Career development and older people

Abstract

This article explores career development support offered to, and used by, older people since 2000. The context includes changes in age discrimination legislation and state pension entitlement, which intertwine in their effect on labour market participation. Career development services have changed, with a marked divergence between the fragmented delivery in England and the all-age services elsewhere in the UK. Initiatives have been piloted, judged successful, but not robustly pursued. The article argues that rhetoric outruns resources and delivery, and contemplates the additional complication of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on older people and the economy.