Employment for 300 Women Targeted in Amasya, Which Lags Behind in Female Labour Force Participation... With an EU funded project implemented by TEPAV, participation of 300 women to formal employment and improvement of women's entrepreneurial capacity is targeted for Amasya, one of the worst performing provinces with respect to female labor force participation.

ANKARA - In the context of a European Union (EU) funded project, TEPAV initiated efforts to increase formal employment in Amasya, one of the worst performing provinces with respect to female labour force participation. The opening meeting of the 'Project for Promoting Women's Employment in Amasya (KADES)' entitled for EU finance in the context of 'Grant Programme for the Promotion of Women's Employment' and run by TEPAV, will be held in Amasya on October 26, 2010 Tuesday.

Trainings to be offered to in the scope of the project, will seek the improvement of the capacity of women for participation in the labour force through developing their skills and the empowerment of women as well as securing a good image of the project at the eyes of the women through enabling women to question gender roles. Furthermore, opportunities of formal employment for participant women will be enhanced by improving the skills and bargaining power of women with vocational training courses. In this context, the project will increase not only the participation of women in Amasya to labour force but also the employability of women, consciousness of formal/insured employment and entrepreneurial capacity. The concrete target of the project is to ensure formal employment for 300 women.

Target group: 250+50 women

Partners of the KADES project implemented by TEPAV are Amasya Municipality, Amasya Community Training Centre and Arts Centre. Project contributors are Governorate of Amasya, Provincial Directorate for National Education and Şeyhsadi Agricultural Credit Cooperative.

The project which commenced in July with the technical support of ISKUR (Turkish Employment Agency) will be completed in twelve months. Target group of the project involves 300 women resident in Amasya, 250 unemployed (does not have a job but is willing to work and actively seeking a job) and 50 carrying out small-scale business (at local grocery bazaar, a small shop or home-based). One of the main objectives of the project is to offer vocational training to at least 200 participant women and ensure employment for at least 50% of those in two years. Among others, the project aims to establish a consultancy service tailored for women; strengthening of the Şeyh Sadi Cooperative for the promotion and marketing of women's production and formation of an e-bazaar to this end.

How will the project fulfil the aims?

The Project will focus on the top priority of women's employment which is 'going beyond the traditional role models and ensuring employment for women in technology and information intensive sectors.' Nonetheless, acknowledging that this target cannot be achieved overnight, efforts will also be concentrated on matching the skills demanded and the existing skills. During the implementation of the project, jobs offered for women and sectors ready to employ women as well as the skills of the participant women will be assessed. To this end, sectors will be diversified under four categories. Works for the target group are enumerated as follows:

• Unemployed women with relatively longer educational attainment will be directed to technology intensive sectors and/or information-presentation oriented services and tourism sectors, and the preparation of the relevant training program will be secured.

• Women, who have relatively shorter educational attainment and who have worked and gained experience only in the care services sector, will be guided to the care services at the end of basic training.

• The capacity of women carrying out small-scale business in women's cooperatives or local bazaars will be tried to be improved through trainings on production, marketing, sale, communication network etc. Efforts will also be made to improve the institutional capacity of the Şeyh Sadi Cooperative.

• As a result of the sector examination in Amasya province, efforts will be paid to identify and carry out the feasibility study for the sectors which are investable and in which women can be operable. Another objective will be to facilitate cooperation/partnership between women who are willing to establish a business in the identified sectors.

Women showed great interest in the informative meeting carried out in Amasya in September. The meeting was attended by 356 women. The meeting, giving women the opportunity to voice their expectations and concerns, proved fruitful.

Amasya lags behind in female labour force participation

Amasya, ranks the third among NUTS II TR83 countries in terms of the ratio of women (educational attainment below high school) who are not involved in the labour force.

Outlook of the labour market, also evident in case of Amasya, signifies among others low female labour force participation and employability along with high unemployment and informal employment across women. In Turkey, female labour force participation ratio is 24 while unemployment across women stands around 18 percent. The factors underlying low labour force participation across women are negative attitude of the society towards women's employment, gender roles assumed also by the women and the effect of these roles in hindering women's chances to benefit from education, technical training in particular as well as dearth of the capacity of the economy to generate jobs for women.