Progress Report on WINS Project, March 2006
From Nigov
Policy and Resources (Personnel) Sub-Committee 9 March 2006
Contents |
Purpose of Report
To update Members on progress to date on the WINS Project.
Background
Members will be aware that Belfast City Council is leading the WINS project to attract more women into non traditional jobs such as street cleansing, grounds maintenance, construction and driving. The WINS Project is 90% financed by the Department of Employment & Learning and the European Social Fund under the EQUAL Community Initiative.
Members will also recall that the project is working with similar projects in the Netherlands, Germany and the Republic of Ireland.
Current Position
Training & work experience
The WINS Project has an overall target of forty long term unemployed or economically inactive women to receive training and work experience among the organisations represented on the WINS Project. There are currently 169 expressions of interest in the training and work experience placements with Cleansing Services, Translink, Housing Executive and the construction industry. There was an initial intake of four for training and work experience with Cleansing Services in January this year. Further intakes are planned until June 2007 along with ongoing recruitment and awareness raising of the opportunities provided through the project.
As part of ongoing awareness and recruitment an information session was held at Dunbar Link depot on 18th January when over twenty women were given a demonstration on working in Cleansing Services by the management and staff of the Depot. The feedback from this information session was extremely positive from the women present. Several were interviewed for Radio Ulster’s Talkback and spoke of their good impression of the staff at the Deport and Council in general for undertaking the WINS project.
Women in Local Councils
The interim research prepared by the WINS project and launched in July 2005 has been referenced by the Equality Commission in their Gender Employment Equality Plan document launched in January this year as part of the Women into Local Councils Initiative led by the Local Government Staff Commission. This initiative complements WINS and involves representatives from SOLACE, NILGA, the National Association of Councillors, Business in the Community, NI Committee of ICTU and the Institute of Governance at Queen’s University.
Audit
There are stringent financial monitoring checks in place under the European Social Fund and the EQUAL Community Initiative and the WINS project has been audited three times by Local Government Auditor and the Financial Audit and Support Team (FAST) of the Department of Employment & Learning. Each audit has given an unqualified report and the project has been commended by DEL for its systems and procedures.
Transnational & policy development
In November the project hosted the first in a series of policy seminars in partnership with the Equal at Work project in Dublin. The seminar looked at experience of active labour market programmes in Belfast & Dublin. A further seminar is planned for April 26th & 27th in Dublin on the theme of managing diversity in the workforce. Approval is sought for the participation in this event of the Chair and Deputy Chair and Head of Financial Services (Designate) and Head of Human Resources or their nominees along with the WINS Project Manager and stakeholders from the WINS partnership. Costs for travel, accommodation and subsistence are estimated at £1,000 and will be met from overall project costs.
The project has also been asked to participate at a conference in Ahaus in Germany on 7th-9th June on increasing women’s participation in non traditional employment sectors. Approval is sought for the participation in this event of the Chair and Deputy Chair and Head of Human Resources or their nominees along with Head of Financial Services (Designate), WINS Project Manager and stakeholders from the WINS partnership. Costs for travel, accommodation and subsistence are estimated at £3,200 and will be met from overall project costs.
OFMDFM Best Practice Scheme
The Public Service Reform Unit of the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister runs a Best Practice Scheme which was introduced as part of the government’s proposals to reform and modernise public services in Northern Ireland. In 2005 applications to the scheme were made by Belfast City Council under the Brighter Belfast initiative, the European Unit within the Development Department and ISB. These applications were for recognition within the scheme under the themes of
- Working and partnership
- Developing customer service
- Optimising European Funding.
The WINS project was recognised under the third theme of Optimising European Funding and as such was profiled at the Making a Difference Day held in City Hall on 29th November 2005.
Changing perceptions event
The Project is working with the Opportunity Now campaign run by Business in the Community to facilitate an event with pupils and staff from the Little Flower and Girls Model schools in Belfast. This event is scheduled for the morning of 6th April in City Hall and will profile 12 women role models from non traditional employment sectors for the pupils. The perceptions of the pupils of these occupations will be assessed before hand and reviewed after the event and will thus feed into the ongoing research for the project.
Engineering Training Council
The project has met with the Engineering Training Council to establish areas of common interest and to explore the potential for their involvement on the project.
Environmental Implications
None.
Equality Implications
There are no specific equality implications associated with this report, however the work outlined for this project should have a significant impact on the under representation of women for jobs in which they would not traditionally seek employment in line with the corporate aim of achieving a representative workforce.
Budgetary Implications
The WINS Project is 90% financed by the Department of Employment & Learning and the European Social Fund under the EQUAL Community Initiative. Costs for travel, accommodation and subsistence will be met from the WINS project budget.
Recommendations
To approve attendance of the Chair, Deputy Chair and Head of Financial Services (Designate) and Head of Human Resources or their nominees along with the WINS Project Manager and stakeholders from the WINS partnership at the Managing Diversity in the Workplace Seminar in Dublin on April 27th/ 28th 2006
To approve attendance of the Chair, Deputy Chair and Head of Financial Services (Designate) and Head of Human Resources or their nominees along with the WINS Project Manager and stakeholders from the WINS partnership at the transnational conference on increasing women’s participation in non-traditional employment sectors from 7th-9th June 2006.
Decision Required
To approve the foregoing recommendations.
