Training of Older Workers in the United States. Training Discussion Paper No. 31.

Resulting from one of the International Labour Office's explorations of the training needs of older workers in industrialized countries, this document states the following six conclusions: (1) programs to encourage delayed retirement and increase the productivity of older U.S. workers are more often funded by government than by the private sector; (2) 48 percent of U.S. workers 55-64 years old were somewhat or very interested in learning new skills and participating in job training programs so they could take on a different job; (3) 17 percent of U.S. workers 50-62 years old said they were much more likely to delay early retirement if they could have job training; (4) public job training programs for older workers under the Job Training Partnership Act are available and are very well developed and evaluated, but may never reach all of those eligible; (5) some private companies have recognized the value of an ongoing educational and training program for older workers, and General Electric has concluded that it is less expensive to retrain its educated but outdated engineers rather than hire new employees; and (6) the nonprofit Chicago-based ABLE (Ability Based on Living Experiences) project has been successful at marketing the skills of job seekers older than 55. The document includes 11 tables and 48 references. (CML)