WBZ Cares: Operation A.B.L.E Graduates Help Fill Many Jobs In Boston

BOSTON (CBS) - Each month, WBZ Cares highlights a worthy non-profit organization, and tells the story of what that organization does for the community.

This month's organization, "Operation A.B.L.E," (Ability Based On Long Experience) a Boston-based organization that provides a wide range of job training and employment services and classes for workers 45 and older to help them get back to work.

Operation A.B.L.E.'s website, you will see a long list of "Able friendly employers", organizations that include hospitals, healthcare providers, colleges.

Places like the MFA State Street Corporation, MIT, and Mass General Hospital, where it has hired hundreds of A.B.L.E. workers over the years, adding to their expansive workforce, of  27,000 people.

"Recruiters, post opportunities with Operation A.B.L.E., candidates are provided with direction and coaching to look for jobs. One of our work top recruiters is engaged with an advisory committee with the Operation ABLE client so that we have a real connection to get candidates in the door," said Steve Taranto, Human Resources Director for Mass General Hospital.

He said students from the Operation A.B.L.E. program have been able to fill a wide variety of positions.

"Administrative positions or customer service often they have a specialty. They may have finance backgrounds or marketing backgrounds," he said.

A lot of A.B.L.E. workers use their entry level positions at the hospital as a stepping stone.

"Those who have been unemployed for a period of time, are looking to re-enter what they often achieve as a successful transition is being here in the hospital for a year or more," Taranto said.  "They may then find the opportunity to matriculate into a higher field or a more senior or a more managerial position."

According to Taranto says, workers aged 45 and over bring a lot of benefits to the table.

"There's opportunities to have candidates that can bring experience and maturity and skills into the workforce. The Operation A.B.L.E. candidate typically has that familiarity with having responsibility, accountability, and working ethics and that can be really valuable," he said.

For more information about Operation A.B.L.E, visit: OperationAble.net or the WBZ Cares section on the CBSBoston.com website during the month of May.