Working and moving can help to keep you young. Plus, who doesn't like a little extra spending money? It is becoming more common for seniors to remain in the workplace much longer than in decades past, so the demand for senior citizen vocational training is increasing. Find vocational training for seniors in computer skills and other working knowledge.
Training for a Career Change
While some older workers remain in the same occupations, many others are selecting different vocations during their senior years. Whether senior workers are interested in starting a new post-retirement career, or are simply choosing to postpone retirement, it is certainly in their best interest to make sure that their vocational skills are up-to-date.
Many workers change occupations during their senior years. In fact, it is very normal to make a career transition a number of times during a lifetime, and the senior years still provide an excellent opportunity to explore different vocations. It's never too late to acquire new skills and to pursue a career change in an occupation that will be both financially and personally rewarding. By participating in senior citizen vocational training, individuals can easily get the skills they need to enter a new career field.
A majority of seniors choose employment related to hobbies they have enjoyed for a number of years. Others seek part time, or freelance employment, enabling them to continue working while still enjoying a retirement lifestyle. There are many in-demand career fields wide open to senior workers who take advantage of training opportunities designed to brush up their skills, or gain new expertise or certification in a different occupation.
Computer Skills Matter
To remain competitive in the modern job market, seniors are finding that computer skills are essential, regardless of their occupation. Many seniors who participate in vocational training do so for the purpose of acquiring and increasing computer skills.
Regardless of the industry, just about every job requires at least basic computer competence, including the ability to navigate with the current Microsoft operating systems, basic Internet skills, and a familiarity with some or all of the Microsoft Office components.
Basic Computer Skills
Most jobs today require the ability to use Word, which is the word processing component of Microsoft Office, and Outlook, which is an e-mail, scheduling, and contact management application. If your job involves creating presentations, it is very likely that you will need to know how to use PowerPoint as well.
More Advanced Computer Skills
Positions that involve finances or other quantitative functions often require the ability to use Excel, which is a spreadsheet application. Functions that involve advanced data manipulation might require a working knowledge of Access, the database component of Microsoft office.
Resources for Senior Citizen Vocational Training
There are many opportunities to acquire new occupational skills. A number of communities offer programs and other resources for senior citizen vocational training classes. An excellent way to find out about training in your area is to visit the Experience Works website where you can search for senior training programs by state.
Putting Skills to Work
Senior citizens who complete vocational training will be pleasantly surprised to learn that an increasing number of organizations are actively recruiting skilled senior workers to meet hiring needs. Senior citizens are sometimes hesitant to try to change careers out of concerns regarding age discrimination. While all types of discrimination are unfortunately alive and well, there are a number of organizations that realize the benefits of mature, experienced employees.
An outstanding resource for finding job openings for seniors is The Senior Job Bank, which is a recruiting site for companies who are seeking to add seniors to their workforce. Users can view and apply for job openings posted especially for senior workers as well as post resumes promoting themselves and their skills to prospective employers.
