Transferring the knowledge: Adapting from post-retirement to workforce mentoring

Transferring the knowledge: Adapting from post-retirement to workforce mentoring

Concern for an ageing population and the retention of expertise within the workforce, is a dominant global trend occurring this century. Policy makers worldwide now actively seek to strengthen workforce productivity via an injection of skills from older workers that include those who have entered retirement. Career development planning for post-retirement age clients has become a contemporary issue many career practitioners now encounter and highlights the importance of developing programs aimed at assisting these encore career seekers to recognise and share their valuable expertise to a multi-generational labour market. Following initial published research that focused on the career adaptabilities and motivations of retirees re-engaging with the workforce (Luke, McIlveen, & Perera, 2016), this presentation addresses subsequent vocational psychology based research that is now investigating post-retirement age participants’ willingness and career adaptability to re-engage as workforce mentors. Highlighting mentorship as a solution for retaining skills and strengthening employability within the workforce, this presentation based on the current research findings collated from interviews with N=28 retirees, encourages the audience to consider the adaptabilities necessary for a post-retirement age mentor to overcome barriers while successfully cultivating effective relationships and knowledge transfers with younger mentees.
Additionally, the presentation outlines how findings from both the initial and current research provide scope for career development interventions that would encourage retirees to be active players in their re-engagement with career and provide them opportunity to discover meaningful work as they adapt and advance as respected mentors within a diverse multi-generational workforce.