could benefit from this valuable program. At present, this 6. Local Office Suggestions on Training Local office and other CSES staff made a number of suggestions on training for older workers, related to problems mentioned in the preceding paragraphs, and to recommendations elsewhere in this report. Their suggestions are summarized as follows: a. b. C. d. e. f. Education authorities should develop and use training methods suited to older workers' needs. Courses should be kept as short as possible to reduce the period of time in which an older person must subsist on his retraining allowance, and also in recognition of the fact that many mature individuals learn rapidly and can build on a background of experience which could reduce the length of the training. Structure more training for older people under MDTA, taking into account not only course content but also problems of personality and attitude including the older worker's difficulties in adapting to an unfamiliar school situation. Provide adequate training allowances to encourage older workers to enter retraining, particularly in cases where the training may be lengthy and may involve extra expense, such as transportation, child or nursing care for the family members, and moving costs. Relocation allowances should be made available when necessary to encourage the movement of unemployed defense workers caught in mass layoffs to areas where employment opportunities exist. For older workers with limited literacy, short-term training in basic reading, writing and arithmetic should be made available under MDTA or California retraining. Such training should not be tied in with training for a specific occupation. The California State Employment Service should endeavor to develop part-time supportive jobs, when possible, to help finance the trainees. Some means should be found to finance advance academic training of more than 52 weeks' duration for professional workers such as engineers, social workers, and others who may lack the needed degree or certificate to remain g. Tailor a short course for retired military personnel as Parole Officers or in work connected with the prevention of juvenile delinquency. Set up a program through the State colleges to prepare qualified military retirees for teaching. h. Provide daylight training classes for older women at adult education facilities, as many of them will not go out alone at night. This has been successfully accomplished in a number of locations, such as Berkeley and other schools in the Bay Area. i. The CSES should cooperate with local schools in devel- i. REFERENCES 1/ Page 69: President's Council on Aging, Report to the President, Washington, D. C., 1964. 2/ Page 69: Appendix A. 3/ Page 72: Appendix B. 4/ Page 73: Appendix A. 5/ Page 74: Appendix A. 6/ Page 77: Transcript of Proceedings of the Assembly Interim Committee on Industrial Relations, Los Angeles, California, September 19-20, 1963. 7/ Page 89: The Older Workers' Workshop held in Bakersfield, March 14, 1964, is reported in Chapter Four. 8/ Page 93: Figures on training under the California Retraining Benefits Program (SB-20) were taken from DE 3422 B reports received in the Department of Employment's Research and Statistics Section, January-December, 1963. 9/ Page 94: Source: Department of Employment Research and Statistics Report 513 M #2, July 21, 1964. CHAPTER FOUR COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS ON EMPLOYMENT OF OLDER WORKERS 4. PURPOSES OF THE WORKSHOPS As the result of initial planning by the staffs of the California State Employment Service, the Citizens' Advisory Committee on Aging, and the Institute of Industrial Relations, it was decided to design the workshops to serve the following purposes: 1. 2. 3. To seek basic information regarding the extent and kind of activities engaged in by those elements of the community most directly concerned or involved in employment of older people; To encourage the review of existing public and private programs already functioning in the field and an evaluation as to their performance and effectiveness; To explore, principally with local business, industrial, labor and community leadership, their specific suggestions and ideas for ways to expand and improve present employment opportunities for older people; 4. To compile information as to labor and management policies, as well as those of governmental agencies or programs, which have a bearing on hiring practices of older men and women; 5. To encourage analysis of what new or additional steps need to be taken through both administrative, legislative, or voluntary action that would result in improved employment opportunities for the older person. The workshops main thrusts were to have a positive orientation which focused upon solutions and action rather than merely to identify the obstacles that exist with respect to employment of the older person. 85-376 6721 LOCAL SPONSORS Senior Citizens Committee, Long Beach Community Council, Long Beach Chamber of Commerce, Division of Business and Technology, Long Beach City College Mr. Karl Kunze, Personnel Director, Lockheed Aircraft Assemblyman Kennick's address "Our Inescapable Duty to End Main proposals developed by discussion groups of the workshop stressed the importance of broader publicity and education of the general community regarding the qualifications of older workers; developing new fields of part-time employment |