider context of what will be happening in other parts of skills and economic development strategies across the capital.

We will draw on the trail blazing work across the country (SE and other regions)  that has been effective in providing advice, guidance, training and job matching support that has enabled older workers to find employment.

From this starting point, we will consider what now needs to be done to establish a national infrastructure and support system to encourage and assist older workers to meet skill shortages.

By the end of the event our aim will be to have:

• Identified incentives (for individuals and/or employers), an approach and the infrastructure needed to reduce skill shortages through the training and employment of older workers.

• Confirmed immediate priorities to take forward our ideas and begin to shape a work plan that will bring our propositions to the notice of Government and key policy makers, and make them happen.