Silver Age Silver Sage Initiative Erasmus Project

Project Title

Silver Age Silver Sage Initiative

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for vocational education and training

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2015

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Recognition (non-formal and informal learning/credits); Labour market issues incl. career guidance / youth unemployment; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

Across Europe demographic trends, reinforced by policies aimed at delaying retirement (including raising the state pension age), are leading to an increase in the age of the workforce. People are wanting to, or having to, work for longer than ever before. This is a cause for concern for both employers and older workers if skills, and therefore productivity and employability, deteriorate with age.

The goal of the Silver Age, Silver SAge Initiative (SASSI for short) was to give people the opportunity to maintain a productive working life by focusing on the updating and upskilling of this ageing workforce.
To do this, it focused on trainers and HR managers, aiming to provide them with a better understanding of how older people learn and a range of practical skills, tools and techniques to help them support older learners and workers more effectively, and in a more age-sensitive manner.

The target groups for this project were therefore:
• Trainers: VET tutors and CPD professionals
• HR Managers and Line Managers with people management responsibilities
The ‘end-user’ beneficiaries were older workers and learners aged 50+

The SASSI project consortium was chosen to provide a diverse range of expertise from like-minded professional organisations. Each partner was chosen for their specialist areas of expertise, understanding of education and training, and also for their access to VET trainers and employers.
The consortium consisted of six partners from the UK (Apricot Training Management); Germany (BUPNET and BLINC); Austria (die Berater); Slovakia (CVNO); Portugal (Inovamais); Netherlands (ROC Drenthe College)

Our main activities:
The project started with a detailed Needs Analysis to gain a clear picture of the implications of the ageing workforce in each country and the needs of the main stakeholders. 6 National Needs Analysis reports were produced and findings amalgamated in a Comparative Needs Analysis Report.

Throughout the project, the SASSI HUB and Community Platform was developed to give access to:
• the wide range of training resources, guides, case studies, research materials, e-portfolio facilities produced including the SASSI Toolbox
• an innovative competence framework for those involved supporting older workers and learners in CPD, new skills development and on-going learning
• A modular trainer training programme, based on the SASSI Methodology and validation tool for validating current or newly gained competences
• a community of interest; a place where stakeholders can ‘meet’ and share ideas.

The core of the project was the SASSI METHODOLOGY with its Learning Modules and Validation System. ‘The SASSI Methodology and Trainers Guide’ sets out the SASSI concept and its theoretical background along with the processes, trainer competences and learning solutions realised to take into account the needs and concerns of senior learners.

The resulting Trainer Training Blended Learning programme is made up of four modules including webinars, seminars, self-study workbooks, a Learning Project, and competence assessment via the customised LEVEL5 platform for the validation of non-formal learning. The modules are:
• The Ageing Workforce and How Older People Learn
• Applying Age-sensitive CPD in practice
• Putting our understanding into practice (Learning Projects)
• Validation

The first drafts of the methodology, training modules and validation system were tested and evaluated in a well-structured piloting phase that included a (C1) 5-day training course and Learning Projects.

At the end of this process, the SASSI TOOLBOX was populated with the finalised training materials, resources and Guides and made available to the registered users of the SASSI HUB.

The SASSI BADGE (digital) and the SASSI CERTIFICATE were developed as awards of recognition for trainers and HR Managers who demonstrate age-sensitive approaches to the training and have completed the trainer training.
Similarly, the SASSI LABEL was designed and promoted, recognising and rewarding organisations that with age-sensitive approaches to Workforce Development.

Organisations demonstrating innovative age-sensitive workforce development strategies were also encouraged to apply for the SASSI AWARD. The Awards were presented to 3 best practice organisations at the Final Conference in May 2017. The organisations were from Portugal, Slovakia and the Netherlands.

Short-term impact on the partners’ organisations and staff, trainers and employers has been profound. Evaluation has identified changes in practice amongst participating trainers & HR Managers. Amongst those involved in the pilots, we have also seen long term impact in plans to implement new, more age-sensitive HR and CPD policy and practices to support the older workforce.

All partners will sustain the outputs of our innovation, embedding our learning within current practice and continuing to exploit the results with and through employers and VET organisations, and in other projects.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 296777,87 Eur

Project Coordinator

APRICOT TRAINING MANAGEMENT LTD & Country: UK

Project Partners

• BUPNET BILDUNG UND PROJEKT NETZWERK GMBH
• DIE BERATER UNTERNEHMENSBERATUNGS GESELLSCHAFT MBH
• Centrum vzdelávania neziskových organizácií
• INOVA+ – INNOVATION SERVICES, SA
• BLENDED LEARNING INSTITUTIONS COOPERATIVE
• ROC Drenthe College