8 September 2020
By Mary Bermingham
mary@TheCork.ie
Cork City Partnership invites candidates for free online courses to help women access future paid employment or further education. Minister Helen McEntee endorses the concept
Cork City Partnership is inviting women to take advantage of the “new normal” by signing up for an online course designed to draw on their experience of working in the home and put it to new use.
Beginning in October, “Growing Your Potential” is a free ten-week online course that supports women who are currently not in employment, but who have many transferable skills from their life experience.
The course offers a range of supports from confidence building, to working with online technology, networking, and interview technique. Participants will also benefit from coaching on presentation and dress codes which works to empower women to achieve economic independence.
Cork City Partnership can further support participants should they wish to use their new skills to find employment, or start their own business.
Siobhan O’ Neill (2nd. left), Employment Support Worker from Cork City Partnership with (l to r.) Niamh Murphy, Geraldine O’Connor and Frances McCarthy at the launch of the Cork City Partnership’s “Grow Your Potential” course. Beginning in October, “Growing Your Potential” is a free ten-week online course that supports women who are currently not in employment, but who have many transferable skills from their life experience.
Pic: Brian Lougheed
Siobhán O’Neill from Cork City Partnership says,
“There are over 7,000 women in Cork city who identify as working in the home. Amongst that group, there is an unbridled talent that could easily be put to use in a different setting. The aim of Growing Your Potential is to help these women identify that there are other avenues open to them, should they wish to explore them. This is designed to give these women further skills and avail of some much-needed “Me Time”, to build new friendships, learn something new, and open up a range of opportunities.”
Cork City Partnership’s PEIL project has demonstrated that when women engage on a project such as this, their outlook on their employment prospects and their interest in getting a job improves markedly. As many as 50% enter employment after participating.
“Growing Your Potential” is an initiative by Cork City Partnership that is supported by PEIL and the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform.
Helen McEntee TD, Minister for Justice and Equality said,
“I wholeheartedly welcome this initiative which offers support and practical assistance to women who have been working in the home and feel the time is right to transfer their skills to new settings. CSO statistical evidence shows that there is a gap of over 12% in the labour force participation rates between men and women. Evidence shows that programmes such as these can help to address that imbalance, while providing an outlet for women to network, build confidence and identify new opportunities that will be a match with their skill sets and life experience.”
Anyone interested in signing up for Growing Your Potential can visit http://corkcitypartnership.ie for more information. They can also be contacted on info@partnershipcork.ie or 021 430 2310
