With a UK skills gap and an untapped resource in those of retirement age, Victoria Tomlinson believed this could be resolved by re-thinking retirement itself.
So, at the age of 62, Victoria launched Next-Up. As a career consultant she’s been featured as a TEDx speaker with her talk ‘A generation of wasted talent‘ and hosts the podcast Rethink Retirement. Next-Up was also recently featured as a case study for the Leeds UKREiiF Conference as part of the Innovation Prospectus.
So many people leave senior roles in organisations whose success they have helped to achieve. They still have much to offer and are looking to find ways to continue to be productive and useful. There are opportunities – setting up a business, charity projects, consultancy or trustee roles, working with higher education and writing or speaking – or both. Next-Up establishes mentorship programmes so that young tech start-ups can have advice on attracting funding and how to deal with older clients. Who better to provide that advice than those who have been through similar experiences in their earlier careers?
From a clear position of authority on the subject, Victoria raises awareness of the value of those with long years of experience. She does so through a series of talks on associated topics, embracing how they, as well as organisations and people in the earlier years of their careers, can draw from one another to their mutual advantage. Victoria’s talks include:
How to make the most of your time post-retirement within your local community, and how to seek out fulfilling roles.
Industry attitudes towards mature workers, society’s attitude towards retirement, and whether these ideas serve the modern workforce.
How technical literacy in older generations is vital for closing skills gaps across industries, and how organisations can reform training schemes to resolve this problem.
What a new ‘retirement’ befitting the current employment landscape could look like.
Why the communication gap between generations is negatively affecting progress within organisations, and how we can fix it.
Why ageism is the last frontier for a truly inclusive company culture.
The human capacity to learn right through life and all its changes is extraordinary. Given the opportunities available in today’s market, there is no reason why we should retreat from the world of work, taking our acquired skills and experience with us – unless, of course, we really want to!
To find out more about Next-Up and those who have forged new working lives with their help, visit here.
Photograph – l – r: Natalie Todhunter, Client Services; Victoria Tomlinson, Founder & CEO; Sandy Welsh, Head of Operations.
