How the King's PRIME Cymru Helps Welsh Over-50s Find Work

Tackling Age Discrimination

PRIME Cymru, a registered charity, supports Welsh over-50s to secure work, set up in business or develop skills through volunteering and training. The charity's mission is to help tackle these barriers, and to change society’s attitude towards older workers.

Age discrimination at work is still a prevalent issue in the UK today, and PRIME Cymru want to help break down age barriers by working with employers to adopt an age-positive attitude, and works tirelessly to raise awareness of the often-untapped potential of older workers.

PRIME Cymru themselves have signed the ‘Age-Friendly Employer Pledge’ to show they recognise the value of older workers, and they hope that employers they work with will follow suit in making a conscious effort to be inclusive employers.

Demanding Greater Workplace Flexibility

PRIME Cymru understand that many factors can affect employment, such as deteriorating health, care responsibilities or work/life balance. These factors mean people aged 50+ may want to work more flexibly to suit their lifestyle. Many PRIME Cymru clients have been out of work for a long time and for some, it is their first time entering the jobs market. This can lead to low confidence levels and lack of self-belief. To combat these barriers, PRIME Cymru work with clients on an individual basis, getting to know their specific needs and helping them to find a role that will suit them, in doing so it helps them to identify their strengths and realise their potential.

The Value of Volunteering

One of the ways 55/Redefined suggests people find value in their work, or a route into a new role is through volunteering. PRIME Cymru has also seen great success and value in encouraging people to discover new passions and a sense of purpose as a volunteer. You can read Harry's story here.

Mentoring and Support for Over-50s

PRIME Cymru is a small charity, therefore the help of their volunteer mentors is invaluable to the work they do. When a client comes to PRIME Cymru for support, they are assigned to their local Development Officer. The Development Officer will get to know the client and outline their ambitions and career history.

Once they have identified the client's needs, they then set them on a course of action. This could be arranging the necessary training, assisting in job searches, help applying for jobs, or setting them up with a mentor. Many clients benefit hugely from a mentor-mentee relationship, which allows them to have closer guidance from someone who has the relevant experience to help and advise them.

Hayley Ridge-Evans, PRIME Cymru Director of Operations, said: "We believe that everyone should be given equality of opportunity, and it is critical that we embrace the skills and experience those aged 50 and over have gained throughout their lifetime. At PRIME Cymru we have over 20 years' experience and will continue to support those who need it to fulfil their dreams and aspirations to either start a business, find paid employment, undertake training or further learning, or volunteer within their community to help them succeed.”

Read about PRIME Cymru's success stories.