Are you 55 and up? Tourism group wants your input on industry jobs

P.E.I.'s Tourism Industry Association is trying to attract more older adults to work in the industry and they're hoping to hear directly from that demographic to find out how to attract them to jobs.

The association is reaching out to people 55 years and up to find out what challenges older workers may face when looking for work and what they're looking for in a job.

Kathy Livingstone, director of training and education with association, says it's a "natural fit" for people in that age range to work in the industry and that hearing from them directly is important for employers across the province.

"They bring a lot of very good work ethic with them. They have a world of experience behind them usually, they're very reliable, dependable," she said.

"What better way to hear it coming from the individuals themselves."

'The word retirement has become just a word'

Linda Lavoie checks all the boxes of someone the province is hoping to hear from.

She retired after 33 years with Veterans Affairs and has spent the last three summers working for Parks Canada and has also given tours to cruise ship passengers in Charlottetown.

"I'm very much an extrovert, so I knew the last thing I could do was come home and not do anything," she said.

"I obviously volunteer a lot of my time but I wanted to do a bit more than that to supplement my income for the next few years."

Lavoie said retirement has allowed her to be picky about choosing the sort of jobs she wants to do with her time and that the tourism industry was a good fit as a seasonal gig.

"The word retirement has become just a word," she said. "What it really means is that I was able to leave a job, have a pension and come back out and do other things. 55 is still relatively young and we still have a lot to offer."

The association's is event is on Tuesday, Nov. 28, at the Quality Inn on the Hill in Charlottetown and runs from 10-12 p.m.

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