Internship for retirees? Novel idea, new to me, at least.
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Oldman Sachs: A New Internship Program For Senior Citizens
Oldman Sachs: A New Internship Program For Senior Citizens
Inspired by The Intern, a senior citizens' care service decides to harness the experience of retired folks through internships with your startup, ad agency or corporate set up.
19.04.2016
Two months ago, a room full of senior citizens hooted and whistled at the end credits of The Intern, sparking at the idea of scoring an internship. In the cluster of silver streaked heads was a black ponytail belonging to 25 year-old Devanshi Seth, who organised the film screening and runs Caveo, a seven month old geriatric care service in Bangalore that has recently added a Senior Citizens Internship Programme to its suite of offerings; the program has begun groundwork in Bangalore, Mumbai and Pune, where Devanshi and team will roll out operations within the next three months.
"I've spoken to advertising agencies, e-commerce companies and marketing firms to gauge their response to this latest scheme, and they seem very excited," she says, informing us of her strategy to rope in younger companies. "We need partner organisations that are less rigid and don't depend on hierarchical structures. We also want our older interns to get a taste of contemporary work culture."
The internships seek to match a retiree's core competence with a company or create an environment for them to experience a completely new field.
Listen To The Oldies
The internships seek to match a retiree's core competence with a company or create an environment for them to experience a completely new field. "The best way for companies to approach this is to think of the interns as retirees and not senior citizens. Someone with over thirty years of marketing or accounting experience can be an asset to any business, especially in a highly-competitive startup economy like ours," she points out.
Caveo also offers other senior citizen services like recommending and fixing doctor's appointments, free delivery of medicines with a 10 percent discount, planning monthly activities and house sitting. Older people whose kids are busy or don't live in the same city can sign up for premium packages that include grocery shopping, visa arrangements, other concierge type services and access to monthly internship listings.
That's Not All Folks!
The programs in this service are aimed at "banishing the feeling of uselessness" that seems to plague retirees. Take the case of 70-year-old Renu Shah, a widow, who after caring for her husband with Alzheimer's wanted to spend her new-found time teaching German, which she spoke fluently. Caveo publicised this, screened students and organised a class which is now a good supplemental source of income for Ms. Shah.
Devanshi has also been talking to owners of cinema halls and restaurants to make them more senior citizen friendly. "I've designed a prototype of a roll-on ramp that can be placed over any existing stairwell to temporarily make it wheelchair friendly," she explains. She hopes that these easy-fixes will soon see grandparents freely navigating the city alone or with their families for weekend outings. "Baby steps," she says.
Now go get your company to sign up for the senior citizen internship program, and if they resist, tell them it's for old time(r)'s sake.
Getting there: To volunteer to work with Caveo on events or workshops or set up an internship at your office call 9886919090, or find them here on Facebook.
19.04.2016
Two months ago, a room full of senior citizens hooted and whistled at the end credits of The Intern, sparking at the idea of scoring an internship. In the cluster of silver streaked heads was a black ponytail belonging to 25 year-old Devanshi Seth, who organised the film screening and runs Caveo, a seven month old geriatric care service in Bangalore that has recently added a Senior Citizens Internship Programme to its suite of offerings; the program has begun groundwork in Bangalore, Mumbai and Pune, where Devanshi and team will roll out operations within the next three months.
"I've spoken to advertising agencies, e-commerce companies and marketing firms to gauge their response to this latest scheme, and they seem very excited," she says, informing us of her strategy to rope in younger companies. "We need partner organisations that are less rigid and don't depend on hierarchical structures. We also want our older interns to get a taste of contemporary work culture."
The internships seek to match a retiree's core competence with a company or create an environment for them to experience a completely new field.
Listen To The Oldies
The internships seek to match a retiree's core competence with a company or create an environment for them to experience a completely new field. "The best way for companies to approach this is to think of the interns as retirees and not senior citizens. Someone with over thirty years of marketing or accounting experience can be an asset to any business, especially in a highly-competitive startup economy like ours," she points out.
Caveo also offers other senior citizen services like recommending and fixing doctor's appointments, free delivery of medicines with a 10 percent discount, planning monthly activities and house sitting. Older people whose kids are busy or don't live in the same city can sign up for premium packages that include grocery shopping, visa arrangements, other concierge type services and access to monthly internship listings.
That's Not All Folks!
The programs in this service are aimed at "banishing the feeling of uselessness" that seems to plague retirees. Take the case of 70-year-old Renu Shah, a widow, who after caring for her husband with Alzheimer's wanted to spend her new-found time teaching German, which she spoke fluently. Caveo publicised this, screened students and organised a class which is now a good supplemental source of income for Ms. Shah.
Devanshi has also been talking to owners of cinema halls and restaurants to make them more senior citizen friendly. "I've designed a prototype of a roll-on ramp that can be placed over any existing stairwell to temporarily make it wheelchair friendly," she explains. She hopes that these easy-fixes will soon see grandparents freely navigating the city alone or with their families for weekend outings. "Baby steps," she says.
Now go get your company to sign up for the senior citizen internship program, and if they resist, tell them it's for old time(r)'s sake.
Getting there: To volunteer to work with Caveo on events or workshops or set up an internship at your office call 9886919090, or find them here on Facebook.
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