As the workforce ages, older workers need more support and greater opportunities for training and development.

The American workforce is graying; by 2022, more than 25 percent of workers will be over 55. These shifts in the age structure of the workforce mean that education and training programs will become more important for older workers in the coming years. In new research, Phyllis Cummins and Bob Harootyan find that older workers on lower incomes and those who are unemployed are less likely to participate in adult education and training programs. They write that such training for older workers could be encouraged via publicly sponsored employment and training programs, tax incentives for employers to provide training, and programs to better inform older workers education and training opportunities and their benefits

Ohio's Nursing Homes and Residential Care Facilities in the Economic Downturn: How have they adjusted?

Long-term care facilities have been impacted by the economic downturn and other changes in the long-term care system. This research brief describes strategies most often implemented by Ohio's nursing homes and residential care facilities to enhance economic prospects

Adult Education and Training Programs for Older Adults in the U.S.Country Comparisons Using PIAAC Data1

The age structure of the U.S. labor force has changed dramatically in recent decades, largely due to the aging of the baby boomer cohort. This shift has increased the importance of gaining a better understanding of how adult education and training influences labor market outcomes for middle-aged and older workers

Enhancing the SCSEP Network: Collaborations, Innovations, and Promising Practices

Using a mixed methods approach, this study sought to identify innovative and promising practices in providing employment and training services to older workers. Given current economic and demographic realities, understanding the effectiveness of employment training programs for older workers is crucial

Leveraging Resources Between the Senior Community Service Employment Program and the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program

This report describes a project that sought to determine the role the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) might play in supporting the Long-Term Care Ombudsman in their expanded role in the HOME Choice Transitions program. Potential responsibilities of the SCSEP program participant are described along with suggested training to carry out these duties

Adult Education and Training Programs for Older Adults in the U.S.: National Results and Cross-National Comparisons Using PIAAC Data

Skill upgrades over the lifecourse are increasingly important in a knowledged-based global economy. This study examined the relationship between participation in adult education programs and labor market outcomes for adults aged 45-65

Tidal energy in the Bering Sea

Tidal harmonics computed from TOPEX/POSEIDON altimetry are assimilated into a barotropic, finite element model of the Bering Sea whose accuracy is evaluated though comparisons with independent bottom pressure gauges. The model is used to estimate energy fluxes through each of the Aleutian Passes and Bering Strait and to construct an energy budget for the major tidal constituents. The finite element model does not conserve mass locally and this is shown to give rise to an additional term in the energy budget whose contribution is significant for the prior model, but which is reduced substantially with the assimilation technique. Though the M2 constituent is estimated to have the largest net energy flux into the Bering Sea at 31.2 GW, the K1 constituent is not far behind at 24.9 GW and the sum for the three largest diurnal constituents is found to be greater than the sum for the largest three semi-diurnals. Samalga and Amutka Passes are found to be the primary conduits for influx of semi-diurnal energy while Amchitka Pass is the primary conduit for diurnal energy. A significant portion of the diurnal energy is seen to exist in the form of continental shelf waves trapped along Bering Sea slopes.The effect of the 18.6-year nodal modulation is estimated and found to cause basin-wide variations of approximately 19% in the net incoming tidal energy flux. Larger variations in the dissipation occur in subregions that are strongly dominated by the diurnal constituents, such as Seguam Pass and south of Cape Navarin. These variations should correlate with tidal mixing and may have important consequences for biological productivity, similar to those previously found for Pacific halibut recruitment (Parker et al., 1995) and shrimp, capelin, herring, cod, and haddock biomass in the Barents Sea (Yndestad, 2004)

Conducting Virtual Qualitative Interviews with International Key Informants: Insights from a Research Project

There is an increasing need for cross-cultural qualitative studies in an era of globalization. A focus group of five researchers, who were involved in a large international research project, identified effective strategies and challenges associated with five key domains of qualitative research with key informants: identification, recruitment, preparation, conducting the interview, and follow-up. Content analysis revealed nuanced tactics related to effective strategies and challenges associated with each domain. Examples of effective strategies include interview preparation to understand the specific expertise of the interviewee and allowing the informant to offer additional information beyond the questions asked. Challenges included technical difficulties with virtual platforms and scheduling interviews in multiple time zones. These findings provide practical guidelines for researchers conducting virtual interviews with international key informants

Ohio's Nursing Homes & Residential Care Facilities in the Economic Downturn : How have they adjusted?

"This report was produced by the Ohio Long-Term Care Research Project and funded by the Ohio Department of Aging and the Ohio General Assembly"--4th unnumbered page.; "April 2014"--1st unnumbered page.; Includes bibliographical references.; Harvested from the web on 1/5/1

Credential attainment by older workers: The role of community colleges and the Dislocated Worker Program in successful employment outcomes

Workers are remaining in the labor force at older ages and despite their desire to work, those without jobs face unprecedented durations of unemployment. Many of the unemployed lack current skills for jobs in demand and need to either upgrade their skills or be trained for a new occupation to become reemployed. An aging workforce combined with concerns about the long-term viability of social welfare programs has increased the importance of identifying strategies to encourage working at older ages. In recent years there has been increased focus on credential attainment through participation in publicly sponsored employment and training programs. While many older workers benefit from participation in publicly sponsored employment programs, they are less likely than their younger counterparts to receive training services. This mixed methods research used a combination of multivariate regression, binary logistic regression, and key informant interviews to examine outcomes of older workers who participated in a training program through the Workforce Investment Act’s (WIA) Dislocated Worker Program between April 1, 2008 and December 31, 2009 and/or enrolled in credential programs at community colleges. This involved interviews and site visits at 14 community colleges to gain an understanding of the role community colleges play in linking older students to credential or certificate programs and analysis of secondary data to evaluate the benefits of obtaining a credential. Unemployed workers aged 55 to74 were the focus of the quantitative portion of this research. Attaining a credential through participation in WIA’s Dislocated Worker Program resulted in improved employment and wage changes as compared to those who were not credentialed. Effective strategies for community college involvement in workforce training were identified and include outreach programs for older students, providing advice for specific programs of study, support during the program to ensure completion, job placement services, and continuing education for skill upgrading. Implementation of programs and policies that encourage work at older ages has the potential to improve economic security and reduce the risk of poverty in retirement. Community colleges and public workforce programs play an important role in meeting the education and training needs of an aging and increasingly diverse population