The gig economy, the sharing economy, remote working… Coworking spaces everywhere are buzzing about the “future of work.” But one organization’s interest in the topic has a dash of urgency.
Faced with an economy prone to more frequent job turnover (and more time between jobs), the Institute for Career Transitions (ICT) offers career transition solutions to a slightly older, highly skilled, highly educated demographic that might otherwise be sidelined by circumstance.
“We’re addressing an old problem in a 2017 kind of way.” Executive Director Deborah Burkholder is describing how the ICT came to find itself in a Workbar coworking space in Danvers. “A lot of people in Workbar are reinventing themselves,” ICT Content Developer and Life Coach Tom McDonough adds, “Workbar and coworking spaces are leveraging those transitions.”
Right now the ICT Collaboratory is at an exciting juncture of their pilot program inside Workbar. As the future of work spells more time in transition, ICT clients represent the fastest growing demographic of the workforce, with the over-55-year-old sector increasing at a rate three times higher than the average. Through the medium of coworking and the ICT organization, they’re building visibility and providing services as a way to steer through career transitions that have become the new norm. While the ICT Collaboratory has benefitted from the collaboration and community inherent to a coworking space, apparently the feeling has been mutual.
"ICT is a great addition to Workbar Danvers,” says Jen Gallagher, the location’s Space & Community Manager. “The cohort is made up of a diverse group of professionals that have mixed very well with our current members. Deborah is always interested in collaborating with members, and they add a lot of fun to the member events as well."
Workbar member J. Michael Wheeler is also a big fan. "One of the main reasons I joined here was for networking opportunities. When you have companies, groups, and individuals working in the same space, networking is a natural outcome. ICT is a great example: I ran a workshop for their members to help them define and launch an MVP [Minimal Viable Product]. That kind of interaction brings real energy to Workbar."
The ICT Collaboratory has just finished their first cohort and is ramping up for their second in October. They’re eager to navigate more career transitions and replace the sinking fear of obsolescence with the hope and purpose of a second calling.
