25 returners take part in 4-week programme encouraging women to re-enter the workplace
The innovative female returners programme Press Refresh, delivered by Women in Business in partnership with Belfast Metropolitan College, has launched a new four-week pilot aimed at supporting women re-enter the workplace following a career break.
Funded by the Department for the Economy, Career Reboot is a month-long programme encouraging women to build confidence, develop their interview skills, enhance their CV and gain a level 3 ILM qualification in leadership and management.
An extension to the Press Refresh data analytics programme, the Career Reboot pilot has been developed for women working under 16 hours, returning from maternity leave, and for those who hold a valuable caring role.
Speaking about her experience of the programme, participant Shauna Connelly said: “I was very apprehensive about attending this course as I was out of the work environment for a number of years and my confidence was at an all-time low, but the facilitators put me right at ease from the word go, were very supportive in encouraging me to go outside my comfort zone and develop new skills without the fear of failure’.
Twenty-five women returners took part in the pilot, which ran from 11th October to 11th November, with one participant, Vanessa Milliken, already securing a position the Women in Business Group.
Roseann Kelly, Chief Executive of Women in Business, said: “I am delighted that our new pilot has assisted its first graduate into flexible employment. Career Reboot builds on the strong foundations laid by Press Refresh and is part of our mission to break down barriers to gender diversity within the workplace and ultimately create more inclusive organisations.
“By working closely with our partners at Belfast Metropolitan College and the Department for the Economy, we can help unlock the untapped potential of local female talent and cement pathways back to the workforce for those women returning from a career break. Our Career Reboot pilot is a timely reminder of the urgent need to scale female-specific schemes to help answer Northern Ireland’s current skill shortage.”
Louise Warde Hunter, Principal & Chief Executive at Belfast Metropolitan College, said: “We are delighted to be working with the Press Refresh Programme in collaboration with Women in Business once again. This highly successful initiative demonstrates Belfast Met’s pledge to deliver on the 10X economic strategy vision of building an inclusive and innovative economy by harnessing and skilling the diverse talent in our society.
“The Press Refresh Programme has enabled participants to achieve an ILM qualification in leadership and management and ultimately re-enter the workplace. The commitment and dedication shown by all participants who have successfully completed this robust and challenging programme has been inspirational and I wish them every success in their future roles.”
While the Career Reboot programme is now complete, the 16-week Press Refresh data analytics programme is currenting ongoing. To find out more information on Press Refresh, please visit https://pressrefresh.co.uk/
