Supporting the Career Development of Older Employees: An HRD Point of View

Abstract

In 1995 a quantitative exploratory survey into educational conditions promoting the careerdevelopment of older workers was carried out in a multinational chemical corporation.Educational conditions are defined as demands made on the corporate HRD-policy, HRD-activities and employees' willingness to learn, as well as stimulating factors that promote thecareer development of older workers. Although the corporation is willing to perform an age-aware personnel policy, results indicate that this still concentrates more on youngeremployees, that participants in the career development process are insufficiently stimulatingin their role and that the traditionally formal HRD-activities have little effect on the careerdevelopment of older workers. This paper describes the survey, highlights its major resultsand offers possible recommendations to improve the existing situation