IBMis collaborating on a research
project to developopen source software technologytools
to accommodate the needs of older workers.
The research running in conjunction with the University of
Dundee School of Computing and the University of Miami's Miller
School of Medicine are collaborating on making software more
accessible to older workers.
An aging workforce is a growing problem in developed countries.
High percentages of skilled workers are approaching or reaching
retirement age by the end of the decade. As these workers retire,
they leave behind companies and government organisations vulnerable
to lost skills, experience, training and knowledge, IBM said.
The researchers will look at the development and integration of
structures, systems, tools, and processes that facilitate the
inclusion of more people - irrespective of their age, abilities or
personal challenges.
The new team is comprised of researchers from the IBM T.J.
Watson Research Center and Professors Peter Gregor from the
University of Dundee and Sara Czaja from the University of Miami
Miller School of Medicine. The
project will
target both training and collaboration technologies, with an eye to
the unique needs of older workers.
The partnership is part of
IBM's Open Collaborative Research (OCR) programme - an
initiative designed to foster research connections between IBM and
universities. Under IBM's OCR program, results developed between
IBM Research and top university faculty and their students for
specific projects will be made available as open source software
code and all additional intellectual property developed based on
those results will be openly published or made available
royalty-free.
The IBM Research team has worked for the past several years on
website usability for older adults. Through Corporate
Citizenship partnerships with key organisations serving older
adults, the IBM researchers have created software deployed
worldwide that addresses many needs of older users.