ACADEMICS from the University of Kent are holding a series of one-day workshops to give other academics, practitioners and policymakers the chance to examine research about older workers.

With organisations such as the CBI campaigning for the retirement age to be lifted to 70, and the imminence of legislation to outlaw age discrimination, issues surrounding the employability of older workers are on the agenda.

Dr Sarah Vickerstaff from the university, along with Dr Wendy Loretto and Phil White from the University of Edinburgh, received an Economic and Social Research (ERSC) seminar competition award to run the workshops.

The aim is to provide an opportunity to understand and explore the factors affecting the labour market participation of older workers, and to share good practice from within the UK and abroad. The seminars will also inform policy debate and development by bringing together the best research in this area and open up new research agendas by identifying unanswered questions and gaps in existing understanding.

The seminars will take place as follows:-

· Older workers: who works and who doesn't: Wednesday 17 November 2004: Edinburgh

· Employers' policies and practices towards older workers: Wednesday 16 February 2005: Canterbury

· Retirement choices: the interaction of pension policies, human resources policy and individual aspirations: Friday 6 May 2005: Edinburgh

· The impact of age discrimination legislation: Wednesday 7 September 2005: London

· The role of public policy: keeping people in employment and/or getting them back into employment: Wednesday 16 November 2005: Sheffield