A SCHEME to help unemployed migrant women gain work experience concluded its first outing with a graduation ceremony in Dublin last week.
The Door to Work scheme, run by migrant women’s network AkiDwA, aims to link unemployed migrant women with employers such as public bodies, private companies and NGOs to help them increase their chances of future employment in Ireland.
Seven women, mostly from African countries, completed the three-month work experience programme with various employers.
According to AkiDwA director Salome Mbuga, some 34 applications from women were received, but only nine employers came on board.
The initiative, funded by the Department of Justice and Law Reform, had a six-month timeframe of completion that Mbugua said contributed to difficulties in bringing employers into the programme. Some 80 employers were approached, she said.
However, Mbugua said the programme was highly beneficial for those women who had taken part.
One accountant had attempted to gain placements for a number of years, she said, and was “very happy” to have landed work experience with an accountancy firm through the scheme, which also featured mentoring from specialists.
She said lack of an employment background in Ireland, and resultant work references from employers here, can mitigate against migrant women’s employment chances.
Mbugua added that AkiDwA has applied for funding through various channels as it hopes to further develop the initiative.
