Midlife career changers face an almost insurmountable wall. Employers often play it safe by focusing on direct, prior experience. Workers with highly transferable skills often discover that they cannot get an interview — much less the job.

In 2010, SHIFT developed an innovative pilot program, Midternships™, to support midlifers who want to gain hands-on work experience in a new career field. Midternships™ offer well-supervised, well-documented experience so that older workers have current credentials to seek regular employment in their chosen pathway. The program began with a few dozen 3-to-6 month paid Midternships™ in partnership with the Minneapolis Workforce Centers. The program was temporarily suspended in the Spring of 2012, however SHIFT intends to offer Midternships™ again in the near future.

Beverly Bockus:  A Midternships™ Success Story

Star Tribune Article by Laura French, January 12, 2015.