Technology : A study found that the majority of older workers did not believe better computer skills would help them in their current job . A generation of older workers are risking redundancy and long-term unemployment because of poor technology skills , it is claimed . Experts said training was ‘ heavily geared ’ towards young people , meaning many older workers were left behind in the workplace . This left them vulnerable when companies start ‘ shedding ’ jobs . While older generations often pride themselves on their numeracy and literacy skills , even these could ‘ go stale ’ with age , a study warned . The Association of Accounting Technicians ( AAT ) said research showed that over-55s had the same literacy and numeracy skills as those aged 16 to 24 – and were worse at these skills than colleagues in their 30s and 40s . The AAT said the death of a ‘ job for life ’ meant workers could no longer rely on loyalty to their company and experience to take them through to retirement with the same employer . Instead , older workers could not become complacent and must constantly ‘ reskill ’ and retrain to boost their job security , it said . In a new report on the value of training for older workers , it said : ‘ The old model of training in youth and a `` career for life '' thereafter no longer applies ’ . A survey by the AAT found that , while people in their twenties , thirties and forties aspired to take a master ’ s degree in the future or a vocational qualification , this stopped at 55 , when most respondents said they were unlikely to undertake a formal qualification . A third of over-55s cited their age as the reason for not wanting to take a new qualification . The majority of older workers did not believe better computer skills would help them in their current job , while an astonishing one in 10 have never used a computer . But the AAT said the reality was they may have a ‘ lack of knowledge of what modern and technological tools there are available which could assist them carrying out their tasks ’ . Education : A third of over-55s cited their age as the reason for not wanting to take a new qualification . Mark Farrar , of the AAT , said : ‘ Older generations are faced with the greatest barriers when it comes to reskilling . ‘ Given rapid economic and technological changes , many traditional jobs are less secure than in the past and older workers are increasingly facing the threat of redundancy . ‘ The UK ’ s ageing population is growing and the increased retirement age means people are working for longer . ‘ The challenge is therefore to ensure people can continue to participate in the labour market at the later stage of their working lives. ’ According to the Office for National Statistics , workers aged 55 and over are less likely to be unemployed than younger workers . But older unemployed people are more likely to have been out of work for 12 months or longer , suggesting they find it harder to find a new job if they do find themselves out of work . The accountancy body said older men were particularly vulnerable to job losses in the declining mining , agriculture and manufacturing industries , while women were heavily over-represented in the public sector so could face risks from cuts to civil servants .
Experts believes older workers are left behind in workplace because of training . This left them vulnerable when companies start ‘ new ’ jobs , they fail . The majority of Accounting experts say older workers must ‘ learn ’