One in three employees in the UK is over the age of 50. Yet a large proportion of this generation is being overlooked for workplace skills training opportunities. When one in five people over 55 don’t feel confident enough in their current skill set to find new employment, organisations must ensure they are tapping into the full potential of their employees aged over 50, and nurture their talent through training and reskilling, particularly in high-demand areas such as cyber security.

Valuable assets

This workplace demographic is one of the most valuable for any organisation. Over-50s are the most loyal employees, with a wealth of business intelligence and transferable skills. They can be vital for an organisation’s resilience as well: if they’ve worked at the company for long enough, they will have a great understanding of the business, and its processes and systems.

As valuable assets to any organisation, it is important to retain the wealth of information these individuals hold. It’s vital, then, to invest in training to ensure they are confident and suitably equipped for the current workplace. Reskilling older workers will empower employees looking to make a career change, help solve the skills gap and, importantly, retain those loyal, experienced employees who might otherwise face redundancy.

However, there are obstacles to overcome. One of the main roadblocks for older workers when it comes to reskilling is a fear of having to begin again at the bottom. Reassurance is key here, of the importance of reskilling and that it’s more a case of building on existing knowledge and skills rather than starting from square one. With evidence of employees reskilling into cybersecurity at the age of 76, it’s clear that anything’s possible.

Benefitting businesses and employees

A combination of the massive demand within business and the huge deficit of skills in the UK means cyber security is a perfect example of an area where there is a need for reskilling workers over 50. Cyber threats target everyone. So the more an organisation’s cyber workforce represents the makeup of society, the more effective its cyber solutions will be. Organisations should remove any barriers preventing employees from all walks of life – and of all ages – from entering the cyber security space.

Not only will this go some way to meeting that demand and filling that gap but, by providing employees with the opportunity to transition into valuable tech roles, it will help them feel more valued as well as potentially benefiting from increased salaries. Businesses will also benefit, from greater retention rates and reduced recruitment costs.

Reskilling suitable candidates within their existing workforce, rather than searching a restricted – and expensive – talent pool, provides organisations with a substantial foundation of business knowledge and expertise to draw upon. Older employees from different functions and career backgrounds offer a diverse way of thinking and experience, and a range of transferable skills, which most people within the cyber security industry agree are crucial in the space.

A platform to build on

Transferable skills are something people over 50 tend to have in abundance, providing a platform for reskilling rather than building from the ground up.

Cyber professionals need great attention to detail, for example. They may need to identify potential threats, analyse logs, or spot patterns in behaviour. Someone that’s worked in a sector like finance or construction, that require total precision and no room for error, may already be suitably attentive.

The constantly changing nature of cyber security means adaptability is a necessity, too. Responding to incidents, and staying on top of new regulations, standards and technologies means professionals must be able to adapt to new situations quickly. People that have worked in a role such as teaching, in which they’ve been required to wear different hats, is likely to be a highly adaptable person.

And anyone that’s worked in the emergency services and has honed the ability to stay cool in a crisis and make good decisions under pressure may have the crisis management skills essential for responding to security incidents and mitigating potential damage quickly and effectively.

Years of life experience

These are just a few examples. Consider, too, how crucial skills such as data analysis and critical thinking are to cyber security. The fact is that anyone from any background can be taught a variety of cyber skills and principles. It’s much more difficult, though, to teach someone to be great at crisis management or communication. Instead, skills like these are developed over many years of life experience.

Employees over 50 may lack confidence in their skill sets, but they hold much more potential than they realise. With the right approach to training and reskilling, it’s possible to tap into the potential of older, more experienced employees, demonstrating their value to an organisation’s cyber security efforts.

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