Working in partnership
500,000 women in the UK want to work but cite family commitments and a lack of part-time jobs as major barriers. The Women and Equalities Unit also reports a lack of confidence as one of the main reasons for this statistic.
Many of these women are 'economically inactive' - out of work but not on benefits. In other words, they are ‘lost’ between the networks of recruitment agencies and support from Job Centre Plus.
Women Like Us can bring these women confidently back into the workplace.
We reach out to women at the school-gates - a place where they feel comfortable, without the stigma of being out of work. We help to re-build their confidence, access skills training, and overcome any barriers to work. We help them to look for appropriate job vacancies that fit with their family commitments. And we offer practical support and guidance when they apply for jobs.
We work with a wide range of partners to support workless women with children to find quality, sustainable employment. Partners include local authorities, regional development agencies, Job Centre Plus, voluntary sector agencies and welfare to work providers. On behalf of our partners we deliver services from outreach to IAG (information, advice and guidance), and employability skills to job brokerage.
By working together with Women Like Us, our partners can address a number of government strategies:
• Worklessness: We help women with children to access part-time, flexible jobs that enable them to balance work with the needs of their families. Increasing their household income contributes to the economic regeneration of local communities.
• Inequality: At the school gates, we reach women from all kinds of backgrounds and with a range of experiences. Our women strongly reflect local demographics - be they ethnic minorities, lone parents or any other targeted group.
• Child poverty: Many of our commissioned services are targeted at reaching families in deprived areas on low incomes. By recruiting women into part-time jobs, household income for many dual and single parent families is increased.
• 'Every Child Matters': By accessing women directly through their children's schools, we contribute to the government's agenda to provide a variety of extended schools' services, including local training and employment advice.
• Skill shortages: We connect employers to skilled, reliable staff (many mothers returning to work have several years' work experience), helping to resolve recruitment difficulties.
• Community cohesion: By supporting employers to recruit local women, economic growth within local areas is improved through local employment and regeneration.
As a social enterprise, Women Like Us works across voluntary and commercial sectors, delivering high-quality, cost-effective public services in an innovative way. We are led by experts who really understand the operational environment and the people who exist within it.
If you are interested in how Women Like Us could work in your area to fulfil local initiatives and make a sustainable difference to your community, our partnerships team would welcome the opportunity to meet with you and discuss how we can work together. You can contact us by clicking here.