NEXT STAGE OF ACTIVE AGEING PROJECTS STARTS

29-08-2008
A City of Mandurah Active Ageing project, funded by the Department of Local Government and Regional Development, has the potential to benefit older people seeking work, employers seeking workers, and the wider Mandurah community.

This City of Mandurah initiative follows on from consultation sessions with the local community in 2007 around the general theme of active ageing and the contribution older people could make to the community in which they live through paid or voluntary work.

Mandurah Mayor Paddi Creevey said ideas generated during the consultation sessions led to a more focused look at active ageing and that the strategies being developed under the project needed to be ‘road tested’.

“The City is seeking expressions of interest from organisations and businesses interested in participating in this next phase of the Active Ageing Project,” Mayor Creevey said.

“According to the Active Ageing Project consultants Re.vision, people are rethinking their views on longevity, working and retirement. While some people may still accept the traditional notion of working full-time and then retiring full-time, others are looking at a range of options.

“Both employers and workers are exploring options that include phased retirement, part-time flexible work arrangements, self-employment, voluntary work or a mix of these.  However, for these new arrangements to work for all concerned, a fresh approach is needed so that both older workers and employers can achieve their respective goals.” 

After initial conversations with older workers in Mandurah and employers, who have already tapped into the local pool of older workers, the City’s project officer Steve Nelson and the Re.vision consultants, Anne Butorac, Anne Zubrick and Jane Figgis are developing strategies that will help other employers and potential older employees to become involved in this initiative.

Different strategies are being designed for the various players, such as businesses or organisations using volunteers, older people interested in continuing flexible employment, those interested in volunteering and those interested in self-employment.

“This is a great opportunity for a limited number of organisations that may be having problems recruiting and retaining staff, and are interested in tapping into this potential employment base,” Mayor Creevey said.

Interested organisations or individuals can contact Anne Butorac on 9272 6995 or email a.butorac@aaaj.com.au

RELEASE ENDS

28 August 2008

Last modified 29-08-2008 08:56 PM