Age Scotland to deliver pre-retirement training
Age Scotland is to deliver pre-retirement training after joining forces with the former Scottish Pre-Retirement Council (SPRC) and the former Tayside Pre-Retirement Council (TPRC).
From today the staff and volunteers of both the SPRC and TPRC become part of Age Scotland, bringing with them more than 80 years of combined experience in preparing Scotland's working population for a healthy and happy retirement.
Age Scotland's training arm will initially deliver pre-retirement courses, with plans to diversify into other age-relating training in the future.
Brian Sloan, Chief Executive of Age Scotland, said: "Retirement is a period of life that people should look forward to as their own time to do what they want. However, it's important to prepare for retirement if you are to get the most out of it, and the adjustment from working life can be quite a shock for some people.
"We'd like to see employers really prioritising the support they provide to staff who may have given them many years' loyal service and are now about to embark on the next stage of their life.
"These courses help prepare people for all aspects of retired life - from information about volunteering and lifelong learning opportunities to maintaining an active and healthy lifestyle. There is also a strong emphasis on financial planning, which is the big fear for many people.
"Ensuring people are prepared makes sense not only for the individuals, so they can enjoy their years after work, but also for wider society as people will then be less likely to need support in their later years."
Research suggests around a fifth of men and two-fifths of women aged 55 to 64 have no private pension entitlement,i and half of these women have a pension fund equivalent to around £25 a week or less.ii (UK figures)
The Scottish Pre-Retirement Council was set up in the 1950s in response to the fact research showed that Glasgow men who had worked all their lives in heavy industries like shipbuilding were not living long after retirement. Since then, it has specialised in running courses to help people prepare for retirement, promote the rights of the older worker and persuade employers to accommodate their needs.
The Tayside Pre-Retirement Council has been helping workers plan for retirement since their inaugural meeting in September 1981 with core subjects on their courses being adjusting to retirement, money matters, holiday travel, cookery and gardening. Qualified professionals lead sessions on legal matters, financial planning and taxation and health practitioners are brought in to talk about staying healthy as you get older.
Further information about courses is available at www.sprc.org.uk
References
i Office for National Statistics, 2012, Chapter 4: Pension Wealth, 2008/10.
ii https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/articles/retirement Mid-range quote for flat-rate, single life annuity with no lump sum for someone approaching 65. November 2013.
