Governor Vilsack Invites Iowa's Business Leaders to Connect with Experience at Forums on Mature Worker Issues

Governor Vilsack Invites Iowa's Business Leaders to Connect with Experience at Forums on Mature Worker Issues

To help Iowa prepare for changing workforce demographics, Governor Tom Vilsack is inviting the state's business leaders to participate in one of the Connect with Experience mature worker regional forums taking place next month. Forums will be held in Des Moines, Ottumwa, Davenport, Council Bluffs, Cherokee and Waterloo. The forums will provide a platform for Iowa businesses to examine the mature worker issue at the regional level, and begin to work with the state and other key stakeholders to plan for the future.

"Older workers represent a tremendous opportunity to our economy and a wealth of knowledge that we must tap into," said Vilsack. "Business leaders serious about economic security should capitalize on the resources and wealth of new ideas these forums will offer."

In addition to local business leaders, the forums will bring together members of the Governor's Task Force on Mature Worker Issues, Iowa's Community Colleges, the Iowa Department of Elder Affairs, and the AARP Foundation for a two-hour discussion of the opportunities and barriers to expanding employment for mature workers in Iowa. Findings from these sessions will be recorded and used to develop a statewide conference on mature workforce issues in the spring of 2006.

Each meeting will highlight the best practices businesses have used to recruit, train, and attract older workers, and the bottom line results that older workers have produced. The meetings are free and open to all businesses in the state. More information and on-line registration is available at www.state.ia.us/elderaffairs/living/connectingwithexperience.

http://www.governor.state.ia.us/news/2005/august/august3005_3.html