Minister of State for Disability, Equality, Mental Health and Older People, Ms Kathleen Lynch T.D., today announced a commitment of over €1.1 million in additional funding to 36 positive action projects across Ireland, which are working to increase women’s participation in the labour market and the broader economy under the ESF funded Equality for Women Measure.

 

A list of the projects which are now able to extend their activity to the end of 2012 is appended.

 

Following a rigorous and open competition, all of these projects were previously selected for ESF funding through the Equality for Women Measure, which forms part of the 2007 – 2013 Human Capital Investment Operational Programme.  Their most recent phase of funding elapsed on 30 April 2012. 

 

The Equality for Women Measure 2008 – 2013 has benefited over 8,000 women to date.  It has enabled a significant number to return to the labour market, despite the difficult economic environment. 

 

Speaking in relation to this announcement, Minster of State Lynch said:

 

I am particularly pleased to be making this announcement of ESF funding which will enhance the employment opportunities of a further 1,500 women and continue to foster female entrepreneurship.

 

The important contribution made by women to economic growth is often overlooked.  In Ireland, the number of women at work increased by 57 per cent to over 900,000 in the ten year period to 2008, and it is still 43 per cent ahead of the 1998 statistics, despite the economic downturn. 

 

There is a significant untapped pool of labour as an economic resource among women who are currently outside the labour market in Ireland. By encouraging the economic engagement of women, the Equality for Women Measure is contributing to Ireland’s productivity and to the achievement of the employment goals in the EU’s Europe 2020 policy for competitiveness and growth.

 

I wish to acknowledge the important contribution that ESF funding makes to the achievement of greater economic equality for women in Ireland, and indeed across Europe. 

 

 

16 May 2012

 

ENDS

 

 

List of beneficiary projects and information note attached.

 

 

 

 

APPENDIX TO PRESS RELEASE

 

ESF EQUALITY FOR WOMEN MEASURE – 2012 FUNDING ALLOCATION

 

Project name	County	Funding
STRAND 1 ACCESS  TO EMPLOYMENT
IRD Duhallow Ltd	Cork	€33,333
Ballyhoura Development Ltd.	Limerick	€26,667
North & East Kerry Leader Partnership Teo Dev.	Kerry	€30,667
South West Mayo Development Company	Mayo	€33,333
Breffni Integrated Ltd	Cavan	€31,167
Bray Area Partnership	Wicklow	€33,333
CPLN Area Partnership Ltd	Dublin	€33,333
Galway City Partnership	Galway	€30,000
Southside Partnership DLR - Local Empl. Service	Dublin	€29,333
Dodder Valley Partnership	Dublin	€31,289
West Limerick Resources Ltd	Limerick	€31,077
Monaghan Integrated Development Ltd	Monaghan	€29,201
Doras Bui a parents alone resource centre	Dublin	€25,319
Merchants Quay Project Ltd. (trading as MQI)	Dublin	€26,646
Ballyfermot IT Centre Social Economy Ltd	Dublin	€25,603
Little Bray Family Resource & Development	Wicklow	€13,133
County Roscommon Women’s Network Co Ltd	Roscommon	€29,573
Women’s Community Projects (Mullingar) Assoc Ltd	Westmeath	€33,135
Forward Steps Resource Centre Ltd.	Carlow	€29,210
Waterford Women's Centre Access 2000 Ltd	Waterford	€33,333
Cultúr Celebrating Diversity Ltd	Meath	€32,704
OPEN ERT-OPEN Education, Research&Training Ltd	Dublin	€33,333
South East Community Training & Educ. Centre Ltd	Wexford	€31,304
FLAC Free Legal Advice Centres	Dublin	€30,333
Access 2000 (Wexford) Ltd	Wexford	€30,000
TOTAL 25 projects continuing		€746,359
STRAND 2 FOSTERING FEMALE ENTREPRENEURSHIP
South & East Cork Area Development Partnership Ltd	Cork	€33,167
Northside Partnership	Dublin	€25,433
Longford Women's Link Ltd	Longford	€30,166
Galway Traveller Movement Ltd	Galway	€33,000
Mayo Intercultural Action Ltd	Mayo	€33,152
University College Dublin	Dublin	€25,927
Cork Institute of Technology	Cork	€17,235
Donegal County Enterprise Board	Donegal	€29,000
Fitzsimons Consulting/Going for Growth	Dublin	€25,500
TOTAL 9 Projects (Pobal) continuing		€252,580
Plus National Women’s Enterprise Day	Limerick	€50,000
STRAND 3 WOMEN IN MANAGEMENT
Institute for Social Sciences in the 21st Century - UCC	Cork	€32,519
GRAND TOTAL  36 projects		€1,081,458

 

 

NOTE FOR EDITORS

 

The Equality for Women Measure (EWM) is a positive action measure to foster gender equality delivered by the Department of Justice and Equality with European Social Funds provided through the Human Capital Investment Operational Programme 2007 – 2013. The EWM remains a very important initiative in the context of the Programme for Government and the National Women’s Strategy, which include commitments to enable the full participation of women in society, including in employment.

 

The Measure has funding of €11.5 million over its lifetime, of which €5.75 million is made available by the European Social Fund with the match funding coming from the Exchequer.

 

The Equality for Women Measure has a number of strands. 

 

The "Access to Employment" strand makes funding available to community based/not for profit organisations who provide certified training courses and other developmental courses to assist women currently outside the labour market to prepare to rejoin the work force directly or to participate in further mainstream training or education.  This largely targets women from less advantaged backgrounds.  Since this phase of the Measure began in late 2008, almost 7,000 women have undertaken training and development courses and about a quarter have moved into employment or more advanced training, despite the economic downturn. 

 

The funding announcement today is likely to benefit a further 1,500 women by enabling them to develop skills to bring them back into the labour market. 

 

The Entrepreneurship Strand has benefited 1,000 women to date.  This has been achieved through the very successful National Women’s Enterprise Day, organised by the City and County Enterprise Boards (at which individual mentoring sessions are complemented by contributions from nationally and internationally prominent female entrepreneurs) and through a range of projects which develop the entrepreneurial skills of groups at local level.

 

A third Strand did not attract as many good proposals as had been anticipated and only one project was recommended for funding, following the thorough evaluation process.