LearnGen

INTERGENERATIONAL MENTORING AND LEARNING IN THE WORKPLACE

www.learngen.eu

Funding stream:
ERASMUS+

It is expected that in the next half a century in Europe, the people in retirement age will be twice as much as those in working age. Both groups (young and old) need each other in order to share and learn from expereiences, as well as bridge the distance between themselves. The joint learning is one of the ways for bridging the gap between the generations, decreasing the conflicts between them and, eventually, avoiding dropping out of the job market due to the lack of skills in a group.

About the project:

The LearnGen project aims to help both the older workers in the companies, as well as the young workers, develop skills for coping with the work by learning from each other. The employers usually offer their young employees more opportunities for trainings, compared to their older colleagues. On the other hand, young people do not have the life experience of adults, often lack values and soft skills, which can help them in different situations – not only in the workplace, but outside of it as well.

LearnGen will support the development of skills in both groups – teaching each other and learning from each other, thus being less vulnerable to the professional challenges standing before them. For the duration of the project the older participants will mentor their younger colleagues in developing skills such as stategical and critical thinking, solving problems, communication skills. On the other hand, the young employees will train their older colleagues in digital competence and development of media literacy. They will share digital skills and ways to tackle technological challenges.

Project goals:

1. Supporting older and younger workers in developing basic skills, needed for teaching and learning from each other;
2. Encouraging generational communication and improving their access to trainings;
3. Supporting SMEs in developing and implementing effective inclusive policies and practices;
4. Building competencies for developing mentorship training programs;
5. Overcoming the discrepancies between the possessed and the necessary skills.

10 young people of up to 30 years of age will participate in the project, as well as 10 of their colleagues, who are above the age of 50. The experience will be shared with approximately 200 managers from small and medium enterprises. The Bulgarian-Romanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry is a lead project partner and the project consortium includes organisations from Ireland, Portugal, Cyprus, the Czech Republic and Greece.

Period of implementation: 01.12.2020 – 30.11.2022