Technology Looking to Older Workers To Fill Job Gaps

Following up on the announcement that the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) has joined the new Alliance for an Experienced Workforce aimed at getting employers to develop strategies of keeping aging American workers viable in the workplace, Marianne Kolbasuk McGee writes in Information Week that within the next four years, "nearly a third of all U.S. workers--including tens of thousands of tech pros--will be over the age of 50, leaving a potential gap of business-tech and vertical industry skills, which also could be worsened on the front-end by a shortage of young people entering the technology fields."

She writes that John Venator, president and CEO of the CompTIA, is encouraging employers to offer older IT workers programs, such as skills certification and training opportunities, to help them acquire new tech skills, boosting their workforce relevance in the years to come. She also cites Quest Diagnostics Inc. as an employer that is already offering work options that older technology workers often find appealing, including telecommuting options, as well as the opportunity to relocate jobs to Quest offices in more favorable climates, like in southern U.S cities.

Source: "Careers: Keeping Older Tech Workers On The Job Longer" InformationWeek (February 23, 2006)