Equality Awareness Training and Policy Development in the Community and Voluntary Sector 2012

Tender description

Funded by the Equality Mainstreaming Unit which is jointly funded by the European Social fund 2007-2013 and by the Equality Authority, South West Mayo Development Company has been successful in securing support funding to deliver Equality awareness training to the community and voluntary sector and to participants on the TÚS labour market activation programme within the South and West Mayo region.South West Mayo Development Company intends to pilot an Equality project to support this group of TÚS Participants who have been experiencing discrimination in accessing employment and aims to improve their employability into the labour market. This pilot also intends to support the community and voluntary groups that are providing work placements for TÚS participants assisting and supporting these community groups to develop Equality policies of their own. The project is led by Breda Murray, Tom Carolan and Anne-Marie CarrollProject BackgroundSouth West Mayo Development Company is responsible for the roll out and delivery of the TÚS, the new employment initiative that aims to provide short-term quality work opportunities for those who are long term unemployed and to provide certain services of benefit to local communities. In the South West Mayo region at present there are 60 long -term unemployed participants placed on this initiative .A participant profile indicates the majority of participants consist of one or more of the following groupings.- Rural isolated male small holders- Ethnic minorities- Lone parents- Disadvantaged women- Over 50 long term unemployedIn a structured approach, the company aims to provide a pilot support mechanism for participants during their year on the TÚS initiative in preparation for their exit from this program. As part of a consultative process, South West Mayo Development Company invited all participants on the new TÚS initiative to a focus group meeting. A significant majority of participants have identified the following barriers to pa