Clare women excel in new equality courses

GROUPS of women from several parts of Clare who undertook a new adult learning project joined up in The Temple Gate Hotel, Ennis, to celebrate the close of a variety of courses.
They were hosted by Clare Adult Basic Education Service (CABES), an arm of Clare Vocational Education Committee’s County Adult & Community Education Service.
For the past year, CABES has facilitated people to access various education programmes right across the county under the Equality for Women Measure, a positive action programme for women aiming to foster gender equality. The programme is delivered from the European Social Fund under the Human Capital Investment Operational Programme 2007 to 2013.
In Ireland, the project is overseen by the Department of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht. Funding of up to €50,000 a year was awarded for one or more years to 43 clearly targeted Irish projects which foster gender equality through delivery of practical customised development supports. Clare Vocational Education Committee successfully applied to be one of the recipients of this project backing.
Throughout the county, 145 women accessed various education programmes. They were taken up in Liscannor, Killaloe, Flagmount, Ennis, Shannon, Newmarket, Scariff and Kilrush.
Of the participants, 70% have not stopped there but continue in education, progressing to various Further Education and Training Awards Council of Ireland level 4 and 5 programmes as well as the Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme, Leaving Cert or third-level courses. Many gained employment as a result of their return to education.
The range of courses was quite immense as some opted for introduction to healthcare, communication skills, cookery and nutrition. Computers were an inevitable ingredient with an introduction to digital technology. Crafts that could be undertaken included stained glass and sewing. For those interested in the outdoors there was horticulture, while the Newmarket group took on drama and film-making, writing their own music for the project. Others chose personal care presentation, music and dance, job-seeking skills, career guidance and workplace site visits. Guest speakers addressed the groups on the world of work.
Celebration day in the county capital was facilitated by Amanda O’Connor, a tutor with CABES; Margot Walsh, a CABES co-ordinator and Victoria Hook from the CABES and Back to Education Initiative administrative staff. It included impressive displays of the work completed by the groups.
Keynote speaker was Kerry woman Liz Dowling who specialises in the healing and nutritional aspects of life. She encouraged those gathered to continue stepping out of their comfort zone, as they had done by undertaking the courses and rely on their inner power, which nobody could take from them. Commenting on the courses, she admitted to being bowled over by the achievements of all the groups involved.
The Minister of State for Equality, Integration and Human Rights, Mary White, has been emphasising that the Equality for Women Measure helps women take control of their economic lives through training and support to develop employment and enterprise opportunities.
She was delighted with the response to a call for funding applications, such as the Clare one, when she originally announced an allocation of about €1.9 million in grant funding overall.
The measure, she pointed out, afforded a variety of training and support options to women to enable them prepare for employment, starting a business or advancing their careers. Ultimately, it enabled them to think about where they wanted to be and what they wanted to achieve.
She added that in meeting women from all communities across Ireland, she continued to find a great dynamism at local level and expressed the hope that the projects that had been identified for funding would continue to foster that dynamism.