A state agency has stepped up trolling job sites for employers willing to take on seniors for short-term apprenticeships, in hopes they will subsequently qualify for work that will deliver paychecks well into their “golden” years.
The Connecticut Department of Social Services released a four-year strategic plan for its Senior Community Employment Service Programs (SCESP). As part of the plan, DSS plans to aggressively contact area companies and chambers of commerce to recruit training sites for the program.
At an April planning meeting, participants rattled off a long list of employer perceptions about elderly employees, with negative stereotypes such as slowness to learn or accomplish tasks and the potential liabilities for health and workers”™ compensation insurance counterbalanced by perceived upsides such as strong work ethics and ability to relate to clients.
True or false, the negative perceptions make it difficult for older workers ”“ particularly those with little education or disabilities ”“ to obtain work at a time when many require additional income as Connecticut”™s cost of living skyrockets.
Authorized under Title V of the federal Older Americans Act, SCESP is open to job seekers age 55 or older who have family income at no more than 125 percent of the federal poverty level, or $17,500 a year for a household of two.
As of the 2000 census, some 21,000 people living in Fairfield County met that description, half of them lacking a high-school diploma and well over half reporting that they had a disability.
Besides federal financing through Title V, Connecticut also funds its SCESP program through grants from Easter Seals, a Chicago-based non-profit that focuses on services for people with disabilities; and from The Workplace Inc., a work-force investment board based in Bridgeport.
The program subsidizes informal apprenticeships at work sites, in hopes that the resulting work experience on computers and other systems will make seniors more competitive for regular jobs.
Past SCSEP participants have received on-the-job training in clerical and receptionist work, customer service, food service, janitorial, and security; at varied jobs sites from non-profit agencies, to schools, senior centers and government agencies.
“Employer demand for SCSEP participants who are interested in pursuing a structured career ladder has not been widely evident,” DSS stated in the report. “However, the program transitioned some participants into unsubsidized employment that has led to promotions. The program will continue its efforts to identify jobs that are of interest to SCSEP participants and that show an opportunity for advancement.”
The success of SCSEP could have significant implications for Connecticut”™s budget down the road ”“ the state is on pace to increase the size of its population aged 60 and over by nearly 15,000 people annually through 2030, according to the U.S. Administration on Aging, when it will crack the mark of 1 million seniors.
In a 2005 survey of 175 Fairfield County area seniors, half of whom identified themselves as low income, DSS found that health services were the most dominant concern, with 89 percent of respondents indicating they are worried about their options.
Area seniors were also obsessed with their nest eggs, with 82 percent listing that as a concern, a higher percentage than any other area of Connecticut.
While a steady paycheck will help both those areas, according to the survey the Fairfield County area also had the highest percentage of older people worried about their:
- rights as senior citizens;
- emotional well-being;
- choice of Fairfield County as a living location;
- transportation options;
- ability to find help if needed;
- ability to care for a spouse;
- ability to maintain networks of friends; and
- the outlook for their grandchildren.
This year, the state plans to add training sites that can accommodate individuals with significant barriers to employment; and to establish partnerships with literacy and adult education programs to help those seniors who lack a diploma.
Starting next year, DSS hopes to develop a mentorship program to match seniors in the program with working professionals. The agency also plans to research the demographic distribution of individuals to better identify “priority” recruits.
In the past DSS has relied on the state”™s One-Stop Career Centers to recruit participants. To increase awareness of the state”™s SCSEP plan, DSS hopes to enlist churches, health professionals, and transport drivers as “ambassadors” to tout the service ”“ not to mention alumni of the program who volunteer as recruiters.
