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ROPES

ROPES. Resourcing Older People’s Employment Support. Best Age-Positive Employment Practice in Action Wise Age/ROPES 2014-18. Peter Murphy Director, Wise Age Ltd. Project Manager, ROPES. What is ROPES?. ROPES = Resourcing Older People’s Employment Support

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ROPES

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  1. ROPES Resourcing Older People’s Employment Support

  2. Best Age-Positive Employment Practice in ActionWise Age/ROPES 2014-18 Peter Murphy Director, Wise Age Ltd. Project Manager, ROPES

  3. What is ROPES? ROPES = Resourcing Older People’s Employment Support Funded initially for two years 2014 to 2015 to cover six boroughs Successful completion of initial project led to expansion to 19 boroughs for 2 years early 2016 to early 2018 Support to community and voluntary sector organisations to optimise their support services to their clients aged 50+ seeking work 37 Organisations supported in phase 1, 38 in second phase Funding organisation is Trust for London -

  4. ROPES – Over-arching aim • Overarching aim is to train organisations to the standard required to by age employment experts, then maximise member organisations' ability to provide high-quality Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) to their 50+ clients seeking employment.

  5. ROPES – Aims • Training organisations not currently offering employment to the over 50s to the point where they are confident to do so • With organisations already offering 50+ employment support, change their understanding of issues facing 50+ unemployed so they can respond more effectively/appropriately and help clients achieve more positive outcomes

  6. ROPES – Aims cont. • Provide access to high quality practical information to maximise effectiveness of IAG support – also info re high quality other sources of information, and appropriate networking and referral organisations • Promote benefits of employing people aged 50+ as part of age-diverse workforce – members can then help influence policy and practice in their borough, and challenge/change thinking of local employers. This will provide sustainable improvement to the outlook for unemployed 50+ people.

  7. ROPES – Objectives • Provide high quality training and training materials to staff and volunteers of participating organisations • Provide access to practical information, sources of specialized advice, support and training which they can utilize for the benefit of over-50s seeking employment • Provide information and updates in the changes to regulations or government practices, new initiatives, policy debates and employment related developments at regional, national and international (EU+) levels

  8. ROPES - Main activities • 3-day workshops for organisations to become ROPES members • Later, 1-day Associate membership training introduced, though this was only in the first phase, and has not been continued in phase 2 • Capacity building • Provision of the ROPES toolkit • Provision of online website resources • AEEN – Age and Employment Experts Network – meetings, newsletters, emails etc, formation of partnerships for joint funding bids, etc.

  9. Meeting the Needs of London’s 50+ working age population • 50+ Londoners need: • more choice of organisations offering support • increasing levels of quality of support • The sad fact is that this support continues to be necessary due to the complex and multiple barriers they face, in terms of myths and prejudices still all too common among employers and the population as a whole, • Many 50+ unemployed people internalise some of these myths and prejudices, and consciously or subconsciously start to believe they are less deserving. • People need and deserve empathetic respectful support from people who understand their problems and treat them as equals • The following three slides present some of these (all too familiar) myths and the facts which contradict them. ROPES has helped organisations understand these barriers and the way to challenge assumptions.

  10. Myths and Stereotypes Surrounding Older People Old and “past it” – “over the hill” Unwilling to learn new things, new ways of working Think they already know everything, so they are difficult to manage, particularly by younger line managers Taking jobs from younger people Overpaid, or expect too high salaries No motivation – just coasting towards their pension Not IT-literate Stuck in the past – “dinosaurs” Slow and lethargic Too many health problems

  11. Benefits of Older Workers Knowledge Experience of life and work Will remember problems and solutions from the past, and help find ways of avoiding or minimising similar problems next time there is a similar crisis Social and Life Skills Motivation Loyal – less likely to leave for another job Take less time off “sick” Actually can help with youth employment if they move towards training and mentoring roles Will attract the “grey pound”.

  12. The Business Case for Diversity in General Attracting the best people Workforce Reflects Customer Base Increased flexibility and creativity Wider range of skills, knowledge and experience External Image Greater competitive edge Reduced recruitment costs. No ceiling on amount awarded on discrimination cases

  13. ROPES – Impact • The impact of the 2016-18 phase of ROPES is still being assessed by our researchers, via telephone questionnaires, but initial results suggest that the results will mirror to a large extent those from 2014-15, as a result of which: • Number of organisations providing generic 50+ support increased by 133% • Number of organisations providing specific over-50s support increased by 29% • The number of organisations delivering non-employment services to the 50+ generation did not change • The number of organisations planning to introduce 50+ employment support services increased by 200%

  14. Outcomes cont.Interpreting the statistics • Awareness was created within the VCS and employment sector • Participating organisations increased in confidence when talking about the barriers of securing employment for the over-50s • Participating organisations increased in confidence and could approach employers re opportunities and benefits of employing the over-50s • Participants improved in the approach to working with clients – being aware of the issues facing them • Best practice was generously shared among participants and Wise Age trainers. This gave participants an insight in the experiences and challenges that exist within the sector and employment industries.

  15. What worked well? What worked less well? • The 3-day training courses were rated very favourably by attendees. • The Age and Employment Experts Network (AEEN) meetings have seen attendance levels decrease (people's busy schedules mean that they are increasingly reluctant to attend meetings unless there will be a quantifiable business gain, rather than just information exchange, etc) • Specific offers of individual support in e.g. gaining quality accreditations, registering to be DWP providers via Bravo/Basware, etc. were more popular • Monthly newsletters have been an effective way of spreading information about e.g. Funding opportunities, political trends and changes, etc. • Funders wanted more large organisations to be trained in phase 2 – we did increase the proportion of larger organisations, but many still registered who were smaller in size, which shows that a lot of support for 50+ in London is still coming from the grassroots.

  16. What next? • Complete collation of feedback from member organisations and provide final report to funders • Update and improve ROPES members’ section of website, and eventually roll it out to a wider public • Look for the new ways to develop and enhance organisations’ capacity to support people aged 50+ in areas of employment/unemployment, social isolation, loneliness.

  17. Recommendations from ROPES to the Mayor As part of the implementation of the Mayor’s strategy for economic development, skills training and employment, ROPES strongly recommends a unified approach, incorporating: • GLA and Borough Councils should offer targeted support to the 50+ working age demographic (along the lines of existing support for 18-24s) • This support should be specific, focussed, and delivered by experts in dealing with the 50+ (experienced, knowledgeable, and either aged 50+ themselves or trained to be able to interact effectively with the 50+) • Positive messages re contribution of older workers, benefits of age diversity • These messages should include myth-busting messages – once the myths are exposed as myths, not facts, ageism naturally starts to evaporate • Possible models to be promoted and emulated include: Barclays 50+ Apprenticeships, McDonalds, B&Q, Restaurant Associates, etc.

  18. Any Questions ?

  19. ROPES Resourcing Older People’s Employment Support

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