Over 50 and Looking for Work? Get the Skills You Need to Compete.

Posted on 10/14/21

by Angelie Kapoor

AARP Foundation is teaming up with local and regional employers and community organizations across Washington State on the new "Skills for the Digital Economy" initiative for 50+ jobseekers. This program is free to jobseekers and equips participants with individualized coaching, training, support, and resources to help them succeed in finding jobs.

Sign up for an orientation session here.

After attending the orientation and completing a comprehensive set of assessments, jobseekers embark on one of four pathways:

• Rapid Reemployment – get reemployed quickly with coaching support and career navigation

• Short-Term Training – engage in digital skills or occupational training for up to three months

• Intensive Technical Training – enroll in career-specific training for up to nine months to reskill or upskill

• Self-Employment and Entrepreneurship – join AARP Foundation’s signature entrepreneurial program for support in creating your business

So what’s it like to participate in the Skills for the Digital Economy program? Here’s what our current program participants have to say:

Valerie, who is reskilling for her target job:

“I took some tests to assess my skills and interests. I hadn’t done anything like that in years. It was interesting to see how much I already knew as well as skills that I needed to develop to help me stand out among the competition. It’s amazing to have this kind of support from people who appreciate my skills and see me as someone that still has a lot of career left.”

Kendall, upskilling for a new career field, on the digital skills training:

“I think the Skills for the Digital Economy training program is very valuable and comprehensive. The tutorials are organized from basics to advanced functions and are easy to follow because I could either watch the step-by-step videos or read the step-by-step instructions with illustrations. I also like the practice workbooks and quizzes to reinforce the tutorials. Another plus is that the tutorials are self-paced so that I could go back over sections that were challenging. The tutorials helped me learn more about software topics than I would learn by teaching myself through trial and error.”

Join Valerie, Kendall, and many others in this exciting program for those in Washington State who are over 50, unemployed or underemployed, and meet the financial requirements. For more information and to enroll, call the AARP Foundation Work Resources Hotline at 855-850-2525 and ask about the Skills for the Digital Economy program, or register for a FREE upcoming program orientation here.

AARP Foundation’s Skills for the Digital Economy program is funded with $862,710.00 in grants with U.S. Department of Labor funds. This funding provides 100% of the support for the Skills for the Digital Economy program in Washington State.

This story is provided by AARP Washington. Visit the AARP Washington page for more news, events, and programs affecting retirement, health care, and more.

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