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My Dad needs...a push!

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  • 02-04-2013 3:11am
    #1
    anniehoo
    Registered Users Posts: 6,596 ✭✭✭


    Hiya Folks. Longterm lurker,but haven't posted but i need a bit of help with my Dad a.k.a my best buddy ;) He's my "oul fella" :D

    Short story.I'm his eldest daughter (of 2 kids). He's 58 this year and was made redundant this time last year (to the day) from his job he worked in for 30yrs+ of his life. He was made redundant...because he was "too expensive" to keep.He was at managerial status.The company was cost cutting and he lost out to the younger applicant, who was willing to settle for much less. I won't bore ya with the details,but the company who are in charge now (4 companies have taken over since he started in the 1980s) are messing him around with both his pension and redundancy.

    My point is....he is LOST,technology wise now. His job never required IT skills,it still doesn't, but applying for jobs now does.

    He wants to work,but has found himself 30+ years later that the "situations vacant" as he remembers it in the Evening Herald aren't relevant anymore.

    He has ZERO IT skills.I'm applying on his behalf to Revenue.ie for anything he's entitled to tax wise.

    WHAT DOES HE DO NOW??

    He wants to work and is claiming the Dole begrudingly.I'm sorry this is so basic,but this is a man who worked solidly for 30 years in the same industry and has now come out the otherside who now needs to apply his skills to jobs he's good at but has no idea how to do it!!!!



    So my questions are:
    • Does he go to the "job centre"? If so, where (Fingal area?)
    • How does a mature applicant best apply for them
    • Do employers discriminate against mature applicants?
    • Does lack of IT skills matter?
    • Is there any reasonable/free basic IT course he could do
    He was enjoying his "early retirement" as he called it,until now. He wants to work, but has now realised applying for jobs as a mature applicant isn't as easy as he thought.His major failing as i can see it is IT skills. I am happy to help him with this, but would prefer (and so would he) if he did it by himself.


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    #2
    OldGoat
    Registered Users Posts: 12,633 ✭✭✭✭OldGoat


    anniehoo wrote: »
    • Does he go to the "job centre"? If so, where (Fingal area?)
    • How does a mature applicant best apply for them
    • Do employers discriminate against mature applicants?
    • Does lack of IT skills matter?
    • Is there any reasonable/free basic IT course he could do

    Hya Annie.

    Does he go to the "job centre"? If so, where (Fingal area?)
    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=861

    Ageism is rife amongst employers as it their blind insistance on IT skills. There are exceptions. Companies like B&Q were well knows for their policy of employing older staff.
    The above link to the state benifits should be your first stop. When he is in the system you can start the search for IT training. There exists a qualification for beginners, the ECDL (European Computer Driving license). It's a very basic introduction into word processing, email and spreadsheets. With that qualification under his belt he can quiet happly claim to have IT skills and then rely on on-site training that he will receive in any position he might get.
    I think that IT training and interview skills training is available through the dole office but asking in the Benifits forum will clarify that for you.

    I'm older than Minecraft goats.



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    #3
    Jellybaby1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,108 ✭✭✭Jellybaby1


    Any chance your dad might have a hobby which he could use to start a little business, or just to help keep him busy? Or maybe he may know someone who could offer him some work or as a consultant? Unfortunately it is my experience that ageism rules the workplace now.

    A friend of ours was let go recently though he is almost retirement age anyway but he is using hobbies to keep body and mind active. The FAS IT courses are not what they used to be. When I did them many years ago we had a teacher who actually taught. I believe these days, the students teach themselves on a step-by-step basis with computer software and just ask the 'teacher' if they get stuck. Totally unsatisfactory system especially for absolute beginners. I know a lot of folk in their 60's - 70's who have embraced the computer age. With the right support your dad could master it I'm sure.


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    #4
    The_Morrigan
    Moderators Posts: 9,368 ✭✭✭The_Morrigan


    Annie is your Dad looking for work for financial reasons or just because he feels the need to work to keep himself active?

    My Dad has just retired at 59, he took early retirement and he has thrown himself into his hobbies and as a result has managed to take on the IT age and embrace it - with his 'spare' time has taken over the facebook and twitter accounts of the groups he is involved in as the younger volunteers are consumed by day jobs and families.

    If your Dad is looking for stuff to do there are plenty of volunteer organisations that are looking for people to help them out and it is also an opportunity to move into another area that may not require IT skills, network etc. I use www.volunteer.ie to search for opportunities and I think Fingal has it's own volunteer centre so they will be local.

    Best of luck to him :)


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    #5
    anniehoo
    Registered Users Posts: 6,596 ✭✭✭anniehoo


    The_Morrigan wrote: »
    Annie is your Dad looking for work for financial reasons or just because he feels the need to work to keep himself active?

    Tbh both. He was royally messed over with both his pension and redundancy. I'd be banned if i used the words to describe how horrendous this company is. He has savings and luckily no mortgage, but he is worried about money longterm. He also wants to work for "his brain" as he put it. I'm sending my sister links for jobs he might be interested in to show him and im editing his CV at the minute. I've signed him up twice to beginner IT courses but back out last minute (he's IT phobic :D)
    wrote:
    I use www.volunteer.ie to search for opportunities and I think Fingal has it's own volunteer centre so they will be local.
    Brilliant. Thanks for that ill have a look.


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    #6
    The_Morrigan
    Moderators Posts: 9,368 ✭✭✭The_Morrigan


    anniehoo wrote: »
    Tbh both. He was royally messed over with both his pension and redundancy. I'd be banned if i used the words to describe how horrendous this company is. He has savings and luckily no mortgage, but he is worried about money longterm. He also wants to work for "his brain" as he put it. I'm sending my sister links for jobs he might be interested in to show him and im editing his CV at the minute. I've signed him up twice to beginner IT courses but back out last minute (he's IT phobic :D)


    Brilliant. Thanks for that ill have a look.


    See if you can get an online IT course and then you can do it with him, or be on hand if he has any questions. A home based starter course with you as back up might give him the confidence to go to a class based course in the future.


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    #7
    Pulsating Star
    Registered Users Posts: 702 ✭✭✭Pulsating Star


    The only bit of advice I can give regarding the IT side is to make it fun if possible. Showing some aspect of the it/Internet world which complements interests he already has and which can be seen to add to his life rather than just be a chore.
    Your description brings to mind someone close to me who is extremely capable is real life but can never get a conventional job because of same. Could do many of these jobs no bother, just can't get the gig. He was convinced in the end to do the ECDL course straight off, which was just way too hard as a starter and turned him off the whole idea. I have been getting him interested In aspects of the Internet which he finds useful and he's taking it from there. All IMO of course.


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    #8
    annieoburns
    Registered Users Posts: 505 ✭✭✭annieoburns


    Entice him into computer via other interests....
    Wine? a bit of online browsing / shopping....
    Card games? even solitaire is good for mouse control!
    Email? line up some people to send him posts even jokes, any thing for a bit of traffic for him to deal with.
    TV stuff? forums to disuss
    Movies? check up film reviews and make online booking
    Gardening? plenty of sites
    Car problems? ditto
    Travel? tripadvisor for checking out hotels and posting reviews himself of his 'golden oldie' breaks.

    A local school teaches adults in the transition year.... wrong time of year now.


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