SASSI- Later-life Careers

<< Background >>Europe’s future economic competitiveness and prosperity depends crucially on its ability to fully utilise its labour resources including through the extension of employment periods over the life course. In this project we sought to respond directly to a) the challenges outlined in “The Missing Entrepreneurs” 2019 (OECD) which identifies seniors (aged 50+) as the largest group of self-employed people in the EU at 48% (OECD 2018) with 43% of the workforce aged 65-74 self-employed. It concedes that “policy can do more to raise awareness about the potential of entrepreneurship among older workers and encourage more senior entrepreneurs to use their experience to support other entrepreneurs” and b) as stated in Coordinating Guidance and Validation (CEDEFOP 2019) “the need for effective career guidance for older people is greater than ever” . Our project has put policy into practice by addressing the need for longer working lives, for encouraging Senior Entrepreneurship and for enhancing Career Guidance and Counselling for older people within the context of Continuing Vocational Education and Training (C-VET).<< Objectives >>Our objectives were to enhance the employability and later-life career opportunities of older adults (aged 55+) by: • developing and piloting updating (CPD) opportunities for C-VET professionals in providing age-sensitive careers guidance and counselling for older career changers, including with practical resources: a Training Manual on later-life career orientation, a Handbook to support mobility for later-life career development , digital tools and a Guide to developing ‘Olderpreneurs’ • developing innovative non-formal learning approaches to reskilling older people for alternative employment options such as social enterprise, self-employment and digital enterprise • developing tools and products that support the delivery of Later-Life Career counselling • championing short-term mobility secondments & volunteering learning experiences including work experiences in other countries in order to improve intercultural understanding and language skills • sustaining and exploiting the outputs of the forerunner Erasmus+ SASSI projects (2015 and 2018).<< Implementation >>1.Training C-VET Professionals and HR Managers to Support Later-Life Career Choices (R1):- Based on a comprehensive competence framework and assessment pack the C-VET professionals and HR managers were equipped with the tools they need to support later-life career transitions.- To facilitate this, a blended-learning CPD program was launched, incorporating six modules that combined both theory and practical exercises. This program was supported by a detailed Training Manual.- To test the program’s effectiveness, a 4-stage piloting process was carried out, where 18 professionals attended a C1 course (Stage 1). These trainers then implemented learning projects with 28 professionals locally (Stage 2), which ultimately reached 99 older workers (Stage 3). The final phase saw 14 selected older workers participate in a transnational mobility experience in Vienna, solidifying their roles as SASSI Ambassadors.- Validation of the competence development of the participating trainers using the LEVEL5 system, ensuring measurable growth throughout the process.2.Promoting Mobility and Work Experience for Older Adults (R2):- A self-study resource for potential Ambassadors was designed, providing them with practical guidance on promoting career mobility and continuing professional development (CPD) among older workers, unretirees, and job seekers.- This resource was further enhanced by group training sessions, where participants could share experiences and deepen their understanding of career redirection strategies.- To support dissemination, fliers and stories were created based on the feedback and experiences from the Ambassadors themselves, showcasing real-world examples of career mobility.- To create lasting opportunities, a searchable database of organizations offering mobility and work experiences across Europe was developed. This database became a key resource for older individuals looking to broaden their career horizons.- The mobility experience in Vienna engaged 14 Ambassadors in a design thinking course, where they collaboratively developed prototypes for promoting later-life careers.3.Supporting Older Adults in Becoming “Olderpreneurs” (R3):- Launching and development of a 6-chapter self-study resource aimed at helping older workers explore self-employment and entrepreneurial opportunities. This resource provided guidance on becoming digital entrepreneurs, social entrepreneurs, or establishing legacy careers.- To enhance the learning experience, group training activities were conducted where older adults could discuss and reflect on the concepts of entrepreneurship in later life.- These materials were actively used during local piloting sessions, where older workers were encouraged to explore entrepreneurial pathways tailored to their skills and aspirations.4.Creating the SASSI Toolbox for Later-Life Career Support (R4):- The SASSI Hub from previous SASSI projects was updated and expanded, creating a new website to house all project outputs in a user-friendly and accessible format. This platform ensured that all training resources were available in five languages (English, German, Bulgarian, Slovak, and Portuguese).- The mobility database from R2 was integrated into the SASSI Hub, making it easier for users to find relevant opportunities for career development and mobility.- The platform also included a resource section filled with practical tools, questionnaires, and videos, all designed to support professionals and older adults in their career transitions.- The SASSI Hub was continuously refined based on user feedback, ensuring it met the evolving needs of its audience.5.Establishing Strong Project Coordination and Cooperation Mechanisms:- Project Coordination and Management was maintained through a detailed and monitored Project Plan, supported by four transnational meetings to ensure the quality of deliverables, effective dissemination, and the overall impact of project results.- A Quality Assurance, Internal and External Evaluation Strategy was put in place, ensuring that all activities adhered to a high standard, guided by a detailed Quality Assurance and Evaluation Plan.- A Dissemination Strategy and Plan was developed to maximize awareness of the project, promote emerging results, and actively engage participants and stakeholders throughout the project's lifecycle.- We also implemented an Exploitation and Sustainability Plan to ensure the long-term impact and usability of the project's outcomes across all partner countries.<< Results >>R1a: Training Manual for Supporting Later-life Career Choices. The manual for C-VET professionals is an innovative and practical guide including a step-by-step approach to inform Trainers and C-VET professionals on how to implement the developed SASSI tools and resources for providing later-life career guidance. R1b: Competence framework and Assessment PackThe assessment pack is intended to support the competence development of the main target groups of the SASSI LLC project: C-VET Professionals and HR Managers, Ambassadors for mobility in later life, and older workers. It provides a repository of competences, presents these competences in terms of knowledge, skills and attitudes along a 5-level taxonomy, and offers an assortment of assessment methods suitable for different contexts. R1c: Training for Supporting Later-life Career ChoicesThe guide accompanies a blended-learning CPD programme, designed as a flexible, interactive and modular training to provide new approaches for delivering career guidance in later stages of life. It contains the following 6 modules:●M1: Ageing workers and the labour market●M2: Age-specific career counselling●M3: Managing later life career●M4: Mobility in later life●M5: Becoming an olderpreneur●M6: Competence AssessmentR1d: Workbooks for the Training for Supporting Later-life Career ChoicesThe 6 workbooks (available in 5 languages) contain the curricula for each Module of the Training Programme, group activities and extra reaching for each moule.R1e: Transnational Piloting reportThe report contains a description of the piloting activities involving 127 final users across 5 countries, as well as conclusions and recommendations for the future. The pilot activities followed a cascade structure, with internal trainers attending a C1 event, followed by the training of local trainers and end users. Some of the latter became Ambassadors for Mobility in Later life and attended a C2 course in Vienna. R1f: Trainer’s case studies The trainer’s case studies represent 11 examples of the practical application of the SASSI Methodology from the piloting. There is at least one example per country.Result 2a: Ambassadors for mobility in later-lifeThe aim of the Ambassadors is to promote the advantages of mobility and work experience for career redirection and CPD amongst older workers, unretirees and job seekers. Innovative exemplary approaches to the provision of work experiences are a strong method for stimulating career revitalization and change. The Manual is a self-study resource, further enhanced by group activities. It contains 5 chapters:C1: The benefits of working and studying abroadC2: Types of mobilitiesC3: The role and competences of an AmbassadorC4: Mobility in practiceC5: The SASSI LLC mobility databaseResult 2b: Mobility Database:https://www.sassi-llc.eu/mobilities/?slg=sassi_mobility_cpt&mdf_cat=20&page_mdf=3416In order to help prospective Ambassadors and older workers find a mobility experience suitable for their needs, partners have collected organisations providing opportunities in the partner countries and across Europe. The mobility database allows for searching by type of mobility, country, duration, and age range.Result 2c: Ambassadors’ fliers The filers assist Ambassadors in disseminating the concept of mobility to a wider audience.Result 2d: Ambassadors’ storiesTestimonies and reflection of 13 SASSI Ambassadors to inspire other older workers/learners, and to encourage more uptake of SASSI Approach by C-VET professionals through the demonstration of direct impact to the final beneficiaries. These stories were published on the SASSI Hub as blog posts. Result 3: Guide to Becoming an OlderpreneurThe Guide is a toolkit for supporting and reskilling older workers to become self-employed, social entrepreneurs, digital entrepreneurs and/or approaches to establishing Legacy Careers. It equips participants with the essential skills and knowledge needed to thrive in their new ventures. The Guide consists of 6 chapters, containing self-study and group activities:C1: Why Olderpreneurship?C2: The various ways of becoming entrepreneurialC3: The ‘soft skills’ of entrepreneurshipC4: From ideas to practice: hard business skillsC5: Going digitalC6: Social benefits of olderpreneurshipResult 4: The SASSI LLC ToolboxThe toolbox is a large repository of training and practical contents. It has been specifically designed for use by C-VET Professionals, HR Managers, and careers coaches to support older workers and those who actively want to make changes to their later working life. It contains:- all the SASSI LLC Project results- online questionnaires and competence assessment tools- a glossary of key terms- a library of films, videos, podcasts, books and games- a collection in inspiring good practices, contacts of national organisations.SASSI LLC Brochure and NewsletterThe brochure presents the project and its goals to potential users. There are 6 project newsletters focusing on the 4 Project results, as well as the C1 and C2 Training.Meetings and Multiplier eventThere were 4 Transnational Partner meetings, 5 national multiplier event, exhibition in reveal14 conference and a conference with a total of 400 participants.