Remarks-- Mimi Castaldi, Director, AARP District of Columbia
By: Source: AARP.org Date Posted: 2005-10-19 15:35:41
Staying Ahead of the Curve: Employer Best Practices for Mature Workers
September 26, 2005
Thank you, Bob, and thank all of you for coming today.
My name is Mimi Castaldi, and I am the Director of the District of Columbia Office of AARP.
I am excited by the number of people and organizations who have joined together to explore about Employer Best Practices for Mature Workers. In addition to Bob Peck and the Greater Washington Board of Trade, I am pleased to be working with the Washington Business Journal, Workforce Organizations for Regional Cooperation (WORC), George Washington University, and the DC Department of Employment Services.
As you can imagine, expanding opportunities for older workers is not new to AARP - it was a founding principle of our association. We even changed our name from American Association for Retired Persons to AARP in recognition of the fact that almost half our members are working full or part time.
AARP believes that enhancing employment opportunities for mature workers benefits not only the workers and their families, but also their employers, who will have an important leg up in filling the projected labor shortages that Bob referenced.
This is a national priority for AARP. In fact, in the November issue of AARP the Magazine, there's an article called Working Wonders that explores why more and more smart companies are turning to older workers to get the job done right. This magazine will reach 22 million households next month.
This issue is also a priority for us locally. That's why I joined with my colleague in Maryland state office, Joe DeMattos, and my colleagues in the Virginia State Office, Bill Kallio and Mariette Klein, to put together this metro-area forum. Our goal is to work closely with other organizations and with forward thinking employers who are developing or want to develop policies that enhance opportunities for mature workers.
Let me just share a few things that AARP is doing to highlight this issue:
- AARP's Best Employers for Workers over 50 Program employers that have established exemplary policies and practices to attract and retain the mature workers who will be key to their future success. The program - in its 5th year - is growing rapidly. Last year we recognized 35 best employers. This year we honored 50 out of 145 companies that went through a vigorous vetting process.
- I am proud to say that five of these employers were in the metro area:
- Pepco (Washington, DC)
- Inova Health System (Falls Church, VA)
- Loudon Healthcare Inc (Leesburg, VA)
- Mitretek Systems (Falls Church, VA)
- NASD (Rockville, MD)
You can read more about these companies in the magazine article I mentioned earlier. In addition, three of these honorees will participate in our Best Practices Panel today.
The Best Employers program is just one way AARP promotes the needs of mature workers.
Our Workforce Initiative -- an outgrowth of a national hiring partnership with the Home Depot -- is an effort to highlight the value of older workers; create employment opportunities; and help older workers gain access to the training, counseling and assessment they need to fill available positions.
As part of this Initiative, AARP created a "Featured Employers" program with l3 companies across the business spectrum committed to attracting mature workers with appropriate qualifications. This year we expanded to 25 Featured Employers and have a target of 50 companies by close of 2006.
AARP also has a Web site, www.aarp.org/employerresourcecenter that provides information and research for employers who want to get ahead and stay ahead of the curve.
As you can see, the mature workforce is a priority for AARP. We look forward to working with all of you to see what more we can do to raise awareness of this issue in the metropolitan area, and to help you rise to the challenges of the aging workforce.
Now, it gives me great pleasure to introduce our speaker this morning, Deborah Russell, Director for Economic Security at AARP and an expert on aging workforce and employment issues. Please join me in welcoming Deborah Russell to the stage.
Related Articles
- Metro-Area Business Leaders Prepare for An Aging Workforce
- Metro-Area Employers Share Best Practices for An Aging Workforce
- The AARP District of Columbia Aging Workforce Recognition Resolution of 2005
Other Resources
- AARP Best Employers for Workers Over 50 Award
- AARP Maryland
- AARP Virginia
- The Greater Washington Board of Trade
- The Washington Business Journal
- Workforce Organizations for Regional Collaboration (WORC)
- DC Department of Employment Services
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