Women are the country's most powerful emerging workforce resource.

As Executive Director of New Directions Career Center (NDCC), I am constantly reading studies and researching statistics about women in today’s work force.  In addition, NDCC staff often read about and/or notice trends and employment-related issues in the course of delivering programs and services to empower women to achieve economic self-sufficiency.


A trend that we noticed about 15 months ago, is the growing number of "seasoned worker" women (ages 55 and older) who are in need of entering or re-entering the work place.  In addition, many women (and men) are choosing to work past the age of 65 - the age typically thought of as "retirement age."  This trend is expected to continue with the aging of Baby Boomers.

Here are some facts related to this age group:

DID YOU KNOW?

Women, especially women over age 55, are this country’s most powerful workforce resource.  According to the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Statistics, Employment and Earnings, January 2005:

• Labor force participation rates for women, over 55 years of age continue to increase.  The labor force participation rate was 24% in 1994, 25.6% in 1999, as compared with 30.5% in 2004.
• There were 10.3 million employed women aged 55 and over in the United States in 2004.
• These women were most frequently employed in management, professional and related occupations, (3.9 million) and sales and office occupations (3.8 million).
• The remainder were employed in service occupations (1.8 million); production, transportation, and material moving occupations (674,000); and natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations (78,000).
• The 10 leading occupations for women aged 55 and over in 2004 were secretaries and administrative assistants (720,000); elementary and middle school teachers (371,000); registered nurses (353,000); nursing, psychiatric, and home health aides, (251,000); cashiers (240,000); maids and housekeeping cleaners (230,000); first-line supervisors/managers of retail sales workers (228,000); managers, all other (207,000); and first-line supervisors/managers of office and administrative support workers (204,000).

These numbers are likely to grow exponentially as baby boomers hit their zenith!    There are 1.5 females for every male at the age of 50.  This means that dynamic, innovative companies will increasingly rely on exceptionally qualified, experienced women at every level of their organization.

In late 2009, NDCC started a new program entitled "Bridging the Digital and Professional Divide"-- a program designed for seasoned workers to develop computer literacy and the communication skills they need to be successful in today’s multi-generational, technology-oriented workplace. For more information about this program OR to find out more about how you or your organization can benefit by hiring seasoned workers, contact New Directions Career Center at (614) 849-0028.

Lives Get Changed Here

Welcome to the New Directions Career Center Blog. We are excited to share our passion for transformation with you. New Directions believes that every woman has the potential to achieve her dreams.

Women play a variety of roles throughout their lives, but the one role on which we often forget to place enough emphasis is personal development. As moms, wives, sisters, daughters, and aunts, our identities are often defined in contrast to the people we love, care for, and support. New Directions can help women identify the barriers – internal and external – that have prevented them from following their own aspirations.

New Directions is a non profit organization dedicated to assisting individuals to achieve and maintain economic self-sufficiency. We are committed to providing the skills, education, and resources our clients need (omitted “in order”) to secure and retain meaningful employment with fair compensation and benefits, and to develop their careers. Although our Employment Specialist works with graduates of our programs to help them find jobs, we are not a “job placement” company.  We are the people you can come to when your life is at a turning point and you need someone to help you take stock and discover the hidden potential inside yourself.

We pride ourselves on our passion for helping people pick up the pieces of their lives. We accompany you on a journey of discovery, helping you find the direction to which you want to point your career compass and building your confidence by providing the tools you need to arrive at your destination.

We believe in the power of transformation. We believe in the power of passion. We know that when passion is fueled with faith, belief, and support, anything can be accomplished. When you put all of your energy into reaching higher, you can create new opportunities for yourself that promote independence, sustainability, personal and professional fulfillment, and economic self-sufficiency.

If you are at a crossroads in your life and not sure which direction is right for you, New Directions can help you identify the strengths within you that can help you find a career and lifestyle that does more than just provide a weekly paycheck. Our goal is to enhance your ability to achieve contentment with your life through better understanding and commitment to yourself and your desires.

Our career counselors will do everything they can to help you succeed, but they will expect the same level of commitment from you that you will get from them. It’s only through this hard working partnership that you will be able to transform your dreams into reality.

And yes, lives do get changed here.