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The Goldenworkers project was launched to promote new models of extending professional active life and the application of new emerging technologies.
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The project will be run by a consortium funded by the European Commission, Seventh Framework Programme.
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The initiative will focus on the application of new scenarios in the area of ICT for promoting policies on active ageing at work.
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Activities will include different workshops and dissemination activities in countries across Europe.
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The Goldenworkers’ Web platform is open to public participation, experts on the labour market, inclusion, Human Resources management, policy makers and suppliers of ICT for Ageing solutions, etc www.goldenworkers.org
Europe's population is ageing: average life expectancy has increased from 55 in 1920 to over 80 today. With the retiring baby boom generation the number of people between the ages of 65 and 80 will rise by nearly 40% between 2010 and 2030. This demographic change poses significant challenges to Europe's society and economy.
If the trend contains, within each new generation the productive population contributing to the welfare system, mainly state pensions and healthcare, will shrink, while urgently needed by an increasing number of people outside the labour market (mainly older people). Therefore, the current management of ageing threatens the macroeconomic performance and competitiveness of European countries and the sustainability of social protection systems, especially against the background of poor economic performance and austerity in public budgets.
In line with the above, the GOLDENWORKERS project, which officially got underway in October 2011, aims to identify emerging technologies and socio-economic trends, new models of extending professional active life and novel application scenarios in the area of ICT for active ageing at work, which will lead to the structuring of a beyond the state-of-the-art research agenda for ICT and employment, fully embraced by research and practice communities.
GOLDENWORKERS will therefore focus on the following objectives:
• Toward companies and public service organizations: to raise awareness on the role of ICT in empowering people as they age to integrate into adapted work environments. To outline future actions to adapt companies and society to this new demographic, economic, and social reality.
• Toward policy makers: to raise awareness on this emerging reality and to provide recommendations on policy and public service design to integrate workers as they age into society.
• Toward the research community: to raise awareness and create consensus among the ageing and ICT research community on new research directions in the field of active ageing at work.
The project approach is focused on the development of a RTD roadmap for active aging at work and will establish a set of realistic scenarios, based on various socio-economic conditions of different regions of EU27. Moreover, the project will be focused on the validation of the realistic scenarios and existing gaps with stakeholders. In addition, it will aim at identifying a RTD roadmap shared among Industry, SMEs, research centers, academia, users and other stakeholders and concrete recommendations for covering the identified gaps and achieving the agreed scenarios. Finally, expert communities will be established, gathering policy makers, academia, IT industry and SME representatives in order to share knowledge and to design a common RTD strategy.
This project will reinforce the 2012 "European Year of Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations" which has been designated by the European Commission, in order to raise awareness, identify good practices and, most importantly, to encourage policymakers and stakeholders at all levels to promote an effective active ageing.
For additional information and for contributing to the GOLDENWORKERS project:
• Visit the project web site: www.goldenworkers.org
• Join the Project Community: www.epractice.eu – Community Goldenworkers, Twitter, Linkedin.
• Visit the Cordis site of European Commission:
http://cordis.europa.eu/fetch?CALLER=FP7_PROJ_EN&ACTION=D&DOC=41&CAT=PROJ&QUERY=0134139b4fc9:3967:21de533b&RCN=100708
Next Activities
After the kick-off meeting in Barcelona on October 6, hosted by IESE - Universidad De Navarra, and a project meeting in Helsinki on November 29 - 30, hosted by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, GOLDENWORKERS opened an online consultation to seek for input on the validation of the state of the art. The online consultation was December 21, 2011 until December 28, 2011 at www.goldenworkers.org. Next workshop will be held in Germany in March.
• Contacts: Antonio Dávila, Project Coordinator, IESE – Business School - Universidad De Navarra, adavila@iese.edu
• Laia Pujol, Project Manager, IESE – Business School - Universidad De Navarra, laiapujolp@gmail.com
• Giovanna Galasso, Dissemination Manager, Ernst & Young Business School, Scuola di Management Srl, giovanna.galasso@it.ey.com
The GOLDENWORKERS partnership is composed of the following organizations:
• IESE - Business School - Universidad De Navarra, Spain
• Teknologian Tutkimuskeskus Vtt, Finland
• Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft Zur, Foerderung Der, Germany
• Angewandten Forschung E.V
• Fundacion Adecco, Spain and Adecco Group
• Age Platform Europe Aisbl, Belgium
• Tech4i2 Limited, UK
• Ernst & Young Business School, Scuola di Management Srl, Italy,
Visit the Goldenworkers project on: www.goldenworkers.org
More information
Tommi Törmälä
Adecco Finland Oy
Country Manager
tel. +358 40 743 5869
Adecco is the world’s leading provider of HR solutions, with 5,600 branches in over 60 countries. Adecco Finland Oy has been operating in Finland since 1997. Adecco is an authorised member of the Private Employment Agencies Association, through which hundreds of experts in different fields are employed daily. Adecco’s Finland branches are located in Helsinki, Hyvinkää, Lohja, Kotka, Turku, Rauma, Tempere, Jyväskylä, Vaasa and Oulu. For further information, please visit www.adecco.fi.