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Baby Boomer training program gains steam
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A nationally coordinated effort among community colleges to train and retrain Baby Boomers for new jobs is gaining momentum.
The effort is called the Plus 50 Initiative -- a three-year program to help community colleges attract older Baby Boomers 50 years and older train for new jobs and sharpen their skills to help market themselves in the job market.
The initiative is expanding to include more community colleges as "affiliates" in an effort to get more colleges to reach out to a greater number of Baby Boomers.
The three-year project is sponsored by the American Association of Community Colleges with a $3.2 million grant from The Atlantic Philanthropies.
“The expansion of the Plus 50 Initiative will empower many more community colleges to offer targeted training programs that help baby boomers develop marketable skills and jumpstart stalled careers,” said George R. Boggs, AACC President and CEO. “As institutions that respond to public needs, community colleges are on the front line helping communities and workers re-tool in a tumultuous economy."
We examined here recently the fact that unemployment, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, is hitting Baby Boomers harder than other age groups. While younger workers are without jobs for an average of 12.2 weeks, Baby Boomers are jobless for 22.2 weeks.
And when they do find jobs, according to the community college association, they "typically experience a more significant drop in earnings than their younger counterparts."
As an example of the expansion of Plus 50 Initiative participants, the association cited a program hosted by the Western Dakota Technical Institute in Rapid City, S.D., that will host a regional conference for community colleges near national parks to train 50-plus adults to serve as seasonal rangers and interpretive guides.
For more information:
The Plus 50 Initiative
American Association of Community Colleges
The Atlantic Philanthropies
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