Older Worker Specialist

A typical week tends to involve participant case work, employer outreach, training coordination, and program reporting — sitting with participants on goals and barriers, building relationships with age-friendly employers, coordinating training that fits older-learner needs, prepping reports for SCSEP or comparable program funders. Placements and retention with attention to the program's population are the operating measures.

The harder part often lies in the systemic biases the population faces — age discrimination is real in hiring, and the specialist works against headwinds even with capable participants. Variance across employers is real: SCSEP grantees, state workforce programs, AARP Foundation, and community-based organizations each run with different funding rhythms and population focuses.

The role tends to fit folks who bring genuine respect for older workers and patience with the slower placement cycles the population sometimes faces. Workforce-development credentials and aging-network experience anchor advancement. The trade-off is modest pay balanced against meaningful impact on participants navigating late-career employment.