Cork programme targets women returning to work

As many as 50% enter employment after participating in support programmes

Siobhan O’Neill, of Cork City Partnership’s Growing Your Potential course, with past students Antoinette Gibbons and Arlene Pope who are encouraging women who have been working in the home to sign up for the course. Applications are now open. Picture: Brian Lougheed

Women are so busy caring for others and running the home that they have lost perspective on how much they have to offer.

That is the view of Cork City Partnership chief executive Brenda Cahill who said research shows that many women want to build and refresh their skillset, but they are held back by a lack of confidence.

“Women often don’t realise the abilities they’ve built up working in the home," said Ms Cahill. "This course helps remind them of how valuable their contribution is and would be to prospective employers."

The partnership is now accepting applications for the next Growing Your Potential course aimed at boosting the confidence and skills of women who may return to the workforce in the future, following a period of time working in the home.

Antoinette Gibbons, a trained dental nurse who had been working in the home for 20 years, has returned to working in the medical sector since completing the course.

'Gave me confidence'

“It gave me the confidence to say I wasn’t too old, I did have skills," said Ms Gibbons. 

"Whether there was an opportunity in a shop, a factory, or anywhere, I had the tools to prepare my CV, figure out how and where to apply, how to make a good impression in an interview, and more.”

The free online course offers support on a range of topics from confidence building to networking and digital technology. 

Experts also provide coaching on CV preparation, interview techniques, and personal presentation for interview and the workplace, as they help to empower women to achieve economic independence.

The partnership said as many as 50% enter employment after participating in such courses and it provides further support to participants should they wish to use their new skills to find employment or start their own business.