European Social Fund in England

Releasing the skills potential of women in rural Somerset

This was a Measure 5.1 application which was accepted as part of our Round 4 Programme this summer. The Appraisal Panel said "the target group and variety of work is varied and a clear need is identified". The aim of the project is to support 200 predominantly low skilled women in rural areas of Somerset currently experiencing barriers to learning. The project aims to breakdown those barriers and upskill women, offering information, advice and guidance and support for training including non-traditional careers. The project will establish a network of women instructors and assessors, thus ensuring future sustainability.

The project's key objectives are to:

• empower women to move from low paid, part time or unpaid work into better paid full time employment
• work to create regional parity amongst men and women instructors servicing the rural sector
• support women to move from traditional areas of employment into more male dominated areas of work
• provide the necessary skills and development for women involved in diversification activities
• address the skills needs of women specialist industry sectors
• overcome the barriers encountered by rurally isolated women by providing a beneficiary support package to encourage take - up of training
• increase the uptake of training by women through tailored delivery mechanisms
• support rurally isolated women wanting to return to employment