Joliet Junior College will be part of a new effort to help workers age 50 and up, as the Plus 50 Initiative at the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) expands the community college movement to help workers age 50 and over train for new jobs and sharpen their marketable skills.
JJC will serve as a Learning Partner for neighboring Moraine Valley Community College, which will expand its efforts to help unemployed plus 50 workers who want to stay on the job.
This partnership matches the nation’s first community college with the second largest community college in Illinois.
“With the high unemployment rates of 50+ individuals, the need to expand awareness of community colleges services to the 50+ community is greater now than ever,” Kelly Lapetino, JJC workforce skills manager, said.
Both colleges are expanding training and re-training opportunities for plus 50 students seeking to stay in the workforce. The expansion pairs existing and more experienced Plus 50 colleges with dozens more community colleges that now become “affiliates” of the Plus 50 Initiative.
The help can’t arrive soon enough.
Baby boomers may face the steepest odds of any unemployed workers in the job market, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In 2008, laid-off workers over age 50 were out of work for 22.2 weeks, compared with 16.2 weeks for younger workers.
When they land jobs, baby boomers typically experience a more significant drop in earnings than their younger counterparts.
The Plus 50 Initiative began its efforts to improve course offerings for baby boomers in 2008 with 15 community colleges focused on learning, training and career development, and volunteering.
The three-year project is sponsored by the AACC with a $3.2 million dollar grant from The Atlantic Philanthropies.