Colleges

A Policy Victory for Working Learners

The following blog is written by Amy Sherman, associate vice president for policy and strategic alliances at the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL). CAEL shares many of the goals of Encore.org, including making it easier for adults to get targeted education and training when transitioning to their encore careers.


Community College Program Focuses on Helping Students Over 50 Find Jobs and Thrive

By Lisa Holton

Career consultants often urge 50-somethings to head back to college so they can learn skills that will make them stronger job candidates, especially in the current economy, with the unemployment rate for Americans 55-and-up a steep 6.2 percent.


Where Do You Go for Education and Job Training in the Second Half of Life?

I’ve often said that we need a new kind of education suited to the new, encore stage of life. And I’m pleased to report that higher education is beginning to move to meet the needs of tens of millions of boomers who want to prepare for encore careers.


New Opportunities to Explore Encore Careers Online

Do you want an encore career but don’t know what job you want or how to get there? If so, check out four new online courses on exploring jobs, all designed for people 50 and older (although open to students of any age):

  • Exploring Green Jobs
  • Exploring Jobs in Caregiving
  • Exploring Jobs in Community Engagement
  • Exploring Jobs in Education

Community College Grants Program Set to Triple in Size

UPDATE

The AACC Plus 50 Initiative is now accepting applications for its Plus 50 Encore Completion grants program. Applications must be submitted no later than Friday, June 22, 2012 by 5pm ET. To learn more, click here.

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According to new research from Civic Ventures, 31 million people ages 44 to 70 want encore careers combining personal meaning, continued income and social impact, but they have trouble making the financial transition.

Explore 80 Health-Related Encore Careers With New Website

Did you know that over half – 57 percent – of the more than 10 million nonprofit jobs in the U.S. are in health care?

And that health care will generate millions of new wage and salary jobs between 2008 and 2018, more than any other industry?


Going to College at 63 and Finding an Encore

Priscilla Santiago of Bridgeport, Conn., is a mother of three, grandmother of seven and great-grandmother of five. At 63, she was also one of the oldest students to receive a bachelor's degree from Post University in 2011. Santiago left high school at 16 after a devastating sexual assault. Laid off from her job at age 59, she reinvented her life. She spoke with Huff/Post50 editor Laura Rowley.


New York Times: Sharpening Your Mind in Midlife

If you're thinking about going back to school, consider this: “For those in midlife and beyond, a college degree appears to slow the brain’s aging process by up to a decade, adding a new twist to the cost-benefit analysis of higher education – for young students as well as those thinking about returning to school.”

So says a recent New York Times article, which makes the case that education in the encore years boosts mental agility.


10,000 plus-50 adults to earn certificates or degrees in health care, education or social service occupations

(NOTE: The number of community college programs that help boomers prepare for encore careers for the greater good will grow dramatically, thanks to this news from the American Association of Community Colleges and the Deerbrook Charitable Trust.)

WASHINGTON – Baby boomers have struggled since 2007 in a job market plagued by record unemployment. Now they can train for meaningful jobs that improve communities and get back to work, thanks to a $3.2 million grant over three years to the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) provided by the Deerbrook Charitable Trust.

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