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People in their sixties should go to university to retrain because they will be expected to work for longer before retirement. People in their sixties should go to university to retrain because they will be expected to work for longer before retirement, the Government has suggested. Older workers who take courses to keep their skills up to date will be more likely to keep their jobs, claims David Willetts, the higher education minister. Mr Willetts said the age limit on student loans to cover tuition fees had been lifted, making a degree course “great value” for older people. This would help them cope with the pressure they would face to keep up to date as they worked well into their sixties, he suggested. His comments followed a government report which found that the country’s future economic success would depend on the skills and contributions of older workers. Campaigners for the elderly voiced doubts that prospective pensioners would be willing to commit to challenging degree courses and increased levels of debt to continue working. One in four people will be older than 65 by 2033 and economists have warned that the ageing population will place an unsustainable burden on taxpayers unless more people work for longer. The state pension age is to rise to 67 by 2028. Ministers have warned that they have no idea when younger workers in their thirties will be able to retire. | 
