DUNGANNON & SOUTH TYRONE
BOROUGH COUNCIL
GENDER ACTION
Gender Development
Plan
Community
Officer
Political
Gender Development
Plan
Group set up – 7 Officers
& 3 Members
 Meet Quarterly
 Annual Newsletter
 Plan events, training, conference
 Working
COMMUNITY LEVEL: Women’s
programmes since 2004
 Retail Programme for Unemployed
 Retail/Customer Service
Programme for Employed &
Unemployed
 Cross-border/Community
Programmes funded through Peace
11 & Peace 11 Extension monies)
Retail/Customer Service
Programmes
 Level
2 & 3 Qualifications
 ECDL (ICT) Qualification
 Quality Work Placements
 Shortlisted
for Training Journal
Award & Aontas Award
S.E.E.K – Skills, Education,
Employment & Knowledge
 Funded
by European Social Fund &
Department for Employment &
Learning
 Match funding from Council (also
South West College & Coalisland
Training Services)
 Council – Lead Partner
Aim of S.E.E.K:
‘To increase the supply of skilled,
educated, knowledge workers in our
economy & help them gain sustained
employment by providing training
opportunities/skills development for
approximately 48 unemployed women
over a 3 year period’
Trans-national Element EMPOWER
Ireland – S.E.E.K
 Republic of Ireland - mentoring
 Poland - coaching
 Slovenia – business start up
 Spain – work/life balance, women
into politics
N
Collaboration & Partnership with
Trans-national partners
Partners from Republic of Ireland, Spain
& Poland travelled to N I to meet with
women on S.E.E.K & Management
Committee & Council’s Mayor
 Management Committee travelled to
Spain & Slovenia to meet with women’s
groups, employers, trainers & job centre
managers to share best practice ideas

Personal & Social Development
Mix of ages, abilities,
community/religious
backgrounds, migrant/ethnic
minorities added to group
dynamics & promoted cultural
awareness & diversity High level of peer learning
Learner Centred Approach:One to one tuition, additional classes
 Flexibility – tailored to suit learner
 Mentoring
 Coaching
 Quality Work Placements
 Contribution to travel/child/elder care
 Varied Menu to choose from

Project Outcomes: Recruitment
set at 36 to 48
(maximum)
 64 recruited & 58 completed
training
 8 found full-time employment
 12 found part-time employment
 1 into self-employment
 21 into further education/training
Project Outcomes:45 achieved level 2 qualifications
 29 achieved level 3 qualifications
 39 achieved the full ECDL
 8 achieved ESOL qualifications
 5 achieved Essential Skills –Literacy &
2 Numeracy
 16 availed of work sampling (3 secured
employment)

Diversity of Group:2
Portuguese
 3 Lithuanian
 1 Latvian
 1 African
 1 Chinese
 1 Brazilian
OFFICER LEVEL: Events
– Women in Local Council’s
Week
 Volunteering Days – Willowbank &
Sperrinview Special Needs School
 Women’s Conference –
entrepreneurial theme –local
business women
 Coaching
Women in Local Council’s Week
Women in Local Council’s Week
Volunteering Day:-
Volunteering Day:_
Women’s Conference – March 12
Women’s Conference – March 12
MEMBER LEVEL:Local Democracy Week
 Met with SEEK participants during
Women in Local Council’s week
 Hub for Western Region
 Women’s Conference – Question &
Answer session with Female
Councillors

Local Democracy Week:No of Events addressing theme:‘Women in Politics’
 Mayor hosted event to engage with
migrant workers
 Post primary schools – overview of
Council, speed dating, election of
‘Mayor for Day’
 SELB Youth worker facilitated session &
recruited no. of students for youth forum

Political Gender Champion
discusses her role with SEEK
participants: Political
Champion explained
typical day in life of Councillor &
how got involved in community/
politics
 Questions & Answers from
participants
Women in Local Council’s Week
Hub for Western Region:First Hub meeting took place in 2011
 Further meeting planned for May 2012
 Dungannon, Cookstown, Magherafelt,
Omagh & Fermanagh Councils
 Implementation of equal participation of
women & integration of women into
public life & decision making roles

Women’s Conference – 8th
March
3 Female Councillors engaged in
Question & Answer session as part of
conference in a bid to encourage more
females to get involved in politics/public
life
 Conference attended by women from
community/voluntary sectors & students
from post primary schools

Thank You
and
Any Questions?