Vocational education for people of the third age

Abstract

Introduction. According to the concept of lifelong learning, vocational education system should cover all age categories of working population, including people of the so-called “silver age” (people of the third age). However, in reality, the proportion of citizens over 45 years involved in continuing vocational training is very small, as the current system does not meet their specific needs. Meanwhile, for many representatives of this social community, the continuation of education, the renewal of knowledge, the acquisition of new qualifications or specialties are now becoming a chance to promote an individual’s employability over a lifetime in a rapidly changing labour market and an unstable “life market”. The aim of the article is to identify the opportunities and barriers to the inclusion of “silver age” people in the practice of vocational education, taking into account the positions of all key actors – the senior generation of Russians, the state, employers and educational organisations.Methodology and research methods. The work was based on the methodological framework of three theories: continuous education, third age, social community. The empirical material was collected through the following methods: the analysis of educational and demographic statistics (2015–2018); the analysis of the content of recruitment agencies’ websites and media publications devoted to the problems of the “silver” labour market; the secondary analysis of sociological data; the survey ofSverdlovsk region residents aged over 45 years old in February – March 2019.Results and scientific novelty. The structure and a number of qualitative characteristics of Russians of the elder generation are clarified. The authors give the definition of the concept of social community of “silver age” people (“third age” people), including the group of pre-pensioners. A new interpretation of this category of citizens allowed the authors to reevaluate the old options and to identify the new options for vocational training for “silver age” people. The problems and trends revealed in the course of the survey in this professional training niche of a particular Russian region were focused on the all-Russian situation. Critical differences between the requests for “silver” vocational education from older people, state, educational organisations and employers are identified. The contradictions and necessity of purposeful formation of educational needs and strategies of people of the “third age” are demonstrated. The state and prospects of development of various types and forms of “silver” professional education are described; the conditions of its transformation into a resource of active ageing are formulated.Practical significance. The urgency and relevance of adjusting the content and specific tasks of educational policy of the state aimed at the older generation of citizens have been scientifically proved. It is planned to create and improve training programmes for older people, implemented by various educational structures. Such programmes and research findings can serve as a basis for developing human resources strategies for older people both in government and commercial organisations.

Social management of the elderly education system: case of Russia

“…In the context of population aging, there is an urgent need to exploit the residual working capacity of older adults. At the same time, the lack of up-to-date professional knowledge and skills prevents senior Russians from integrating into the production and economic sphere, increases their vulnerability in the labor market, and limits their employment opportunities to low-paid unqualified jobs (Ambarova & Zborovsky, 2019).…”

“…The problems and development trends in elderly education in Russia are analyzed by Freydkina (2017), Ambarova and Zborovsky (2019), Smirnova (2008), Mosina andGonezhuk (2019), andKononygina (2006). They underline a steady increase in the number of specialized educational projects and their participants.…”

Color in the educational environment for older people: recent research review

“…There are also differences in terminology. The terms "people of silver age" [1], "people of the third age" [9; 13; 21], "people of gerontogenesis" [25] are used in the analyzed sources in addition to the term "elderly people" to designate the age cohort under study. The period after 60 years is most often referred to as the "period of late maturity", "gerontogenesis" or "the aging period" (see, eg: [25]).…”

Engagement of Students in Data Visualization for the Purpose of E-Learning Improvement

“…A number of LMS provide reports and graphs on the elementary activities of students, but they are still not very effective when it comes to student activity and involvement indicators if they are considered as separate learning process participants. Learning process improvement and support require tools and strategies that help to timely select the right information and present it in a clear and effective way [9].…”

“…Student dashboards are designed to identify student learning patterns and increase selfawareness in order to encourage behavioral changes to promote academic success [14]. Administrator dashboards are designed to make strategic decisions, improve practical skills, visualize student performance, facilitate information exchange between the teacher and the student based on the learning progress, and compare the results [9].…”