The aging population and the shortage of skilled workers in Europe require employees aged 50 and over to remain in the labor market for longer periods. In the future, companies need to better utilize the available labor market potential. The employability and desire to work of employees aged 50+ should be encouraged through further training and qualification.

In this context, the Erasmus+ program’s project, Silver Grow (Career Orientation and Digital Education for Older Workers in Companies), was launched in November 2022 to develop innovative approaches and best practices for human resource managers, trainers, career consultants, and employees aged 50+. This includes guidelines, exercises, interactive courses, and online manuals for the qualification of these target groups based on the specific needs of the country.

The project involves six partner organizations from the field of science and practice from Poland, Finland, Bulgaria, Slovenia, and Germany. Additionally, numerous companies and employees aged 50+ are participating in the project. As part of the project work, the needs of companies and employees aged 50+ were identified regarding successful integration into the labor market for the individual countries based on documentary research and interviews, and selected tools that promote employability and the desire to work for employees aged 50+ were identified. These activities will be supplemented by online expert panels and seminars with representatives of companies, universities, and consulting organizations to promote professional exchange.

In the next step, the project partners will develop a total of 175 exercises, including for individual use (by employees aged 50+), for trainers working with employees aged 50+, and for group work. They cover the following topics:

  • Self-assessment and life planning
  • Motivation and personal responsibility
  • Dealing with stress and burnout, health, and well-being
  • Managing changes and solving problems
  • Teamwork and communication between generations and knowledge transfer Additionally, the exercises also include topics from the field of Information Technology to address the digital challenges in the world of work:
  • Artificial intelligence and big data
  • Cloud applications and remote work
  • Cybersecurity and deep fakes
  • Virtual reality
  • Finding information and fake news

All results will be integrated into interactive training courses and online manuals that can be used by companies, employees aged 50+, and consulting organizations.

The three-year project concludes in September 2025.

The Silver Grow project is coordinated by the Labor Office of the Katowice Voivodeship (Poland); Additional information: www.silvergrow.eu