The First Steps Women's Centre http://www.southtyronewomenscentre.org/ is hosting the Learning to Earning Project.  The programme is progressing well and the group have been attending the programme since January.  The participants have completed the first part of the programme 'Confidence Building'.  This involved the participants assessing their current skills and becoming more aware of stress management techniques and confidence building methods. The second part of the programme is starting after the Easter holidays and this will involve working on the computer to draft their Curriculum Vitaes and filling our mock application forms.

 Caitriona from the WEA visited the group before Easter to talk to the group about their experiences of the programme so far.  Here are the comments:-

Elena from Cookstown said:

I enrolled on the programme to build my self confidence interacting with others.  I have really enjoyed the course so far and have learnt how to be more confident in a range of situations. By attending the programme I felt more confident to approach Sure Start in Cookstown and enquire about their volunteering programme. I am really pleased as I have now been acceped to work as a volunteer in their centre starting after Easter. I believe attending the programme helped me to gain this position. I really enjoy attending the centre and already I feel more equipped to apply for a job and enrol for a course starting in September.

Zulmira from Portugal arrived to live in Dungannon 10 months ago to find employment.  She was really pleased to hear about the Learning to Earning programme as she has a C.V. in her native language and would like to create an English version of this.  With the help of the tutor, Jennifer she hopes to have this completed at the end of the programme.  Zulmira is enjoying the progamme:

My english has improved and I already attend an ESOL class and my english had improved by participating in the group discussions in class. I enjoyed the visit from EGSA  http://www.egsa.org.uk/ as I wasn't aware of their services. I am very excited that all the work I complete on the programme will lead me to achieving certificates and I can add these to my C.V.  I am becoming more aware of the different employment agencies available in Northern Ireland in my search for employment. We will also be participating in an mock interview at the end of May with Caitriona and Joan and I am looking forward to that as I haven't been to an interview for a few years. This will be a test for my english!

Maxine from Dungannon enrolled on the Learning to Earning programme to find out about the 'outside world and to do something with her life'.  By participating on the programme Maxime has learnt that she is capable of things that she never thought she could do.  She is feeling more confident and through the support of the group members in the class and her tutor she has overcome her fear of the dentist.  She felt a real sense of achievement by going to the dentist and her new found self confidence has given Maxine a vision for the future.  She plans to get a part time job and enrol on a catering course.  She is also going to talk to Joan about enrolling on a GCSE English course.

Sandra de Jesus Dias is from East Timor and has been living in Dungannon for 2 years:   

'I love attending the First Steps Women's Centre. I worked as a photographer in East Timor and would like to find similiar work here. I am very pleased to be working on my C.V. and my spoken english and written english is improving. I am looking forward to the IT part of the course and hoping to achieve a certificate in IT'.