Today was the last group employability training session in our current delivery programme funded by Trust for London. Group training by over 50s for over 50s has always been a joy to be part of. The range of people that come along to the training is always interesting, with women and men from different ethnic backgrounds, people born here and those who arrived in their later years but everyone ends up getting engaged and helping one another.
Anyone who says that older people do not want to work or are cruising to retirement should see the energy and enthusiasm with which they engage and learn about where to look for the jobs they want, how to match their skills and experience to jobs on offer and how to succeed at interviews. The range of skills is enormous from care workers, hotel managers, psychotherapists, renovation and design specialists, retail and customer support staff, teachers, IT and web design specialists and that is just a few from our latest group.
Although we have carried on using zoom, as it makes it easier and cheaper ( free) to access the programme it is still an inclusive and stimulating experience, where we share laughs and cheer when someone gets the job they have been after often for so long.
I do hope that we will win another round of funding to help out of work over 50s find the job they need and want so we can start supporting people across London regardless of whether they are registered with the DWP or not.
Just to say that our other free support is still available for a limited period from our 121 employment advisors and personal support expert even though this part of our 2 year project has sadly finished. Our online support for over 50s across London will still be available for all, if people register with www.wiseage.org.uk/register/ and we are proud of the range of support and expert advice we offer on the site drawn on over 12 years of work helping older people looking for work.
