Many older Australians are up-skilling or retraining to maintain gainful employment or pursue other interests. In this systematic review of existing research, Peter Thomson, Susan Dawe, Alison Anlezark, Kaye Bowman set out to find evidence that skill development activities for the mature-aged lead to improved employment opportunities and productivity. They also look at what factors...

Key messages A systematic review of research is a decision-making tool for policy and practice. It is a piece of research in its own right, using explicit and rigorous methods that follow a standard set of stages. These methods identify, critically appraise and synthesise relevant research (both published and unpublished) around a specific research question...

Some students, who complete a preparatory or pre-vocational course in the vocational education and training (VET) sector, re-enrol in the same 'enabling' course or at the same level of qualification in following years. Findings of this report indicate that re-enrolling in enabling courses offers positive outcomes, according to Susan Dawe. Students who re-enrol in enabling...