Every seven seconds, someone in the US turns 50. Today, almost 25 percent of the workforce is over age 50 and more than 3 percent is over age 65. That percentage is expected to increase to 27 percent by 2008, as Baby Boomers remain in the workforce longer because of personal and financial reasons. Cutting-edge businesses are looking for ways to retain the talent, knowledge, expertise and numbers of mature workers. But mature employees will only remain valuable and engaged if organizations help them build the knowledge and skills necessary to remain competitive within their work environments.

A recent study by the Conference Board suggests that over 70 percent of employees over age 50 want additional training and development opportunities. Computer-based training has great potential for helping organizations build a level playing field for all employees. However, e-learning may not be an effective training and development tool unless it is specifically designed to meet the needs and learning styles of both older and younger employees.

In this presentation, we will describe the impact of changing age demographics on the workplace, and how that affects both the design and content of e-learning material. We will review guidelines for creating e-learning materials appropriate and user-friendly for mature employees. In addition, we will describe innovative e-learning material that we developed to overcome knowledge and performance gaps in career development and technology.

As the workforce matures, the need for providing e-learning material that is user-friendly for mature employees becomes crucial. Effectively designed e-learning material can help mature employees build the business knowledge and talent necessary to be competitive in today's business environment.