{"id":4968,"date":"2015-10-24T06:22:06","date_gmt":"2015-10-24T10:22:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/?p=4968"},"modified":"2015-10-24T06:24:45","modified_gmt":"2015-10-24T10:24:45","slug":"ways-to-get-job-training-on-the-job","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/?p=4968","title":{"rendered":"8 Ways to Get Training On The Job"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Getting-the-Job-You-Want-Book-Cover1\"<\/a>Last week, I saw Robert De Niro\u2019s latest film, The Intern<\/a><\/em>, where he plays a 70-year-old intern at a hip startup run by a Millennial (Anne Hathaway). It\u2019s a cute movie, but I was disturbed by one thing: De Niro\u2019s character wasn\u2019t exactly ramping up new job skills while he worked.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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In fact, he wasn\u2019t learning anything new. And that leads me to my bigger concern: Job training and skill building are colossal issues for America\u2019s older workers. That\u2019s because employers often worry that older workers aren\u2019t up to speed on technology, are stuck in their old ways of doing things, and simply don\u2019t have the necessary, current skills to do the job.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re over 50 and have a job or want one, anything you can do to get job training and keep your skills up-to-date is critical.<\/p>\n

MORE:\u00a0<\/span>3 Ways \u2018The Intern\u2019 Gets Older Workers Wrong<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

In my latest book, Getting the Job You Want After 50 For Dummies<\/em>,<\/a> I devote a chapter to gaining job training without shelling out for a college degree or certificate program. Here are my eight suggestions:<\/p>\n

Seek out local apprenticeships and fellowships.<\/strong> If you want to become a chocolatier, for instance, volunteer at a local gourmet grocery or restaurant that makes its own confections. If you\u2019re interested in learning the ropes of the restaurant industry, offer to help out on weekends, perhaps saut\u00e9ing for the chef, filling in as a greeter or even keeping the restaurant\u2019s books, if that\u2019s your forte. These are all ways people I know have made transitions to new lines of work.<\/p>\n

Employers often worry that older workers aren\u2019t up to speed on technology, are stuck in their ways and don\u2019t have the necessary skills.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re looking for a career with a social purpose, consider applying for an Encore fellowship at\u00a0Encore.org\/fellowships<\/a>. These are one-year paid fellowships at nonprofits, typically in a professional capacity, to help mature workers re-enter the job market.<\/p>\n

Explore internship and returnship opportunities.<\/strong> Take a tip from De Niro. Internships <\/a>and returnships<\/a>\u00a0(jobs for people who\u2019ve taken a career break, often to raise a family) can fill a gap in your r\u00e9sum\u00e9, and employers like them because they can test out prospective employees before committing.<\/p>\n

If you sense a hiring manager is interested in giving you a job but waffling because you\u2019ve been out of work or are making a career shift, consider asking whether you could have an internship, so the employer can appraise you after several weeks.<\/p>\n

Click To Read Article on Forbes<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Goldman Sachs launched the first \u201creturnship\u201d program in 2008 to give hires, primarily women raising children, an opportunity to restart their careers after being out of the workforce for two or more years. The returnship is a paid 10-week program.<\/p>\n

Since then, other companies have followed Goldman Sachs\u2019 lead. The British bank Barclays announced plans to launch an internship program in the U.K. for mature workers in the second half of 2015. (At the moment, Barclays says it has no plans to take this apprenticeship program to the United States.) The goal: to give some older job seekers the same opportunities the bank offers to the 2,000 or so 16-to-24-year-olds who enroll in its apprenticeship program each year.<\/p>\n

Look for organizations in your area that offer similar programs or suggest such an arrangement to one where you want to work that doesn\u2019t have such a program in place.<\/p>\n

Check out websites featuring midlife internships and fellowships.<\/strong> For leads on internship programs for 50+ workers, visit these two sites:<\/p>\n