Works for Women

Written by Anne Hay, Employability Project Co-ordinator, Works 4 Women

Established in 2017, Works 4 Women (W4W) is partnership between Edinburgh Women’s Aid and Shakti Women’s Aid.  The service helps women survivors of domestic abuse to build their confidence to return to education, training or employment. It currently employs two full-time and one part-time member of staff.

The programme supports adult women aged between 18 - 70 years.  Regular group sessions are delivered alongside person-centred one-to-one support which focuses on the individual needs of each woman.  Clients are guided to set healthy personal boundaries and identify their skills.  Women are supported to set achievable goals to help them take control of their future plans.

Towards the end of last year, sixteen participants took part in a very successful Works 4 Women employability course called “Work for your Future”.  The course covered CV writing, interview preparation and practice.  Participants took part in a mock interview held in partnership with FUSE Edinburgh, an organisation which handles recruitment for businesses in the St James Quarter and surrounding area. Working with other support organisations raises awareness of the specific needs of these clients and allows workers to tailor support to the individual requirements of each woman.

Since completing the course, seven women have now started work, one has taken up a volunteering opportunity and one is starting a college course soon.  All women who attended regularly felt that their confidence grew. This led to improved mental and physical health and some women also commented that they felt like a strong role model to their children.

Other group sessions cover a range of topics including developing IT skills, personal finance and photography. Clients were also offered one-to-one support to help them identify skills, search for and apply for jobs and courses, dependant on personal requirements. Many require support to improve their digital skills or English language, when English is not their first language. Due to high demand and limited provision of English language (ESOL) classes in Edinburgh, many women experience several months wait before securing a place in a class.

One participant is a recent health care graduate and was already volunteering in a social care role when she joined the programme. She attended the Work for your Future group sessions and received one-to-one support over a four-month period. W4W was also able to provide her with a laptop to help with job searching.  Within three months, she secured paid work as a school support assistant.  She is also a successful recipient of the Ruth Hayman Trust, who will pay for her professional registration with the Health Care Professionals Council (HCPC).  Once registered, she intends to apply for work as a radiographer within the NHS.  Her self-confidence has grown immensely, and she is moving towards full financial independence.

The team is currently running two-weekly confidence building group sessions for women.  Plans are in place to run six-week employability programme in spring 2025.  This programme will be running for the third time, in partnership with State Street, an American bank based in Edinburgh.  Last year this was highly successful with 81% of participants securing work or study within six months. Staff will also continue to support women to prepare for work and apply for college and training courses throughout the year.

Whilst we hope that organisations like Women’s Aid and Shakti Women’s Aid will not need to exist in future, for now there continues to be a high demand for our services.  We are encouraged that  W4W plays a crucial role in supporting women to not only recover from the trauma they have faced but to build a future for themselves and their families.