Currently submitted to: JMIR Research Protocols
Date Submitted: Jun 11, 2026
Open Peer Review Period: Jun 11, 2026 - Aug 6, 2026
(currently open for review)
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
Continuing vocational training as a tool to promote employability and well-being among older workers: Protocol for an exploratory study
ABSTRACT
Background:
Canada is facing significant demographic and technological changes that are leading to a restructuring of the labor market and increased pressure on the availability of workers. In this context, continuing vocational training is increasingly seen as a way to help older workers adapt to changing job requirements and remain in the labor market. However, extending working lives in an ageing society also raises important questions regarding workers’ well-being.
Objective:
This study aims to explore how continuing vocational training contributes to the employability and well-being of workers aged 55 and older in a context marked by ongoing labor market changes and labor shortages.
Methods:
This study will employ a descriptive-interpretive qualitative approach. Semi-structured interviews will be conducted with a sample of approximately 20 workers aged 55 and older. The interviews will focus on continuing professional development experiences, perceptions of employability, and workplace well-being, as well as the barriers and facilitators associated with participating in training. The data collected will be analyzed according to the five-step thematic analysis process proposed by Paillé and Mucchielli [1]. Two qualitative research specialists will be brought in to ensure the rigor and consistency of the coding and analysis process. NVivo 15 software will be used to support data organization and analysis.
Results:
This study should provide a better understanding of the experiences of workers aged 55 and older regarding continuing vocational training, employability, and well-being at work. The results are expected to highlight the factors that facilitate or hinder the contribution of training to job retention, adaptation to workplace demands, and the well-being of older workers. The study should also provide insights for training organizations, employers, and policymakers to develop training practices better suited to the realities and needs of an aging workforce.
Conclusions:
Against the backdrop of an aging workforce and changes in the labor market, continuing vocational training plays a key role in helping older workers adapt and manage career paths toward retirement. This study is part of an effort to better document the mechanisms through which education can influence the professional experiences of this population.
Citation
Request queued. Please wait while the file is being generated. It may take some time.
Copyright
© The authors. All rights reserved. This is a privileged document currently under peer-review/community review (or an accepted/rejected manuscript). Authors have provided JMIR Publications with an exclusive license to publish this preprint on it's website for review and ahead-of-print citation purposes only. While the final peer-reviewed paper may be licensed under a cc-by license on publication, at this stage authors and publisher expressively prohibit redistribution of this draft paper other than for review purposes.