Women Breaking Barriers project heralded a major success
Women Breaking Barriers, one of the most ambitious community-based training programmes for women in Northern Ireland, has reported significant success as it draws to a close.
A survey completed on the £370,000 project revealed that the participants went on to start businesses, got new jobs or went on to further training. The aim of the project was to increase women’s employability opportunities and there was a huge appetite for every course.
One hundred percent of the women surveyed said that they had achieved what they wanted from the courses they attended and felt they were supported by the other women on the course. In fact, 56.8% of those who began to search for work said that this support forged during the courses was one of the main things that helped them to have the confidence to apply.
Since January, the project has reached out to over 500 women to support them into employment and education as well as focusing on career development and confidence. Of the women surveyed, 61.4% gained a new qualification.
The courses were delivered at a grassroots level across 14 women’s centres in every council area of Northern Ireland. Funded by the Community Renewal Fund (CRF), through the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. The programme was run by the Women’s Resource and Development Agency (WRDA), the Women’s Support Network (WSN) and the Northern Ireland Rural Women’s Network (NIRWN).
Project co-ordinator Anne McVicker said Women Breaking Barriers is one of the most significant training programmes for women ever launched in Northern Ireland.
“This project helped meet the needs of women in disadvantaged communities by offering a wide range of training and other support such as childcare and travel allowances on a very local level. The courses were specifically devised to address the unequal playing field by reducing the barriers to education and employment for women in Northern Ireland. It’s had a major impact on the lives of these women, many of whom have moved into permanent jobs with local councils, Government departments and the private sector,” she said.
A key to the project was providing the wrap around service of childcare/eldercare, travel expenses, signposting and flexible learning hours. All the courses were free and offered a huge range of topics including a motivational course called GOALS, an innovative two-day programme designed to address issues that may stop women from reaching their training, education and employment goals.
The GOALS course ran within the participating women’s centres across all 11 council areas in Northern Ireland.
Course facilitator, Deirdre Quinn, said: “It was so important to increase women’s self-confidence, help them to think positively about themselves and empower them to pursue their goals. It was a launching point where many women could then go on to do other courses once they felt they were ready.”
One woman who attend the Goals programme said: “I learned a great deal about myself during the programme and enjoyed it very much. It has built my confidence in myself, and I think more about my decisions and how they affect my life and my future. I have used the Goals handbook and found it very useful to set myself targets and see them through. I also attended the Women in Film two day course in Belfast. It was a real eye opener into the opportunities in our own city and region of work available in this industry.
The project offered one to one support from the trainers with the participants and 25% of women surveyed said that this was a major factor in helping them begin to apply for work.
One participant said: “My participation in the programme had a great impact on my life. It enabled me to realise what I would like to achieve in the future, and I have been able to set and work towards my goals. As a result of this I have found the courage and signed up to study Health and Social Care course.”
The range of courses offered included bookkeeping, ICT, hospitality, health and social care, public speaking, introduction to counselling, social media skills and first aid with a major event introducing women to jobs in the film industry.
This major two-day event included many highly successful women in the production and technical side of the industry explaining the huge variety of career options such as producing and post production jobs, special effects, sound design, colouring and music composition.
The Women Breaking Barriers project not only focused on practical courses but also provided up-to date information on job markets, skills and educational qualifications required for entry into employment and signposting for further academic training opportunities.
Anne McVicker said: “It was this holistic approach to career development and confidence that made this project such a success. It was so important to assess the needs of each woman we worked with and then help them achieve what they wanted, whether that was applying for a new job, going on to do more courses or mapping out the way forward.”
One woman surveyed said: “I have been able to write a CV I am happy with after a long period out of work. I felt valued and got a lot of confidence. I’ve since had an interview for which I also got excellent advice.”
It is hoped that this pilot project will pave the way for a further Women Breaking Barriers programmes that will provide employment and training opportunities for many more women across Northern Ireland.
A final event is still to come with businesswomen voluntarily sharing their skills and experience with other women demonstrating how women can help each other.
