Older workers should take further education courses in order to make themselves employable later into their sixties, higher education minister David Willetts said in comments published Thursday.
The minister said that new laws allowing older students access to loans meant a degree course was “great value” for older people looking to keep their skills up to date.
Estimates show that one in four people will be older than 65 by 2033 and experts have warned that people will have to work for longer in order to sustain the economy.
“There is certainly a pressure for continuing to get retrained and upskilled,” said Willetts, who is accompanying David Cameron in India.
“Higher education has an economic benefit in that if you stay up to date with knowledge and skills you are more employable.
“Education is such a good thing it is not reserved for younger people,” he added in comments published in Thursday’s Daily Telegraph.
“There is great value in lifelong learning.”
Older workers should consider further study: Willetts
