A new project from COTA Victoria will focus on supporting female carers aged 50+ to reenter the workforce or find more sustainable employment by connecting them with trained and experienced mentors. The Women Working Together program aims to build on the confidence and skills needed for female carers to apply for a job and break down the barriers to meaningful employment.
We will recruit experienced women and upskill them to act as mentors. Mentors will be selected based on their willingness to share their professional skills and lived experience to support other women in their community. COTA Victoria will provide tools, resources and training to build their mentoring skills, and expand their community leadership acumen.
Female carers aged 50+ who have been unemployed or underemployed for some time can join the program as a mentee. Mentees will be given the training and support they need to identify and understand their strengths and skills, and achieve their employment goals. The mentees will participate in facilitated induction training as well as regular meetings with their mentors over at least six months.
Mentors and mentees will be matched through a professional and fun ‘speed dating’ process that will enable the women to get to know each other and build connections.
Wennie van Riet, Team leader Social and Economic Participation, is spearheading Women Working Together, which has received funding from the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing.
‘We are very pleased to have received this support from the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing. It means we can offer carers the guidance they need to find sustainable work that meets their needs as carers as well as create an understanding of the great value they bring to an organisation,’ Wennie said.
‘It also shows that the Victorian Government really believes in the power of Women Working Together. When women work together, incredible things happen!’
Get involved as a mentor or mentee
Many women have already stepped forward as mentors, but there are still spots left. You can express your interest in joining the program as a mentor or mentee by visiting our webpage Women Working Together.
Key dates:
| Date | Activity |
| November 2021 – January 2022 | Mentor and mentee applications open for 2022 program |
| February 2022 | Mentor and mentee induction and training |
| March 2022 | Mentor-mentee matching |
| April 2022 onwards | Mentorship support |