Hazvinei makes the grade and qualifies as social worker

When Hazvinei (not her real name) arrived in the UK as an asylum seeker six years ago she was lonely, afraid and deeply traumatised by the horrors she'd suffered at home in Zimbabwe. With the help and support of staff at Platform 51 Doncaster she was granted refugee status. She volunteered at our women's centre teaching other women IT. Once she was able to work in the UK, we employed her at our women's centre as an administrator and she went to university in Sheffield. She graduated last week and is now registered as a social worker. We are so proud of her.

"I owe it all to you" Hazvinei says. "Graduation came 27 years late but I could use my life experience and all transferable skills to learn successfully."

She continues: "I received so much support from Platform 51 in so many ways, during my three years of study, I cannot put a value to. Sometimes just coming here and seeing you all made a massive difference especially when the going was tough (with assignments, exams and placements) it made it a lot lighter and I felt compelled to plod on and not let you down. Platform 51 is just marvellous. Please keep up the fantastic work and friendship because people like me cherish it so much. Thank you very much."

More about Hazvinei here.

Platform 51 providing women with new and varied opportunities

Platform 51 have recently starting running the Women Volunteers for Health programme, that provides training and support to 400 women to become health volunteers in their own communities of St Helens, Doncaster, Nottingham and Wolverhampton. 

The women come from a wide age range and a variety of backgrounds.  The programme gives them: training to develop their skills and knowledge and a chance to obtain accreditations in volunteering and support to build their confidence and assertiveness and access to volunteering opportunities.  Once women are volunteering they provide mutual support to each other and stay in touch with Platform 51 for guidance and advice when needed. 

Marcia Banasko (pictured), Platform 51 Women Volunteers for Health worker, describes the first few months of delivering the programme in St Helens. 

"I am working with 16 women aged 19 to 55... The women have achieved so much in a few weeks.  They love having something to get out of the house for.  It has given them confidence, they have met  like -minded people and they have all achieved an accreditation. 

A lot of the women taking part have disengaged with education for some reason:  mental health problems, alcoholism or having a baby at a young age.  They have described to me the very negative experiences of education and they have no confidence in their own abilities.    We work to deal with these underlying problems; if you don't deal with them, then the women can't move on.  Gaining an accreditation in just a few weeks is a massive deal and has boosted their confidence to continue with the programme. 

I have personally gained a lot from this programme.  I have never taught adults before; I have always worked with young people.  I was nervous before I started but this has been a really positive experience for me because they all want to be here and learn. 

I want to provide lots of women with skills, knowledge and an understanding of health and social care. I want their volunteering experience to eventually lead them back into employment, as so many of them have disengaged from work. One woman said to me that she knows this will be a long process but says at least she's on the ladder." 

The project is funded by the Department of Health, Health and Social Care Volunteering Fund. 

We need to invest in the future of vulnerable young adults

Platform 51 is very concerned about the future of the Care to Learn programme which supports young parents with childcare while they continue their education. The Department of Education is proposing to reduce the age limit of the scheme, to offset the costs that it will incur when the age that young people are expected to stay in school rises to 17 in 2013. Platform 51 strongly recommends keeping Care to Learn intact, and investing in the future of vulnerable young people.

Platform 51 has written a joint open letter - alongside Daycare Trust, NUS, Fawcett Society and Nasma - urging Michael Gove MP, Secretary of State for Education, to reconsider his proposed cuts to the successful Care to Learn programme.

Platform 51's Chief Executive, Penny Newman OBE, in an accompanying press release, said: "Platform 51 sees on a daily basis the impact Care to Learn has on young mothers' ability to re-engage with education and training. This relatively small amount of money delivers substantial results for some of the most disadvantaged young people in our society. These proposals risk trapping young mothers in a cycle of disadvantage limiting not only their own future prospects but those of their children and generations to come."

For more information about Care to Learn please read Platform 51's response to the Department for Education consultation on Care to Learn and The Observer's coverage of the story.

Speaking up about trafficking, drugs and prostitution

Students from three Bristol schools visited Bristol City Council house last week to take part in a mock council meeting and debate with local City Councillors, including Barbara Janke (Liberal Democrats), Peter Hammond (Labour), Peter Abraham (Conservatives) and Tess Green (Green).

Organised by women's charity Platform 51, the event aimed to give young women the chance to speak out about subjects that matter to them. On the agenda were human trafficking, prostitution, drugs and alcohol. They also learned about how local government works; Steven McNamara, the council's legal officer, told the students about the council's roles and responsibilities.

The students had clearly done their homework on their chosen subject areas. They spoke with authority on Bristol's anti-trafficking protocol; the impact of the economic climate on migration, drugs and employment; the objectification of women; the role of a free market and its impact on trafficking, prostitution and drugs; the benefits of a living wage and the pros and cons of legalising sex work and drugs to name but a few.

Councillors were impressed and delighted by the knowledge and maturity that the students displayed. 

The students learned how  important local government is and about the power of speaking up. It made them feel confident and the chance to tell people what they thought was highly valued.

New door of opportunity or the start of a bleak future?

Today will be a life changing day for hundreds and thousands of girls across the country. For many it will open new doors of opportunity, A-levels, training courses and their first taste of employment. But for some it will signal the beginning of a bleak future.

Thousands of girls leave education every year without any formal qualifications. While league tables focus on those at the top, those at the bottom are often allowed to slip away unnoticed. Once out of education girls can find it almost impossible to get back in.

The debate about young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) tends to focus on young men but in fact latest figures show not only that there are more young women aged 16 to 24 not in education, employment or training but their numbers are growing much faster. Sometimes this is as a result of the choices they have made, but usually it is the effect of a system that has failed them.

In our experience while young men are acting out and attracting media attention, many girls are quietly disengaging from schools without attracting media attention, often due to dealing with difficult situations like family trouble or bullying. Today most of those young women will walk away from education without anyone trying to stop them and that will probably define them for the rest of their lives.

More girls not in education, employment or training than boys

The Department for Education statistics reveal that the number of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) is up from last year, with more girls than boys in this category.  

At Platform 51 we know that 16 to 24 year old girls are more likely to be NEET than boys but today's figures show that the rift between them is growing at devastating speeds - 50,000 more girls have been put into this category between the first and second quarter of 2011 while the numbers for boys grew by 3,000.

At Platform 51 we work with many girls and women who are NEET and we know that while young men are acting out and attracting media attention many girls are quietly disengaging from schools, often due to dealing with difficult situations like family trouble or bullying. Without support and teaching that recognises their needs, these girls are stuck with no way back into education or no way forward without it.

Download the statistics from the Department for Education website.

Find out more about what Platform 51 does for girls who have disengaged from school by downloading our Education, employment and skills theme sheet.

But they will eventually earn 20% less than men

Every year A-level results throw up a debate about why girls do better in secondary education. What is not discussed is why statistics show that on average these women will earn 20% less than their male counterparts, be underrepresented in senior management positions and few and far between in our national government.

"Working with girls and women we know how driven and capable they can be, but without also addressing the obstacles they still face, many are at risk of not being able to fulfil their potential."

Rebecca Gill, Director of policy, campaign and communications, Platform 51 

Honouring three great educators

This week is Adult Learners week so we want to honour three of the many great pioneering women educators who dedicated their lives to helping others.

First we praise Josephine Butler -pictured- (1828 to 1906). Feminist, educationalist, reformer, she was active in the rehabilitation and welfare of sex workers and became involved in the campaign for higher education for women.

Second we honour Mary McLeod Bethune (1875 to 1955). Mary was the daughter of parents born slaves, and despite a childhood of astonishing disadvantage she rose to be one of America's foremost educators, best known for starting a school for African American students. She was also a civil rights leader and adviser to President Roosevelt.

Next we remember Elizabeth Blackwell (1821 - 1910) the first woman to graduate from medical school. She was a pioneer in educating women in medicine and health, and understood that women would prefer to consult a woman about health problems.

We salute the remarkable contributions of these women and many other unsung heroines who understood the power of education to overcome social injustice and poverty.

Women's history and girls' aspirations

Kealy Hastick, 21, comes to Platform 51's women's centre in West London.

She says: "That first day I came to Platform 51 changed everything. I thought I'm going to grab every single chance I can get. Without Platform 51 I would just be lost; I wouldn't know anything, it would be so different."

Kealy has been thinking about women's history and asks:

Is it any wonder girls don't aspire to more?

"This year, on 8 March, is the one hundredth anniversary of International Women's Day. I only found out that this day even existed last year, thanks to Platform 51, a charity whose women's centre I go to. Not once during my five years at an all-girls secondary school was there any mention of it. How are girls meant to celebrate and learn from the achievements of other women if they don't know about them?

"Last month, I attended the pre-launch of Women's History Month at the House of Commons. I had no idea that it existed either until, once again, Platform 51 told me. I never learnt about women's history in school. Some men might ask: 'what about a men's history month'? But just think about the focus of school history lessons or programmes on TV and it's easy to see they have HIStory all year round. It's like Black History Month; when I was back in school, some students asked: 'what about a white history month', I would answer: 'The other eleven months of the year seem to cover it quite well!'

"At the pre-launch event I gave a speech in which I explained how difficult it was for women to find female role models. My peers at Platform 51 and I only came up with three that were in the public eye: Oprah, Beyonce and Kelly Holmes. We admire these women because they are successful, determined, hard workers and they had a dream and made it happen, despite the criticism they have faced. But we were shocked that we couldn't think of any more. The others we thought of were either family or people we've worked with. So why was it so hard for us to think of female role models? Is it because there simply aren't any? I just don't believe that. So why aren't we being told? Why are the women that truly deserve to be well-known for their achievements overshadowed by the puppets of pop and the harlots of Hollywood?

"All the many fascinating speakers at the event - poets, authors, activists - were united in understanding that women's history is crucial for girls, so that when they look around for women to look up there is someone other than Katie Price and Cheryl Cole. No offence, ladies, but I don't want my daughter thinking that being beautiful and skinny like them is the best she can aspire to be in life.

"Throughout the month of March, Women's History Month, my peers and I at Platform 51 will celebrate the great women of the past as well as the many unsung women of the present: women who are not just famous for their dress, looks and figure; but real women who have made a difference - those we can genuinely look up to.

"And that's why women's history is essential."

Check out the Women's History Month newsletter.

More not in employment, education or training

The Government has released the latest figures for young peole not in education, employment or training.

Rebecca Gill, director of policy at Platform 51, said:

"The current rise in youth unemployment and the number of 16- to 24-year-olds who are not in education, employment or training, so-called 'NEET', is very worrying. It will disproportionately affect girls who are more likely to be without work or not in education, and who tend to be employed in services seeing the greatest cuts.

"We welcome the government's commitment to provide 75,000 additional apprenticeships to try and address the current crisis. Almost one million young people now face the prospect of no education or employment, and with almost 20% of 16- to 24- year-old girls without work or not in education or training, we are very concerned that the most disadvantaged girls and women are likely to be left behind.

"Many of the girls we work with are forced out of education and training by systems that don't meet their needs. They tell us that single-sex environments and flexible timetables are crucial in helping them fulfil their potential. We call on the government to review the services for women aged 16 to 24 and unlock women's talents which could benefit the UK economy by up to £23 billion every year."

Inequality in employment

If Andy Gray had said: "more women should know the offside rule" he might still have a job. But when Andy Gray said "women don't know the offside rule" he highlighted the limitations and discrimination girls and women face in the world of employment. There is absolutely nothing about the offside rule women cannot understand, but many feel that football is such a male domain that women do not belong there.

Last week in The Times Phillip Collins wrote an article entitled The advance of women in work is still in progress in which he argued that women are facing opposition to equality in many areas not just sport. We agree and our response to Phillip Collins' article was printed in The Times today. It said:

Sir, Philip Collins ("The advance of women in work is still in progress" Jan 28) represents the views and experiences of the thousands of women we work with when he argues that it is not just in sport that sexism is still rife. From the careers advice girls receive in schools to the pensions they receive, women are still facing serious discrimination and disadvantage. We know from the girls and women we speak to every day that their aspirations and opportunities are consistently limited by stereotyping and an outdated idea of the kinds of work women should do. The consequences of this inequality in employment are clear to see with twice as many young women living in poverty as young men. This is not just a problem for women, but something that affects all our lives. If girls and women are not able to meet their potential in their personal and work lives, it is not just those individuals that suffer, but children, families and employers, who are missing out.

What is encouraging is that Sky TV took prompt action, and by sacking Andy Gray sent out a clear message: discrimination against women will not be tolerated.

What is also encouraging is that Sian Massey was on the pitch as an assistant referee in the first place. Women are starting to move into traditionally male spheres, but there is still a very long way to go.

At Platform 51 we support girls and women to aspire to more and we let them know what is possible. We run careers days to give girls a chance to try out male-dominated occupations such as building, carpentry and plumbing. We campaign for women to get chances to work in predominently male job sectors and we provide evidence to the Government, officials and relevant bodies to demonstrate the impact that discrimination has on women throughout their lives.

Jade: "I know what I need to do to achieve in life"

Our recent study revealed that 63% of women and girls have been affected by poor mental health such as stress, depression, low self-esteem or suicidal thoughts. So how do we help women feel better about themselves?

In Nottingham, Platform 51 staff are running Aspirations, a programme for 13- and 14-year-old girls who may be struggling at school and at risk of dropping out. They may feel that school is pointless and have lost faith in their abilities and can see no future for themselves.

The three month programme begins with an adventure activity such as abseiling. This helps the girls to build their confidence and trust in each other and means that as the course progresses the girls and more openly and honestly discuss the problems women face today such as assertiveness, relationships, sexual health, vocational aspirations and the media's portrayal of women.

Each subject is picked apart and examined, so they learn to understand how complex and connected each one is and how it affects them. Intervening early like this means the girls have a chance to act on what they've learned, get back on track, work hard at school and aspire to more.

The girls who complete this course end up with an accredited qualification. Tracy Radford, Platform 51 manager in Norttingham, says: "The girls have a much more positive feeling about school and the school sees them in a more positive light."

The girls are inspired by the programme. Jade said: "I know what I need to do to achieve in life." Libby said: "I learnt anybody can go to college."

YWCA Wolverhamton's young women don hard hats and get working

Young women from YWCA Wolverhampton tried their hand at building, carpentry and plumbing at the Women in Construction Day with Wolverhampton Homes.

The young women received training, spoke to other women working in construction and applied for employment and further training. Guest speaker Lynda Waltho MP gave a speech promoting the benefits of female representatives in the construction industry

One of the young women Jude Featherstone said: "I found the whole day really informative. I have an interest in plumbing so I was really excited to do the taster session. Today has given me the motivation and belief that I can learn a trade."

Pay increase for lowest paid apprentices

YWCA welcomes the announcement from the Trades Union Congress (TUC) that the lowest paid apprentices will get a pay boost from £80 to £95 a week.

The increase means that from Saturday 1st August 2009, apprentices will be paid at least £95 a week. 

Young women will particularly benefit from the increase as they are most likely to receive the minimum pay rate. According to latest Government figures, the average pay rate for female apprentices in hairdressing and childcare is less than £95 a week. The average weekly pay for apprentices is more than £170 a week.

YWCA's More Than One Rung campaign has called for apprentices to be paid the equivalent of the National Minimum Wage. The campaign also seeks to challenge gender stereotypes whereby young women are being steered into 'traditionally female' apprentices which tend to be lower paid. 

Wolverhampton Homes hold women in construction event

Wolverhampton Homes has hosted a Women In Construction event day to encourage more women into a trade.

The organisation and its Decent Homes partners - Bullock, Frank Haslam Milan and Thomas Vale - organised taster sessions in painting and decorating, plumbing and carpentry.

Women from YWCA and local schools and colleges attended to try out a trade, talk to other women working in construction and to apply for apprentice opportunities.

Pat McFadden MP was also the guest speaker who gave his support to the day.

Shazad Ahmed, project skills co-ordinator from Wolverhampton Homes, said: "Many women came along to the event which was really successful, it was all about breaking down the stereotypes that construction is only for men.

"I know many people who attended also found it really useful to talk to women already in a trade and get their first hand knowledge and experience."

Rachel Symons, YWCA centre manager, said: "The young women really got involved in the day, getting stuck into tasks they never thought they would be doing and getting an insight into a job sector unfamiliar to most of them. It proves that career advice shouldn't always be steering young women into traditionally 'female' jobs, but should be showing the full spectrum of options available to them."

Low pay commission releases 2009 report

The Low Pay Commission is calling for apprentices to receive a national minimum wage in its 2009 report, published last week. However this will be at a lower rate than for other workers.

They have recommended the Government ask them to look into an appropriate minimum wage rate for apprentices in next year's report. The Government will respond to their recommendations in the summer.

YWCA's Parliamentary officer Helen Berresford said: "If the Government does accept the recommendation it really is great progress and a fantastic step for the More than one rung campaign and us.

The Commission's report also asked for small increases to the current national minimum wage for all workers and for the age at which people receive the adult rate to be lowered from 22-years-old to 21. Both of these recommendations have been accepted. The national minimum wage will rise by 7 pence per hour in October 2009. However the age at which employees receive the adult rate will not change until October 2010.

Helen Berresford said: "We campaigned to get rid of youth rates altogether however, this small change is still a win and welcomed."

James Anthony, UNISON national executive council member said on behalf of national minimum wage campaigners: "Against the backdrop of recession, when we need to be putting more money into the pockets of the low-paid, it is a surprisingly low increase.

"We are pleased that the government has responded positively to the LPC call for the adult rate to start from age 21. However, this small move actually highlights the continuing discrimination by age, preserved in the national minimum wage, which is again exempted from the provisions of the Equality Bill.

"Our message to the government is: we want and need more bold action to raise the level and end the injustices in the national minimum wage. We believe our campaign has played an important role in challenging the proposed zero increase, in winning the change in start of the adult age band, and the proposed inclusion of apprentices. Our campaign continues."

YWCA is part of the campaign to end age discrimination in the national minimum wage.

Girls should have more to do than get drunk, says chief exec

The new apprenticeship strategy announced by the Government is a huge step forward in providing young people with the path to a decent job. YWCA was pleased to see that many of the things we pointed out to the Government  (as told to us by girls and women) have been considered:

• It has acknowledged how many young women find themselves in poorly-paid apprenticeships and wants to tackle this;
• It has proposed a pilot scheme to help tackle the entrenched problems of gender segregation in certain job sectors;
• In job sectors which have traditionally been dominated by men, YWCA's recommendation is that femal apprentices entering male dominated sectors need support from 'mentors' is reflected.

The strategy also recognises that schoolchildren need information about the different pay rates, working conditions and expectation for different jobs and careers. Once again, this is something we have been calling for.

YWCA welcomes the fact that apprenticeship pay will be looked at in the strategy. However, with many young women still struggling on low apprenticeship wages we are appealing to the Government to set apprenticeship pay at the equivalent of the National Minimum Wage.

The challenge is for this ambitious plan to be fully implemented and YWCA will be following the evolution closely to ensure that it becomes a meaningful option for disadvantaged young women to avoid a lifetime of hardship in poorly paid jobs with no prospects

Sally Copley, director of policy, research and campaigns at YWCA said: "Apprenticeships are clearly an important doorway for young people into a job with future prospects. However there is still an inherent gender injustice that we hope will be genuinely addressed through this plan. The highest paid apprenticeship is in the electro technical field, and is exclusively male. It pays double that of the lowest paid, hairdressing, which is dominated by women. That just cannot be right."

For more information read our briefings and information sheets on jobs and training.