Activities and results of HICS activities
during the Empower Yourself - EN

In the first period of the tender, the preparations related to the scenarios and topic collection took place. During the writing of the texts of the 24 scenarios, we discussed their themes and final form several times. In relation to the scenarios being prepared, it was an important aspect to include activities in each workshop that allow not only to delve deeper into the topic, but also indirect communication between the participants and personal experience.

As an introduction to the volume containing the scenarios, we also prepared an advisory module, which deals with the challenges and development and motivational characteristics of employees 55+. The study not only provides an introduction to the topic, but also provides an insight into the related literature.

The finished texts were then translated into English, and then the translation of the English version of the texts originally written in Polish and Norwegian into Hungarian began.

In the fall of 2021, we started organizing pilot workshops and dissemination events for the professional audience. PBKIK (Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Pécs-Baranya, Hungary) and PTE KTK (University of Pécs, Faculty of Business and Economy, Pécs, Hungary) provided a framework for these. During the events, on the one hand, we drew attention to the challenges related to the 55+ workforce and the opportunities inherent in them, and on the other hand, we introduced them to the methodological material created during the project. Since we held three workshops with 55+ employees in December 2021, we were able to bring their experiences to the spring workshop for experts. We also created roll ups and flyers for the events.

The first pilot workshop for professionals took place in October 2021, followed by two dissemination sessions in December 2021. For the first time, we introduced the program and the related problem to graduating economics students, and then to HR professionals, business leaders, and managers participating in postgraduate training. The second time, we managed to extend the topic to the field of organizational learning, and thus the scenarios and the professional framework, in addition to the previous target group-specific approach, were deeply embedded in the domain of organizational development.

In November 2021, we took part in a study trip, during which we had the opportunity to meet Norwegian organizations dealing with the challenges of aging workers. It was shocking to see that ageism makes it difficult to find employment even in Scandinavian countries. We incorporated the connections learned during the course of study into the material of the above-mentioned professional programs, and as a result, we managed to confirm in many professionals that it is worth dealing with the challenges related to the topic and looking for solutions to them.

We displayed the events we organized on our website and communicated them not only through HICS channels, but also through our personal social media channels.

The events related to the project appeared in PBKIK's communication channels, and during our organizational development work among SMEs, dozens of company managers were able to learn about new methods of exploiting the potential of 55+ employees. Since the actors of the workshops were HR and organizational development specialists of the Human Club of PBKIK, the professional materials created during the project entered the local professional environment, and several professionals are already using them in their work.