MoMo Productions | DigitalVision | Getty Images
For older workers, keeping digital skills fresh can be the key to staying employed.
Now, the AARP Foundation and Google’s philanthropy arm, Google.org, are joining forces to provide technology and digital skills training to low-income older workers ages 50 and up.
The initiative, which will target 25,000 people, will focus on women and people of color.
The program is set to begin in eight states over the next two years, including Arizona, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Texas.
The new initiative comes as the Covid-19 pandemic has shed light on just how difficult it can be for some older workers to pivot amid a shift in circumstances.
Those who were able to work from home tended to fare best, the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College has found. But those who were less educated, and therefore less able to adapt, were more likely to be adversely affected.
Much of whether or not older workers can earn more and better compete for jobs comes down to their digital skills, separate research from the Urban Institute found.
The program’s training sessions, which are slated to begin in March, aim to help participants find jobs, change careers or become entrepreneurs.
The workshops will focus on helping older adults improve their economic security and social connections. Topics will include how to use video conferencing, information security and office productivity software, as well as…
