Post written by Jane Hunt, former inaugural CEO at Fitted for Work.
Welcome to our brand new website and my first ever blog!
At our wonderful end of year celebrations last week, one of the women, Dee, who had recently graduated from the Transition to Work program, spoke about feeling like she was ‘one of the forgotten ones’.
She’d worked all her adult life, but stopped to care for her elderly Mother when she was ill. After her mother had passed away, she found it difficult to re-enter the workforce and her confidence took a real battering. She felt lonely and forgotten.
Dee touched on a common piece of feedback we receive from the women we assist. Many of them find that ‘mainstream’ employment assistance does not cater to their unique experiences in dealing with gaps of work history and juggling family commitments.
Dee had the audience of 70 people captivated, as she told with energy and confidence her story and what she had learnt from the Transition to Work program. The program re-skilled her in office administration and IT skills, provided her with work experience and a mentor and re-affirmed that she had developed a tremendous set of skills as a result of caring for her mother.
I felt very proud that we get to help women like Dee who feel ‘forgotten’ to again feel valued and relevant to the world of work. I couldn’t think of a better way to end 2011!
I wish you a safe and happy festive season and I look forward to working with you in 2012 to make a difference to women’s lives.
