Working Lives Research Institute: Creative Approaches to Workforce Ageing (CAWA)

Creative Approaches to Workforce Ageing (CAWA)

Research Staff

CAWA Bulletins

CAWA 1st Bulletin, 2006

Researchers

Professor Steve Jefferys, Dr Andrea Winkelmann-Gleed

Time Scale

30 November 2005 – 30th November 2007

Funding

ESF Article 6

Project Summary

CAWA's aim is to make a significant contribution to ageing workforce policy awareness and effectiveness by promoting creative approaches to workforce ageing among older workers. In each of the European partner organisations in Austria, Spain, Sweden and the UK the project focusses on organisational case studies in a range of different employment sectors. In the UK the project is supported by the CIPD and SERTUC and case studies are being conducted in the NHS, Centrica and ARRIVA. Interim reports and further details can be found on the CAWA project website: www.olderworkers.eu

With additional input from Bulgaria, international social partner workshop discussions are developing and assessing national benchmarks for innovative policies and practices and are further developing a European Code of Innovative Practice. Project details are widely disseminated through the CAWA bulletin, the website and a documentary film, ensuring that workforce ageing receives a higher priority.

Its objectives may be summarised as follows:

To raise awareness of the issue among social partners in those sectors, occupations and regions where average workforce age is the highest.
To take into account labour force occupational differences, societal retirement policy differences and cultural differences within and between countries in developing policies that will improve both individual choice and societal well-being.
To involve representatives of the social partners in reaching agreement on benchmarks that will help identify and highlight innovative and effective policy and practice.
To bring the nationally-developed benchmarks together to inform the creation of a European Code of Best Ageing Workforce practice.
To develop effective dissemination methods by which the benchmarks and European Code can be inserted into sectoral, regional and national debates on workforce ageing and which can be adopted by other sectors and other European countries after the end of the project.

CAWA will thus make a contribution to the achievement of the 2010 employment target through addressing three of the priority issues in the call:

Research Methods

The project uses a range of qualitative research methods, including one-to-one semi-structured interviews with key informants, employers, trade unionists and older workers and a case study approach exploring attitudes towards older workers in certain employment sectors.

CAWA Bulletins

1st CAWA Bulletin, 2006

CAWA Film : Workforce Ageing

To view the film, please click here (right click on link and save before viewing) (22 mins 25 sec)

For further information about the project please contact

Project Co-ordinator, Andrea Winkelmann-Gleed
A.Winkelmann-gleed@londonmet.ac.uk