Intergenerational Mentoring and Learning in the Workplace
Project Acronym: LEARNGEN
Date: 1.12.2020 - 30.11.2022
Project Partners:
Bulgarian-Romanian Chamber Of Commerce And Industry Association (Bulgaria)
Future In Perspective Limited (Ireland)
Mindshift Talent Advisory Lda (Portugal)
Centre For Advancement Of Research And Development In Educational Technology Ltd-Cardet (Cyprus)
Neophytos Ch Charalambous (Institute Of Development Ltd) (Cyprus)
Eurotraining Educational Organization (Greece)
Motion Digital S.R.O.(Czech Republic)
SHORT SUMMARY
LearnGen’s focus is to combat segregation, discrimination, and social exclusion of marginalized workers.EU Commission communicated in 2017 an inclusion and diversity strategy promoting the inclusion of older staff to equal work opportunities as younger staff.
This project supports older workers as well as young workers to develop necessary core skills to teach and learn from each other.
In the next 50 years, the ratio between the number of people aged 65 and over and the number of 15-64-year olds of “working age”
is expected to be more than double. This is primarily due to decreased fertility rates and increased life expectancy, created
by an improved standard of living and working conditions as well as progress in the medical field. 101.1 million people aged 65 years
or over were living in the 28 EU countries in the beginning of 2018, making up 19.7 % of the whole population. More people in the EU aged 55-64 years have been active in the labour market during the last 3 decades. It is expected to increase to 28.5 % of the total population by 2050, while at the same time Europe's economic output and global competitiveness could drastically fall unless actions are taken
to reconcile the differences between the younger and older generations.
Both generations need each other to share skills and experiences and learn from their differences to bridge the gap between them. Intergenerational learning (people of different ages learning together and from each other) can do that. Employers tend to offer younger workers more training opportunities than they do older workers. However, younger workers lack the life experiences of older adults
and often the values and soft skills that can make them more successful.
With an increasingly large group of employed people with jobs at risk due to advances in technology or demand for new skillsets
and approx.7/10 EU workers requiring at least
moderate digital skills to do their job(Cedefop), the digitalization.
GENERAL PROJECT AIM
LearnGen will assist develop skills in both worker groups to teach and learn from each other, making them less vulnerable to professional challenges, resulting in the implementation of innovative practice at the organizational level, specifically by having older workers mentoring youth on skills such as strategic and critical thinking and problem-solving and young workers using reverse mentoring to train older workers to become digitally and media literate.
Typically, mentoring is the professional and personal empowerment of a young person by a more experienced one. A mentor
is an experienced person in the field who acts as a role model and can provide support and feedback regarding the next moves of a less experienced person (Day & Allen, 2004).
Older workers will learn how to become mentors for younger generations, sharing their life experiences and skills. Young workers
will be educated on human rights, combating ageism and tolerating differences and have the opportunity to show older generations
how to acquire digital skills and deal with technological
challenges, using the innovative concept of Reverse Mentoring where the younger person teaches the older one.
OBJECTIVES
1. Support elderly and young workers to develop core skills necessary to teach and learn from each other.
2. Improve collaboration and knowledge and enhance access to training and qualifications for all.
3. Support SME managers and Trainers to design, implement and monitor effective inclusive policies and practices.
4. Build competences of managers and trainers to design learning programs on peer-to-peer mentoring.
5. Overcoming skills mismatches.
TARGET GROUPS
1) 10 old workers (aged 50+) and 10 young workers (18-30 years) in each country;
2) 200 HR Managers, Business and/or line managers, and Trainers from smaller SME companies and firms based in rural areas.
OUTPUTS
IO1.Intergenerational Learning Curriculum;
IO2.Training Package for employees trained to become Mentors ;
IO3. Intergenerational Learning Handbook for VET providers and in-service trainers ;
IO4.eLearning Platform and OERs.
The project will be managed using Project Management tools and practices, including quality assurance, dissemination and sustainability plans.
EXPECTED RESULTS
1) Combat ageism
2) Contest social/workplace exclusion
3) Tackle intergenerational skills gaps/mismatches
4) Empower low skilled workers of all ages
5) Raise mentoring awareness.
EXPECTED IMPACT
Deeper understanding at organizational and transnational level, on combating ageism and social exclusion; improved use
of intergenerational.
POTENTIAL LONGER TERM BENEFITS
Informed public and local businesses of the value of diversity and inclusion.