The International Longevity Centre-UK (ILC) has today announced the finalists of Work for tomorrow, an international innovation competition looking at how employers can innovate to support longer working lives.

Launched by ILC and supported by the Innovation Resource Center for Human Resources, Work for tomorrow is seeking to award the most promising innovations responding to an ageing workforce.

From supporting health in the workplace to innovative programmes developing workforce skills and policies that address discrimination at work, the competition has received almost 50 submissions from organisations and individuals across the world.

After careful consideration, the competition’s international judging panel made up of experts from the private, public and third sector has whittled down the submissions to a final five that will be competing for the overall prize at an awards ceremony in Newcastle on Wednesday, 22 March 2022.

Spanning three continents, the finalists include:

• Ageing Workforce Ready, an Australian prevention-focused programme to support people’s mental wellbeing at work
• Brave Starts CIC, a UK community-based platform to help people start or try out a new career
• Labora Tech, a Brazilian data-driven job-matching and reskilling platform for workers of all ages
• Maturious, an Australian platform that maps and verifies skills of older workers by capturing and assessing their acquired capabilities in each role over their working career
• Startup School for Seniors, a British online learning programme to help people start their own businesses

Rachael Palmer, Organisational Psychologist of Ageing Workforce Ready, commented:

“Good work is good for us: when an employer is ‘ageing workforce ready’ it enhances the productivity and mental health of older workers right through to retirement.”

David Tarr, CEO & Founder of Maturious, said:

”To have Maturious selected as one of the finalists for the ILC Work for Tomorrow competition in itself is a fantastic achievement and feeling. We are very proud of our team and appreciative of the people who support our quest to create meaningful employment without ageism.”  

Lucy Standing, Founder of Brave Starts, commented:

“This has been the best news we’ve had this year. Knowing we’ve been selected from 50 entrants to the top 5 is a huge confidence boost and it gives some external validation that we’re on the right track.

Learning about what others are doing in this space is really useful – it’s helping us build our network and has already given us ideas for collaboration and inspiration. We’re really grateful ILC and IRC4HR have taken the time to provide this platform and opportunity”.

Jodi Starkman, Executive Director of the Innovation Resource Center for Human Resources and member of the judging panel, said: 

“I was inspired by the creativity of the submissions that were received, and especially by the passion of the leaders and founders whose organizations made it to the group of finalists.”

“Their innovations will be critical to realizing the incredible opportunities – and addressing the related challenges – presented by a workforce that will be living, learning, and working longer than ever before. Congratulations to the finalists and to all of the Work for tomorrow innovators! 

Notes

For press queries, please contact press@ilcuk.org.uk or +44 (0) 208 638 0832.

To register (in-person or virtually) for the awards ceremony in Newcastle on Wednesday, 22 March, visit Work for tomorrow awards ceremony – ILCUK

Find out more about the Work for tomorrow programme here.

To listen to the elevator pitch of each of the shortlist, visit Work for tomorrow – Innovation pitching sessions – ILCUK

To view submission videos from all 50 contestants, visit: Work for tomorrow: People’s choice award – YouTube

The judging panel

The international judging panel brings together experts from across countries and sectors:

• Anthony Ariganello, President and CEO of the Chartered Professionals of Human Resources (CPHR) of BC, and the Yukon, and CPHR Canada
• Sheila Callaham, Executive Director and Board Chair, Age Equity Alliance
• Rachele Focardi, Expert, Author & Public Speaker on Multigenerational Workforce Dynamics, and Founder XYZ@Work 
• Fanny Krivoy, Founder/ Creative Director, Analogous
• George MacGinnis, Challenge Director, Healthy Ageing, UK Research and Innovation
• Bob Morton, President, World Federation of People Management Associations
• Nic Palmarini, Director, National Innovation Centre for Ageing
• Mehbs Remtulla, Founder and CEO, What’s neXT?!
• David Sinclair, Director, ILC
• Shruti Singh, Ageing and Employment Policies Lead, OECD
• Jodi Starkman, Executive Director, Innovation Resource Center for Human Resources (IRC4HR)
• Dr Kelly Tremblay, Neuroscientist and Audiologist
• Caroline Waters OBE, Deputy Chair, Equality and Human Rights Commission

About ILC

The ILC is the UK’s specialist think tank on the impact of longevity on society, and what happens next.

The International Longevity Centre UK was established in 1997 as one of the members of the International Longevity Centre Global Alliance, an international network on longevity.

Since our inception, we have published over 250 reports, organised over 300 events including the annual Future of Ageing conference.

We work with central government, local government, the private sector, and professional and academic associations to provoke conversations and pioneer solutions for a society where everyone can thrive, regardless of age.

About IRC4HR

Innovation Resource Center for Human Resources (IRC4HR^®) is a US-based private research foundation dedicated to the creation and ongoing enhancement of work – and work environments – in which the goals and objectives of organizations, the aspirations of individuals, and the interests of society are served.

Established in 1926 with a mission to “advance the knowledge and practice of human relations in organizations,” IRC4HR funds research and multi-stakeholder dialogues that produce practical and actionable insights and tools to help organizations, leaders, and workers succeed together through the profound business and social challenges of the 21^st-century workplace.

We seek to understand how new business models and the changing nature of work impact – and require new approaches to – organization design, leadership development, and employment and workplace practices that lead to high levels of business performance and worker productivity and well-being.