Ageing not so BONZA for some

There is no doubt that Boomers (aged 50-68 ABS) have had a wonderfully full life through the efforts of previous governments in developing health clinics when we were mere babies and then the subsequent development of high schools to cope with our numbers.

Finally then being offered free tertiary education that allowed us to become the most educated generation in history was something special.

Thousands have indicated to BONZA at Boomer expos, on-line, Centrelink and job search offices, face to face and at Boomer presentations over a seventeen year period that they are grateful with the opportunities that were offered in the past by employers and the liberated society we demanded that opened up the world to us in the arts and humanities and allowed us freedom of thought and action.

Many still have no qualms about re-inventing themselves through more training and skill enhancement because they have no fear of failure in education due to our background.

This positive attitude also allows many to seek out technology training so they can compete with younger generations in IT knowledge and usage.

Many Boomers who choose to leave school early in their youth for menial jobs now have some adversity to technology but they are not the majority as most Boomers struggle with technology broadly.

It is time for us all to face the ageing process and the BONZA Report comes to grips with the realities of that process and how Boomers view it.

The ageing process for Boomers based on our feedback and research comes in three stages.

Stage 1: The younger Boomers need to be dealt with as a separate job search group if they are unemployed or under-employed. By focusing on them as a group, the government can market their true value as skilled and motivated workers without them being subjected to the inevitable negative comparisons to other generations.

Bonza suggests a Maturelink office in very city so they can seek assistance, training and resources relevant to their age group and most will work again.

So a Maturelink office for all over 50s is mandatory then they can access mature age information, research and interaction with fellow Boomers and continue with the 'my generation' feel.

The younger generations only raise their anxiety levels and their negativity about being 'too old' for serious commitment to job search and training because they compare themselves to those generations instead of accepting who and what they are.