Baby Boomers: Is Degree Completion on Your “To Do” List?
Baby boomers (the 50+ crowd) currently make up a significant portion of the US population. So named for the rise in births between 1946 and 1964, boomers pose many challenges for the nation: a sharp increase of Social Security beneficiaries, an increase of Medicare recipients, and their overall political influence as a group.
One aspect of the boomers rarely reported is that more of them are going back to school to complete their degrees. The American Association of Community Colleges’ (AACC) Plus 50 Initiative aims to educate those approaching retirement age.
Mary Sue Vickers, director of the initiative, told Inside Higher Ed, “To meet future demands, we need to prolong the labor force participation of aging baby boomers.” She makes the argument that with roughly 70 million baby boomers, there is great demand for offerings designed to retrain the over-50 population for new careers.
The Plus 50 Initiative not only provides help in designing degree-completion programs for boomers, it also encourages employers to hire 50+ employees, citing their vast experience and knowledge as major selling points.
“Older workers who reenter or stay in the workforce bring a lifetime of work experience, knowledge, and acquired skills,” according to the AACC website. And to stay on top of changes within various industries, a lot of older workers will need supplementary training.
Even those boomers who may not require job training find the Plus 50 Initiative rewarding. “I want others to know that even if they don’t ever use the skills they acquire in the classes they take, they will feel enriched and better about themselves just for having that knowledge,” an anonymous 50+ student from Wake Technical Community College told the AACC.
So, whether you’re a baby boomer yourself, or know someone over 50 who would benefit from degree completion, pass the word along. To learn more about degree completion and available career training programs, visit UniversityDecisions.com. You’re never too old to go back to school!