With the calendar reading August and back to school top of mind, not just kids are preparing to go to class; at iSisters, vulnerable women, girls and gender diverse people are also getting ready to learn – to prepare for a digital future. We offer a suite of free programs about computers, the internet and getting a job and in this post, we’ll focus on Career Connections, a program which has been running for more than 10 years. “CC” as we like to call it, is great for those who already have some basic computer knowledge, and advances that while adding job search skills.
Ripple Effect
Like all our iSisters programs for marginalized women, Career Connections impacts more than just the learners themselves. A report by the GSM Association found that 56% of women who received digital skills training shared what they learned with others through social media and community groups. There is a similar effect with financial training like the budgeting module in Career Connections: the World Bank has documented cases where women who received financial training helped improve the financial literacy of their spouses and children. So while more than 1000 women have attended Career Connections over our history, clearly many thousands have been impacted by its messages.
Tech and Employability Skills
Career Connections is a comprehensive free program offered to vulnerable women in our area covering both computer and employability skills. The program is also special in that it makes use of community volunteers, including a group of long-time participants from Accenture in Ottawa, to deliver specific course modules. The elements of the program include:
Technology Training:
- MS Office applications (Word, Excel)
- Effective Web searching techniques
- Using Email in a professional environment
This first part of the Career Connections program typically takes place over four weeks. Once participants have completed the first modules, instruction for the next 8 modules will focus on career searching and entrepreneurial skills and tools.
Career Search and Entrepreneurship:
- Employment Searching: where to look and how to apply to job opportunities
- Resume Writing: using the MS Word skills they learned in phase one of the program, participants create a resume that can be used confidently in their applications for employment
- Interview Techniques: preparing for a successful job interview
- Entrepreneurship: foundation knowledge and guidance on how to start a business from the home, including budgeting (Excel) and business plan writing (Word)
- Social Media: how to use social media tools in employment searches (e.g., LinkedIn), and how tools like Twitter/X can be used to promote your small business
- Web Marketing: tools and skills needed for marketing a small businesses on the Web
The Career Connections Program is designed as a flexible and responsive learning program. As each module is completed, instructors survey the participants to gauge the value and relevance of the lessons, and adapt subsequent modules accordingly. For example, if more time is needed in order for the participants to complete a budget in Excel, then the instructor will adapt subsequent lessons to include time and support needed to complete the activity. In this way, we ensure that the mothers who are our learners are ready for a digital future!
