Training for older employees in Germany - opportunities for distance learning? An exploratory study

In German companies, it is often said of older employees that they are not able to keep pace with their younger colleagues with respect to knowledge and work operations. This trend will intensify in the coming years and is the reason why an increasing number of companies have risen to the challenge of re-qualifying their older workers and familiarising them with the latest technology. Distance learning methods can help companies in such endeavours. This results show the expected distrust and skepticism regarding distance learning methods cannot be confirmed. In fact, employees over the age of 50 demonstrate a high degree of motivation and interest in further vocational training by means of distance learning measures. When one also considers the anticipated higher employment rate of people over the age of 50 in Germany in the near future, distance learning methods would seem to at least offer an alternative.