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Arizona is giving a stamp of approval to employers that want to tap the experience and passion of older workers.

The Arizona Governor's Advisory Council on Aging and the Arizona Department of Commerce this week released a list of 46 Arizona employers that have been certified as "Mature Worker Friendly Employers."

This program, previously mentioned in the MetLife Foundation/Civic Ventures Survey of Nonprofit Employers and Encore.org, is part of the Arizona Mature Workforce Initiative, which provides recognition to employers who commit to creating a workplace environment that values the experience and skills of mature workers and also assists employers in attracting and retaining them. Certified employers are listed on the Mature Workers Web site.

The certification is not limited to encore employers - those that provide opportunities to make a social impact - but many of the certified employers are in the nonprofit and public service sectors. Among the employers that have received certification are the City of Casa Grande and United Cerebral Palsy of Central Arizona.

As the encore career category grows, there is an increasing need for those seeking encore careers to be able to identify encore-ready employers. In addition to Arizona's certification process, RetirementJobs.com has an "Age Friendly Employer Certification" program that screens employers on a dozen criteria.

In Arizona's program, the certified employers benefit from increased company visibility via free job postings on the Web site, free advertising and free training at the biennial Governor's Conference on Aging. Each is permitted to use the Mature Worker Friendly Certified logo.

Employer applications to the program are accepted approximately six to eight weeks per year. The next open appication period will take place during the summer of 2009. For more information, visit the Mature Workers Web site.

What criteria should employers be expected to meet to be considered "Encore-Ready?"