Bad Economy Means Older Workers Putting Off Retirement

With the job market tougher than ever, older Americans are having to work harder to compete.

Enter Experience Works, a program funded by the Department of Labor that provides free job training for older workers.

According to Experience Works, the number of workers age 65 and older went up 881,000 over the past two years.  Seven in ten American workers plan to keep working after retirement from their main jobs, and 64 percent of older workers cite financial need as the reason they continue working.

“We work with seniors that are 55 or older. We help them get back into the workforce. We teach them and upgrade their skills… We actually pay you to train,“ says Verna Knight, an employment and training coordinator for Experience Works.

With the economy struggling, seniors are finding it necessary to go back to work.

“A lot of our older workers, they don’t have enough money to pay their water bill, light bills, phone bills, and all the other necessities,“ she says.

The staff at Experience Works says it’s normal for them to see 20 to 25 new people come through their door every week looking for help.

Leroy Pennamon has been in the program for a year.  “I’m 61 years old and I want to be a very productive citizen. I don’t want to just be sitting around waiting to retire. I want to make some money,“ says Pennamon.

His training with Experience Works is paying off.  “I have been offered a job here with the Department of Labor. When my training is complete I’ll be an employment clerk,“ he says.

Sarah Futch works with Verna Knight as an employment training assistant. She’s in the program, too.

“I love it because i’m a retiree from Gulfstream and I wanted something else to do besides sitting at home, so 25 hours a week was just great for me,“ says Futch.

To apply for the Experience Works program, you can call Verna Knight at 912-356-2773 or visit their Savannah office at 5520 White Bluff Road.  Knight also covers Effingham, Liberty, Bulloch, Long, Glynn, McIntosh, Camden, and Bryan counties.