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This report presents empirical research exploring learning practices of professionals categorized as 'older' by the literature: 50-plus.
Our study was prompted by a growing policy emphasis in Canada on the imagined problem of the 'older worker', which is typically framed uncritically as a dual concern around retention of older workers: how to combat ageism in the workplace, and how to retrain older workers.
Our study conducted interviews and a questionnaire to explore the question: What are the unique approaches and challenges experienced by older professionals in work-related learning?
The study focused on certified management accountants in western Canada, who are required to continually 'update' their education, who increasingly tend to work past the age of 65, and who, incidentally, engage in a wide range of learning practices.
Findings highlight contradictory discourses around ageism, professionalism, and expectations that affect older professionals' enactment of identities and knowledge in different ways. Implications for adult educators and professional development educators focus on understanding these challenges experienced by older professionals, as well as critically questioning existing assumptions about workplace learning, informal learning, and inter-professional collaboration.