According to studies, 75% of ICT workers are under 35 years of age. This has a high impact on the search for job opportunities for people over 50 years old, who are excluded from a system that focuses on young people. This caught the attention of the then CEO of Pyxis, Diego Sastre, and together with the Human Development team they began to look for a way to transform this reality. In this sense, in 2019 the +50 Program arose: a Pyxis initiative that seeks to bring job opportunities to people over 50 years old. Through training, it promotes reinsertion into the labor market in the technology sector. With Abstracta’s participation in the training and with the support of Uruguay XXI and INEFOP, the project became a reality, with ten participants.

The +50 Program in first person

For the people over fifty who participated in this program, it involves a re-signification of their lives. Adriana Marquisio, one of the members of the program, tells us her story. When I was almost 42 years old, in 2002, one of my greatest fears arose: to become unemployed. Adriana tells us that she worked in the IT area and being out of work meant that she had to reinvent herself in order to get ahead. She worked in residential homes, taking care of the elderly. All activities far from technology. When the +50 program came up »a light went on», she says. At the age of 57, she was able to rejoin her sector, something she did not expect. This change of life was «the greatest happiness» at this point in his life.

For Carlos García, another member of the program, being part of this project gave him back his motivation in his work. After years of going through different scenarios and work experiences, he recognizes that the most important thing is to be able to get up and feel like working. »It’s almost priceless,» says Carlos. Enjoying what you do has a lot of benefits: you’re in a good mood, you’re more energetic. Working motivated builds a different attitude towards the task, which results in stimulation, improvement of skills and professional growth. Carlos only achieved this after this experience.

For Silvia Gómez, another tester part of the +50 Program, starting her path in Pyxis through this program was the opportunity to develop herself through teamwork. The idea of everyone helping and collaborating with each other to get ahead is not only very motivating» says Silvia »but the opportunity to grow professionally and as people». Sharing experiences and knowledge enriches both the people who are part of the program and those who receive them in their projects, because a broader and more diverse source of knowledge is generated.

Projects that received the students of the +50 Program

Working with people over fifty in an area full of young people has many preconceptions and prejudices. This was the experience of Beatriz, Andrés, Virginia and Gonzalo, members of Pyxis, who welcomed the graduates of this program into their teams. All four agree on one thing: they were prejudices that do not coincide with reality. People in the +50 program have a perspective on life and bring with them a series of experiences that translate into daily commitment to work, a global vision of tasks, and a daily effort to improve themselves. But if this can also be achieved with young people, what is the difference?» asks Virginia Abreu, QA project manager. For her, the key lies in a broader vision, in the contribution of greater experience, in the fact that her objectives are not in personal success but in the growth of the whole as a team.

The +50 program today

This year, we are in a new edition of the program, conducting training in digital marketing and e-commerce, integrating a need of Pyxis with the possibility of carrying out a project of social impact, through training by the Pyxians themselves. With this new edition of the project moving forward and doubling the number of participants, Pyxis reaffirms its role as an agent of social transformation, getting involved in a real way in the social problems that affect the community and working to build a better world.

Study cited: https://digital.fundacionceibal.edu.uy/jspui/bitstream/123456789/267/1/Doccetti.pdf