Cathy Angel was three years retired when she decided to go back to school.

A self-described elder, the returning student was intimidated — but also thrilled — by the prospect of updating her IT skills at Yukon College and even facing down possible rejection in the workforce.

“It was very exciting and very terrifying. I hadn’t been to school for many, many years,” the former entrepreneur said.

“I used to run three businesses — at one point, all at the same time,” Angel told the Star today.

By late 2013, the Mayo-born mother had sold those operations — Plantation Flowers and Gifts downtown, The Greenhouse At Cliffside garden centre atop Two Mile Hill, and her Please Mum clothing franchise.

Encouraged by a friend, Angel made the leap and applied to her first education program since the computer courses she took after graduation from high school.

One year ago, she was accepted into Targeted Initiative for Older Workers, offered twice yearly at the college.

That two-month program, cost-shared between the federal government and its territorial and provincial counterparts, targets unemployed older workers aged 55 to 64.

The funding — an $850,000 top-up announced Monday will see the program continue in the Yukon for at least three more years — goes to “communities experiencing ongoing high unemployment and/or with a high reliance on an industry significantly affected by downsizing or closure,” according to the federal economic action plan.

Angel took one course, “digital skills for the work world,” that would ultimately pave the way for her administrative position at Yukon Learn, a non-profit that works to improve adult literacy, numeracy and computer savvy.

Mastering applications like Microsoft Excel and Word — “or just being able to navigate them” — meant a smoother four-week practicum at Yukon Learn last March, and demonstrated her ability to the point of full-time employment last August.

Angel highlighted “how much I appreciate the effort the instructors put into designing the course, especially for people in my age group.”

She said the approach was tailored to people who weren’t steeped in the widgets of the digital age, and laid a solid foundation of confidence for applying to jobs, networking and managing stress.

As for the student population: “It was quite the mix. There were some people that hadn’t worked for several years, like myself; some people whose jobs had gone by the wayside, like in a sawmill.

“One fellow had worked at the railroad, and his job no longer existed. But we were all there for the same thing,” she said, adding: “It was a very positive learning environment.”

George Green, an instructor in the program, it “is gaining in popularity very much.”

Last winter saw 43 applications come in for 12 spots in the course.

Just today, Green finished reviewing 27 applications for the January semester, which includes a core curriculum that covers computer literacy, conflict resolution, labour market assessments, résumé-writing, cover letters and job interviews, to name a few.

As in other years, Green and his fellow instructors will then design a set of electives — about 35 to 40 per cent of the program — around the needs of the 12 participants following an hour-long interview with each of them.

“And that’s sometimes a bit of a challenge, because as you can imagine they’re a very diverse group of students.”

Subjects covered in the past range from business administration to taxes and pensions, learning disabilities and gardening.

“It isn’t always applied directly related to work,” Green noted. “Sometimes it’s just about individual interest.”

The five-day-a-week program pays a minimum-wage stipend for the hours students spend in class.

“They pretty much would not be able to do it without the stipend,” Green said. “It’s a huge help and it’s a major incentive to participation.”

Nearly 300 people have gone through the Targeted Initiative for Older Workers since 2007, when it was launched through Employment and Social Development Canada.

Seventy-five per cent of alumni have found work since, according to the Education department.

Eleven of 12 students from last winter’s batch are currently employed, Green added.

“It was pretty evenly distributed (proportionally) between the private, public, and non-profit sector,” he said of where graduates generally end up.

Some have gone on to start their own businesses, while others re-enroll at Yukon College to focus further on areas like business administration or social work.

Several alums work at the Community Services department and the Skookum Jim Friendship Centre.

“Right now we have the baby boom and we have the labour market crisis, so it’s a really good time to have them in this kind of program. We need them in the workforce, we need their knowledge and experience.

“There’s a lot of sharing and team building ... I see my job to facilitate learning rather than to instruct,” said Green, who was the executive director of the Learning Disabilities Association of Yukon for 13 years.

“Yukon College is pleased to partner with the territorial and federal governments to deliver this popular program, which brings measurable and tangible benefits to the students who participate and to their families and the community in general,” said Margaret Dumkee, the dean of Applied Science and Management.

She added a recent survey showed more than 90 per cent of participants felt the program had helped them become more employable.

“This initiative enables older workers to enter or re-enter the workforce by helping them determine what type of work suits their needs and providing the necessary training,” Education Minister Elaine Taylor said Monday.

“The participants gain employment skills and confidence, and the labour market gains skilled workers.”