50/50 challenge launched to help over 50’s back into work

Skills and the lack of them is the word that consistently rears its head when I talk to companies. And skills-according to my dictionary is “the ability to do something well”. Not surprising then that the government is putting great emphasis on skills in the workplace. Business West are working with Whitehall on our local Skills Improvement Plans for Gloucestershire or LSIPs as they are called.

The key to these LSIP plans is to find out exactly what skills our employers need.The inherent skills of Gloucestershire-particularly in specialist engineering-are fast disappearing through early retirements and the aftermath of Covid. That’s why Business West, GFirstLEP and the County Council, have hatched what we are calling the 50/50 Challenge. In a nutshell, the idea is to encourage and help Over 50s back into work.

It’s very simple: 50 employers offer 50 hours of work placement to 50 people aged over 50.

And our aim is to sign up those 50 employers over 50 days-one employer per day. Since I wrote about the idea in this column recently, Vikki Walters of the County Council has told me there has been an excellent reaction to 50/50. So far, 13 employers have committed themselves to the 50/50 pledge and  Gloucestershire County Council  are offering up to 20 opportunities. And eight more companies want to sign up when they get further detail. Another 17 employers have expressed an interest and are being.

Followed up by the county council’s Employment and Skills Hub.

I must praise that Skills Hub team and its leader, Vikki Walters. They have pulled together the 50/50 proposition very quickly and enthused companies anxious to recruit skilled people who may want to return to work after retiring.This is a good example of how our Local Enterprise Partnership-GFirstLEP, Business West and Gloucestershire County Council can work together collaboratively on  an  idea that could benefit retired ,skilled people and at the same time help to boost our economy.

And there is a big message behind the 50/50 Challenge: If you don’t need to retire, don’t do it.