Keeping Seniors in Work: The Key Role of FEST

In summary

France's employment rate for seniors remains below the European average, with a significant share of long-term unemployment in this age group.

Workplace-based training (FEST) makes it possible to structure how seniors' skills are passed on and to ease their requalification, directly on the job, without a return to classic theoretical training.

It answers a triple challenge: capitalising on seniors' know-how, structuring its transmission to younger generations, and giving value to seniors as tutors who guarantee continuity of skills.

Concrete schemes already exist, such as the one run by IRTS Réunion, combining reverse VAE and FEST for jobseekers over 50.

A major societal and economic issue

The ageing of the working population is an unavoidable reality in many countries, France included. As life expectancy rises and the retirement age is pushed back, keeping seniors in work is becoming a critical issue.

Yet older workers face persistent difficulties: discrimination in hiring, difficulty adapting to new technologies, and prejudice about their ability to learn.

DARES data confirms this: France's employment rate for 55 to 64-year-olds remains behind the European average, with a notable share of long-term unemployment in this age group.

Yet companies can't afford to do without their experience and know-how. It's becoming essential to find solutions to support their employability and keep them in work.

Among the answers to these challenges, workplace-based training (FEST) stands out as a powerful tool, letting seniors structure the transmission of their skills and ease their requalification into new roles directly at their workstation, without necessarily asking them to go back to a classroom.

FEST: structuring skills transmission on the job

Workplace-based training (FEST) rests on a simple principle: learning by carrying out a professional activity, with suitable support.

This approach answers a triple challenge: capitalising on the know-how seniors often hold, structuring its transmission to younger generations so they can acquire the new skills they need to work independently, and giving value to seniors as mentors or tutors who guarantee the continuity of critical know-how and the durability of skills within the company.

Michel Yahiel, former director of pensions and solidarity at Caisse des Dépôts, has argued that passing on skills and giving value to seniors' career paths should be central to companies' HR policies.

Requalification on the job: an approach suited to seniors

One of the main challenges for senior workers is how quickly the skills required in the labour market change. Digitalisation, automation and the transformation of roles demand constant adaptability. For many, going back into traditional training can prove difficult, even intimidating.

FEST offers an effective, smoother alternative to classic training courses that are often poorly suited to experienced workers. By enabling progressive, contextualised skill development, it avoids the barrier of returning to theoretical training that's sometimes disconnected from ground-level reality, and ensures better take-up of new professional practices.

Some companies have set up requalification pathways specifically for seniors. One example of a requalification pathway dedicated to seniors is the initiative run by IRTS Réunion. This scheme combines reverse Validation des Acquis de l'Expérience (VAE, France's system for validating experience-based skills) with a FEST (workplace-based training) pathway, specifically designed for jobseekers over 50. The goal is to let these seniors identify and give value to their skills, build their confidence, and gain a certification matching their experience. The pathway includes a personalised assessment, skill development through FEST with support from a tutor, and support through the VAE process. This programme aims to help seniors gain lasting access to work or to encourage a career change.

What Daylindo brings to keeping seniors in work

Structuring the transmission of seniors' know-how requires being able to observe, validate and trace what's being passed on, rather than leaving this transmission to rest solely on the tutor's goodwill. This is precisely what the Daylindo platform structures: it makes it possible to formalise FEST pathways, give value to seniors' role as tutors, and keep a record of transmitted skills that holds up as evidence, in a logic close to that of a skills-based organisation.

Evidence from organisations that have structured this kind of approach confirms that keeping seniors in work depends as much on recognising their role as transmitters of knowledge as on access to requalification suited to their situation.

Conclusion

Workplace-based training offers a well-suited answer to the challenges of recruiting and retaining seniors in employment. By easing the transfer of skills and offering requalification opportunities directly on the job, it gives value to older workers' experience while safeguarding companies' competitiveness. Building it into HR policy is a strategic lever for effective, lasting intergenerational management.

Encouraging FEST means investing in a workforce that's skilled, engaged, and ready to meet tomorrow's challenges.

FAQ

What is FEST (workplace-based training)?

It's an approach based on learning by carrying out a real professional activity, with suitable support, rather than going back to a classic training room.

Why is FEST particularly well suited to seniors?

Because it avoids the psychological and practical barrier of returning to theoretical training, often seen as intimidating, by enabling progressive skill development directly on the job.

What's the triple challenge FEST addresses for seniors in the workplace?

Capitalising on the know-how seniors hold, structuring its transmission to younger generations, and giving value to seniors as mentors or tutors who guarantee continuity of skills.

Are there concrete schemes for requalifying seniors through FEST?

Yes, for example the one run by IRTS Réunion, which combines reverse VAE with a FEST pathway for jobseekers over 50, including a personalised assessment and support from a tutor.

Is France's senior employment rate comparable to the European average?

No, it remains below the European average, with a notable share of long-term unemployment among 55 to 64-year-olds, according to DARES data.

Can FEST replace a VAE process for seniors?

It can complement it rather than replace it: some schemes, such as the one run by IRTS Réunion, combine both to enable skill development and gaining a certification at the same time.