Chamber to Provide Employer Education for Training and Retaining Older Workers

WASHINGTON, DC— The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has joined with more than twenty other organizations to launch the Alliance for an Experienced Workforce, a coalition dedicated to the training and retention of workers over the age of 50.

"As the baby boom generation reaches retirement, American businesses will face the loss of many knowledgeable and experienced workers," said Thomas J. Donohue, president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. "The harsh reality is that we don't have enough qualified workers to meet our employment needs—not now, or in the future."

One of the Chamber's first projects will be four regional, one-day employer training workshops, to be held at local and regional chambers in Connecticut, South Carolina, Kentucky, and Arizona. These workshops, run by the Chamber's Center for Workforce Preparation, will educate employers on ways to hire and retain workers age 50 and older.

The four workshops will include segments on forecasting future employment trends and identifying the labor force needs to meet those trends. Following the workshops, the Chamber will continue to provide technical assistance as the employers implement new practices. Ultimately, this program will provide models for how employers can effectively hire and retain the 50+ workforce.

"We no longer have the luxury of neglecting or dismissing older workers," said Donohue. "They hold the key to our continued economic growth and prosperity. The Chamber is firmly committed to engaging and nurturing this valuable resource."

The Chamber has a long commitment to working toward retaining a mature workforce. Last June, the Chamber hosted a pre-White House Conference on Aging that explored ways to battle the stereotypes that older workers face and find ways to retain these valued employees. As a follow-on to the conference, CWP released a report, the Voice of Business on the Mature Workforce, which stresses flexibility in retirement plan design, management practices and public policy reform.

The U.S. Chamber is the world's largest business federation representing more than
3 million businesses and organizations of every size, sector, and region.

The Alliance for an Experienced Workforce website can be viewed at:

www.aarp.org/alliance

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06-23