Women's Development Programme

Overview

Women bring different perspectives and voices to an organisation, to the debate and to decisions taken. Studies have shown that the environment for women in senior roles improves once about a third of leaders at that level are female, and that a’ critical mass’ of 30% or more women at board level or in senior management produces the best financial results.

There is a striking correlation between strong business performance and women’s participation in management. The failure of any business or economy to maximise the talents of all its people will result in below-par performance. Tapping into the under-utilised pool of female talent is vital if organisations are to respond to rapidly changing expectations.

Women tend to undervalue their own skills, achievements and experiences and the relatively low number of successful female role models often compounds stereotypes and reinforces perceived difficulties in rising up the organisational ladder.

Although things are changing, women’s careers are disproportionately disrupted through caring responsibilities at various stages in their working lives. Many women are ‘sandwich carers’ providing care for ageing parents as well as younger generations. Recent research suggests that talent progression for women stops at around age 45 though they will have valuable skills that should be highly prized in the workplace.

A development programme which allows women to take time to reflect on their achievements so far and focus on their aspirations for the future can only bring benefits to them and the organisation supporting them. South East Training launched its Women's Development Programme in November 2015. This modular programme aims to help women develop and promote a positive self-image, and achieve the visibility needed to achieve their career and personal goals.

Learning Objectives

On completion of the programme, participants will be able to:

• Demonstrate an understanding of how performance, image and visibility help people to gain recognition
• Develop and promote a positive self-image
• Achieve the visibility needed to match up with values and achieve stated goals which impact on career progression.

and with regard to networking, be able to:

• Identify the people who can support them
• Explore how to maximise support from those people
• Build and maintain a network that will provide support for now and for the future.

For any organisation, the retention and advancement of talented women should be a priority.

Content

The programme comprises four 1-day face-to-face events covering the topics:

• Confidence building
• Building resilience
• Goal setting and career planning
• Image, visibility and networking.

These face-to-face events:

• Allow for skills practice in a safe environment
• Provide the opportunity to build networks by allowing participants to form alliances/friendships/support mechanisms
• Introduce participants to real, relevant and inspiring role models
• Use discussion groups to share feedback and experiences.

In addition to the workshops, participants are encouraged to track their progress against their personal objectives over the course of the programme, using a work book formatted for this specific purpose.

The programme provides the tools, direction and confidence needed for you to advance your career and also have an impact on your organisation.

In a programme that is exclusively for women, you will be able to focus on your own development and challenges in a room full of people with similar issues and experience.  You can explore your identity, strengths and weaknesses well apart from your usual context. And, importantly, the content is tailored to you as a woman.