Too bad, damn.
BUT IMO he should possibly explore consulting, it will be difficult at his age for someone to hire him full time.
Sure some manager might want him but HR might block it.
If he has a few $$$ saved up, tell him to go all out though he might jeapordize his severance for awhile so be careful. I assume there are no coventions or seminars in his industry right now (fucking CCP virus) but if so, he should be there. He should contact a LOT of the appropriate potential clients via hard mail, email and the telephone. Again, all out, spend some $$$, no half measures at the start (that is the tendency and the mistake, to slowly move forward, nope, he should get himself out there!).
Charge by the hour but make weekly and monthly fee rates, too.
If he gets a good consulting gig and is in meetings/decision situations with company management, THAT could lead to a full time job.