Windmills Training Programme

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windmills for women

The Windmills career management programmes for underemployed people attracted a large number of women and provided evidence that many continue to face career barriers. This led the Windmills team to create a range of programmes that would allow women to discuss and address the particular issues facing them. These include lack of self-esteem and confidence in the workplace, low personal expectations and conflicting home/work demands.

Recent women's programmes have recently adopted a broader approach to recognise the fact that career changes cannot be made in isolation and invariably impact on other areas of our lives.

Workshops based on the principles and processes of the Windmills Approach to Working Learning Playing and Giving now help women explore opportunities for change in the whole of their life (not just the 'hole' in it) created by dissatisfaction in work.

key benefits

Windmills enables women to:

Enjoy a rare opportunity to focus on you and your needs in the company of like-minded women
Share experiences and swap ideas with others who appreciate and understand the particular barriers women face
Build strong supportive relationships
Increase your confidence, self esteem and motivation
Identify and create the fantastic life you deserve and want for yourself
Develop the self-reliance to sustain the process and use the tools for the rest of your life

" I loved the programme, it was the best course I have ever been on. It has given me a lifetime of ideas, goals and visions and I will carry them with me for the rest of my life. "

case studies

text-only version

Jackie Taylor

Janice Richards

Anne Prendergast

Jan Atkinson

Lorna Goodchild

Ruth Butland

statistics

A three-phase evaluation questionnaire was used to explore 'softer' outcomes for the programme. Women were asked to rate themselves between 1 (very poor) to 10 (very good) across 10 critical factors including attitude, belief, self-promotion and vision. The maximum score possible was 100.

Below are the average scores for participants completing all three sessions of a recent programme.

An average score of 73 after the first two workshops represents a 22% increase on participants' scores before the programme.

The average of 74.8 at the end of the programme, six months later, shows a 25% increase on the initial scores.

This demonstrates that the benefits of the programme are immediate, with participants reporting higher scores immediately after the Windmills workshops.

The impact is also lasting since the benefits are still being felt six months later.

These changes in how women feel about themselves and their lives also have a powerful impact on their work and the labour market.

Following a recent programme:

50% of unemployed women moved into employment

53% of women moved into higher level roles with their employer

26% took on new/extra supervisory and managerial responsibilities

20% moved to a new employer

19% made a career change – or were considering it

contact us

Windmills intends to go on developing programmes that combine small group workshops with individualised one-to-one sessions. We are interested in working with both funding agents and employer organisations throughout the North West to deliver projects designed specifically for women. Windmills also aims to carry out a long-term study of the women who have participated in the Windmills for Women programmes. The intention would be to identify 'where they are now' in relation to the vision they created for themselves, how successful women had been in facing the particular barriers and issues and to establish what further support is required to meet their specific needs.

For further information on the Windmills for Women's programme or on working with families, contact Sharon Nicholson at s.nicholson@gieu.co.uk