Reinvent Your Career

Australia's inaugural 'Real Age' career event, Reinvent Your Career Expo, kicks off in Melbourne on July 26 and 27. It will visit Sydney on October 25 and 26, before making its way up to Brissie in March 2009.

Gen Y, Gen Y, Gen Y. The operative word there is Y. Why is the younger generation getting all the attention when it comes to careers?

There is no doubt that Australia has an ageing workforce. The average worker is 37 and by 2016 (that's only two Olympic Games away) people aged 45+ will account for more than 80 per cent of growth in the Aussie workforce.

To add some even more alarming stats to that – a new survey shows many Australians have regrets about their chosen career path.

The survey by global recruitment firm, Kelly Services, found 71 per cent of Australians wished they had studied further while 48 per cent wished they had studied something totally different.

Another 16 per cent said they chose the wrong career, while 25 per cent were still unsure about their career choice.

So what do all these stats add up to? Lots of Australians want a career change. And if employers are not factoring in the over-45 age group in their recruitment strategies, they should be.

Besides the fact that older workers are essential to fill the skills gap, they offer real advantages, including reliability, loyalty, experience, a strong work ethic and low absentee rates.

Baby Boomers are the new black!

Smart employers, educators and trainers are joining forces to harness the potential of this workforce sector at the innovative expo.

Mature workers hungry for a career change will attend workshops on the best ways to approach a career change, study options and how to break into specific careers.

They will be able to meet with major organisations, government, industry groups, training organisations, educational institutions, small business and franchise entrepreneurs who are actively looking to recruit mature-age career movers and shakers.

If you are one Australian who wishes they had taken a different professional path, then the Reinvent Your Career expo could be the first step in your trip to where the grass is greener.