Abstract
In most developed economies a substantial number of mature adults are not in employment for many and diverse reasons. Many have low prior educational attainments, low self-esteem and have been living in poverty. Most nations have initiated efforts to engage unemployed mature adults but in the main these have limited success. Most of these retraining programmes focus on numeracy, literacy and especially skills in using information technology. This chapter provides evidence for a more successful strategy. A reanalysis of data collected in Australia in 2003 has identified the crucial importance of recovering social identity and strengthening social capital as the prerequisites for successful re-entry to further education and employment. The conditions for success in designing initial re-entry programmes for adults are outlined.
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Acknowledgement
This chapter draws upon and reanalyses work undertaken jointly with Sue Gelade and Rod Gerber, with assistance from Julian Moore and Peter Nolan. The project was funded by the Australian Government through the then Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST).
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Catts, R. (2011). Mature Adult Learning and Employment. In: Catts, R., Falk, I., Wallace, R. (eds) Vocational Learning. Technical and Vocational Education and Training: Issues, Concerns and Prospects, vol 13. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-1539-4_14
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-1539-4_14
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