AS the first company in the North to concentrate on job opportunities for the over 45s opens its doors in Wharfedale, it appears even the business world has acknowledged the growing trend of working 'pensioners'.

Encore Recruitment run by Jeni Cropper and based on Cowpasture Road, Ilkley, registered 70 candidates in its opening month. The response they received was so great the company has taken on another consultant - mature of course. Yet according to an ICM poll for Age Concern, nearly one-third of people know someone who has been a victim of age discrimination at work.

But research undertaken by the Department for Work and Pensions as part of its Age Positive Campaign found the over 45s to be reliable, conscientious, loyal, hardworking and committed, have experience and knowledge and were supportive to younger colleagues.

Harry Armitage worked as a mechanic for Benfield Ford in Guiseley for 32 years. In August 2002 he decided it was time to retire at the age of 66.

However, Mr Armitage who lives in Leeds decided he would prefer to return to work in order to stay active through the winter months. Mr Armitage now works as a driver at the dealership in Guiseley every Friday and is often called in when other employees take time off for their holidays.

Mr Armitage said: "I decided to return to work because I need to stay active. I find working at Benfield Ford interesting and working there enables me to continue what I have done all my life, which is work with cars.

"Having worked in Guiseley for so long, I feel that I am part of the furniture. I have seen all the changes in technology and I have worked at the dealership through its continuous expansion over the years. It is so good to see how things have changed and work with people who now feel like family to me."

Howeve, according to research by the Employers Forum on Age, 70 per cent of us want to retire by the age of 60. The suggestion of a retirement age of 70 is not well received.

Manager of Otley Help the Aged charity shop Enid Lane is 62 years old and works full-time. She believes that a retirement age of 70 is too high.

She said: "I wouldn't be happy working full-time until I am 70. Physically I wouldn't be able to do this job at that age as it involves so much lifting. I work because my pension doesn't start until I am 65 so I need the money. Also I 'd like to think I'm too young to sit around all day and do nothing.

"I think if people really want to keep on working then they should be able to but you should have the option of retiring at 60."

John Barnet, 48, works as a purchasing manager for N Power in Leeds. Becoming a father later in life has meant that early retirement is not an option financially.

John registered with Encore due to uncertainty over his current job. John said: "Being the wrong side of 40 my age is going against me. Encore seemed a good bet.

"I would hope in terms of knowledge, experience and life skills, I have a lot to offer. Businesses want dynamic, new and fresh ideas but my feelings are that a 20-year-old is unlikely to want to stay with one company. A younger person is looking to build a career and is not going to stay with one company to do that. In terms of length of service to a company I would have more to offer.

John has mixed views on the retirement age being raised to 70.

"Obviously I have hobbies and I like to spend as much time as I can with the children. But for a lot of people who perhaps don't have family, the social interaction at work is important. I think mature people like to prove they can still be useful to society too."

John believes flexibility is the answer. He said: "The option of working two or three days a week would be an answer for those who maybe have a pension or a partner who can make up the shortfall."

It would seem with a change in policy, and a bigger change in attitude, we have nothing to fear from an ageing society.

l The current law states retirement age as 60 for women and 65 for men.

l It is estimated that over the next 30 or 40 years the country will see a 50 per cent increase in the elderly population with a rise in numbers of people living to be 90 or 100.

l There are between 700,000 and 1m people in the UK who are aged between 50 and 64 and are unemployed or "economically inactive".

l In 15 years time, almost half the workforce will be over the age of 50.

l In 2006, age discrimination in the workplace will be illegal.