This Age Discrimination and Ageism course is designed for employees, managers, Human Resources professionals, volunteers and people responsible for delivering services. It explains how age-based attitudes and assumptions can affect workplace decisions, access to opportunities, service delivery and a person’s dignity.
This free course covers age as a protected characteristic, equality law across the UK, direct and indirect discrimination, harassment, victimisation and objective justification. Learners will also explore fair practice in recruitment, pay, training, promotion, retirement, health and social care, education and community organisations, alongside effective reporting and management responsibilities.
Why Take This eLearning Course?
Age discrimination can affect people at every stage of life. Understanding how it occurs helps individuals and organisations make evidence-based decisions, challenge unfair assumptions and create workplaces and services where people of different ages are treated with dignity and respect.
This course will help you to:
- Recognise age discrimination, ageism and age stereotyping
- Understand how age is protected under equality law
- Identify direct and indirect forms of discrimination
- Distinguish fair age-sensitive decisions from unsupported assumptions
- Promote inclusive recruitment and employment practices
- Support fair access to training, promotion and workplace opportunities
- Recognise age-related harassment and victimisation
- Respond appropriately when equality concerns are raised
- Improve inclusion in services, education and community settings
- Contribute to an age-inclusive organisational culture
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Define age discrimination, ageism and age stereotyping
- Explain how age is treated as a protected characteristic
- Describe key differences in equality law across the UK
- Identify examples of direct and indirect age discrimination
- Explain legitimate aims, proportionality and objective justification
- Recognise age-related harassment and victimisation
- Assess common age discrimination risks in employment and service delivery
- Apply respectful challenge and allyship in appropriate situations
- Follow suitable reporting and escalation procedures
- Describe the responsibilities of managers, Human Resources teams and public bodies
Age Discrimination and Ageism Course Outline
Module 1: Understanding Age Equality and Ageism
Learners will examine the meaning of age discrimination, ageism, stereotyping and unfair assumptions. The module explains that age-based disadvantage can affect younger, middle-aged and older people and introduces age as a protected characteristic. It also outlines the equality frameworks applying in Great Britain and Northern Ireland and explores how dignity, fair opportunity and individual judgement support inclusive practice.
Module 2: Direct and Indirect Age Discrimination
Learners will explore how direct discrimination can arise when someone receives less favourable treatment because of an actual, perceived or associated age. They will consider how apparently neutral rules may indirectly disadvantage an age group and how evidence can be used to review their effect. The module also examines workplace and service examples, legitimate aims, proportionate methods, objective justification and the need to obtain specialist advice before relying on a lawful exception.
Module 3: Harassment, Victimisation and Appropriate Responses
Learners will identify unwanted age-related behaviour, including jokes, labels, repeated comments, exclusion and pressure linked to age. They will examine how context, perception and the effect on dignity or the wider environment are considered. The module also explains victimisation following an equality concern and sets out appropriate responses, including listening carefully, recording facts, protecting people from retaliation and using the correct organisational procedure.
Module 4: Age Equality in Employment
Learners will consider how age discrimination may affect advertising, recruitment, selection, pay, employee benefits, contractual terms and access to workplace opportunities. The module explores fair approaches to training, promotion, career discussions, performance management and development support. It also explains the end of the default retirement age and why employers should not assume that a worker intends to retire at a particular age.
Module 5: Fair and Inclusive Service Delivery
Learners will examine how age-based decisions can affect access to goods, facilities, services and public functions. The module considers ageism in health and social care, including assumptions about symptoms, decision-making capacity and participation in care. It also explores education and community organisations, safeguarding measures, minimum ages, targeted services, clinical decisions and other circumstances in which age may be relevant to a lawful and proportionate decision.
Module 6: Challenging, Reporting and Preventing Age Discrimination
Learners will explore respectful ways to question assumptions, challenge inappropriate comments and support people who raise concerns. The module explains routine reporting, urgent escalation, factual record-keeping and confidentiality. It also examines the responsibilities of managers and Human Resources professionals, including prompt action, protection from retaliation and consistent application of procedures, before considering everyday inclusion and the Public Sector Equality Duty.
Target Audience
This course is suitable for:
- Employees, workers and volunteers in organisations of any size
- Supervisors, team leaders and managers
- Human Resources, recruitment and learning professionals
- Staff delivering public, commercial or community services
- People working in health, social care, education or community organisations
- Equality, safeguarding, governance and organisational development leads
No previous specialist knowledge is required.
FAQ
Who is this age discrimination and ageism course suitable for?
The course is suitable for employees, volunteers, managers, Human Resources professionals and anyone involved in workplace decisions or service delivery. It is also relevant to organisations seeking to strengthen equality, dignity and inclusion across different age groups.
Do I need any previous experience?
No previous equality or legal training is required. The course introduces the main terms, responsibilities and practical considerations in clear language.
What will I learn on this course?
You will learn how to recognise age discrimination, ageism, stereotyping, harassment and victimisation. You will also explore fair decision-making, objective justification, workplace equality, inclusive service delivery and appropriate reporting procedures.
Will this course help with day-to-day practice?
Yes. The course provides practical guidance for reviewing decisions, communicating respectfully, challenging assumptions, recording concerns and applying consistent criteria in workplaces and services.
Does the course cover practical skills?
The course develops practical awareness rather than specialist legal or investigative skills. It explains how to identify possible concerns, ask appropriate questions, document factual information and refer matters through approved procedures.
Does it cover relevant equality responsibilities and good practice?
Yes. The course explains age as a protected characteristic, relevant equality principles, the different legal frameworks across the UK and the importance of following current organisational policies and specialist guidance.
Does the course cover age discrimination in recruitment and employment?
Yes. It examines advertising, selection, pay, benefits, training, promotion, performance management, career discussions and retirement. It emphasises using objective evidence rather than assumptions about a person’s age or future plans.
How long does the course take?
The course is self-paced and usually takes around 1 hour to complete.
Will I receive a certificate?
Yes. A certificate is issued after successful completion.
This online course provides a clear and practical introduction to recognising, preventing and responding to age discrimination. It supports fairer decisions, respectful behaviour and more inclusive opportunities for people of every age.
Enrol now to build your understanding of age discrimination and ageism.
