Age-Friendly University Career Inclusion: Silent Gen & Baby Boomers Prep Gen Z
University of Hartford
The Presidents College is a program of non-credit courses designed for adult learners, especially older adults, from the community.
Age inclusivity enriches the college student career preparation experience. Preparing for a multi-generational workforce can effectively start on the college campus. Globally, only 45 higher education institutions are designated in the Age-Friendly University (AFU) Global Network. The 10 Age-Friendly Principles (Gerontological Society of America) were incorporated in this two-year career preparation pilot to include Senior Citizens preparing pre-med students for their pre-med school interviews. The Senior Citizens interviewers are community members in generational cohorts known as the Silent Generation and Baby Boomers. This initiative was comprised of year one on-campus interviews and year two virtual interviews (during COVID-19 pandemic). Three departments (Academics, Career Office & Library) collaborated to create this program. The interviewers participated in on-campus & virtual interview training and were paired with an experienced Human Resource professional for each interview.
