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Germany

A German Fix For The Over-50 Unemployed

Job hunting gets harder the older you get, right? A program in Germany is showing that it may just require the right training, and the right candidate-job matching.

In Munich, Germany
In Munich, Germany
Verena Fücker

MUNICH — The conventional wisdom is that unemployeed people over 50 don't stand a chance in the job market. But a Munich job center project has been proving that this assumption is false. In fact, some employers are even looking specifically for candidates with decades of experience.

At 57 and unemployed, Christa Ehizojie seemed to be a lost cause in the job market. Despite having applied for 365 different jobs, no one wanted to hire the longtime office administrator from Unterhaching. "This can cause you to lose your self-esteem, and you start wondering why you even bother," she says.

She hadn't been able to work full-time since 2005 because of a cancer diagnosis, so she had to make do with temporary jobs. But then a Munich job center admitted her to a very special project. The so-called "Goal 50 Plus" is intended to provide a new perspective, self-esteem and job opportunities to the long-term unemployed over 50.

Goal 50 Plus has been available in Munich since January 2014, and is now set to be expanded. The project's social workers are attempting to find ideal jobs for the candidates by engaging them in intense conversations, arranging meetings and even enrolling them in specialist courses.

Christa Ehizojie, for example, was able to take advantage of classes offered by the private Institute of Personnel Training and Consulting (IPB), whose participants are selected by the job center. There are also courses such as nutritional science, conflict management and sports management, as well as classes to learn how to use computers.

First, the essentials

Some clients have to start with the essential. "It has happened that we had to help a participant to look for an apartment," IPB counselor Markus Mussotter explains. "It is a relentless downwards spiral: Without a job, there can be no apartment, and without an apartment there are rarely any options left."

Mussotter, 48, says that often clients need to relearn how to get onto a regular schedule, and so daily attendance at IPB is compulsory for the first three months.

"Structuring their day is something that a lot of people who have been long-term unemployed have forgotten how to do," the counselor explains. "Taking the first step towards employment is a voluntary one. I can't force anyone."

Ehizojie says being inactive was not a problem for her, as she had always kept busy with volunteer work and taking care of her grandchild. Still, she says, the courses have been helpful, encouraging her to stop simply applying for any job opening. "At the application training, I learned to analyse myself and my needs," she says. "What is it that I really want? Which job is suitable for me?"

Finally, in September she found a job at the headquarters of a food franchise company, though she still comes into the center for an English course — and more. "It is just simply good fun, and I'm still able to ask Mr. Musotter or one of his colleagues for advice when I need it," she explains.

Participants who were unable to find a job within the first three months of taking part in the jobs initiative must be in touch with the IPB once a month. Those who have not been able to find employment after a further three months are considered very difficult to place.

"The upper limit of unemployment is usually two years, especially in such fast-changing areas as technology," says one job center case manager. "Afterwards, it becomes quite difficult to place people. Cases that involve the person being unemployed for more than four years are the most difficult."

When age is an advantage

A former client of a jewelery shop, for which she now works, was actually able to procure that job because of, not despite, her age. "Her boss wanted to hire someone who could advise older customers and knew their tastes," the job center case manager says.

Ehizojie was also able to take advantage of her age. "My boss was of the opinion that my job required a high-level sense of responsibility and that this is more likely to be displayed by a more experienced employee."

Those Goal 50 Plus project participants who are able to find a job within three months that pays between 650 and 1,900 euros a month receive a monthly bonus of up to 200 euros. In 2014, 1,088 participants were able to find a job through this initiative.

Should Christa Ehijozie face any job-related problems during the duration of this initiative, she is always able to seek advice and resources from the program.

But for now, there doesn't seem to be much need: Her role is due to be expanded from half- to full-time employment. "I feel quite content at the moment," she says. "I have many young colleagues and enjoy going to work."

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Green

Forest Networks? Revisiting The Science Of Trees And Funghi "Reaching Out"

A compelling story about how forest fungal networks communicate has garnered much public interest. Is any of it true?

Thomas Brail films the roots of a cut tree with his smartphone.

Arborist and conservationist Thomas Brail at a clearcutting near his hometown of Mazamet in the Tarn, France.

Melanie Jones, Jason Hoeksema, & Justine Karst

Over the past few years, a fascinating narrative about forests and fungi has captured the public imagination. It holds that the roots of neighboring trees can be connected by fungal filaments, forming massive underground networks that can span entire forests — a so-called wood-wide web. Through this web, the story goes, trees share carbon, water, and other nutrients, and even send chemical warnings of dangers such as insect attacks. The narrative — recounted in books, podcasts, TV series, documentaries, and news articles — has prompted some experts to rethink not only forest management but the relationships between self-interest and altruism in human society.

But is any of it true?

The three of us have studied forest fungi for our whole careers, and even we were surprised by some of the more extraordinary claims surfacing in the media about the wood-wide web. Thinking we had missed something, we thoroughly reviewed 26 field studies, including several of our own, that looked at the role fungal networks play in resource transfer in forests. What we found shows how easily confirmation bias, unchecked claims, and credulous news reporting can, over time, distort research findings beyond recognition. It should serve as a cautionary tale for scientists and journalists alike.

First, let’s be clear: Fungi do grow inside and on tree roots, forming a symbiosis called a mycorrhiza, or fungus-root. Mycorrhizae are essential for the normal growth of trees. Among other things, the fungi can take up from the soil, and transfer to the tree, nutrients that roots could not otherwise access. In return, fungi receive from the roots sugars they need to grow.

As fungal filaments spread out through forest soil, they will often, at least temporarily, physically connect the roots of two neighboring trees. The resulting system of interconnected tree roots is called a common mycorrhizal network, or CMN.

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