Breaking the poverty cycle with job skills

A PILOT program aimed at getting disadvantaged women into sustainable employment through specialised free TAFE courses is set to launch in Bendigo.

Developed by WomenCAN, a charity aimed at ending the cycle of poverty for affected women, the Placement Circle is searching for at least 15 eligible women to enrol in their redesigned Certificate III in Individual Support (Aged Care) at Kangan Institute.

Programme manager Margot Spalding said the program is the only one of its kind.

“The goal of WomenCAN is to be spread nationwide because there is no program like this. There is no program specifically targeted at training for women with the direct view to employment,” she said.

“These women are in all sorts of areas so they may be ethnically diverse women, they may be women who, their children have gone to school and they want to go back to work but they actually just can’t navigate or negotiate the whole training and employment path because it’s too onerous.

“Many women have lost their confidence if they’ve been out of the work force for any length of time because things change so much.

“Finding employment can be impossible, there are many women who just simply slip through the cracks and simply cannot access training and employment,” Ms Spalding said.

The specialised courses will be redesigned using a peer mentoring model to suit the needs of participants and Ms Spalding said a particular focus has been put on qualifications for in-demand jobs.

“Following the pilot the setup will be such that the other areas that will be offered will be transport, cyber security and commercial cookery,” she said.

For more information contact Ms Spalding on 0417 326 692 or [email protected].