Press Release

Website launch and certificate presentations for Cross Border Womens Project

Monday, 01 November 2004

The Deputy Mayor, Alderman Joe Miller and the Chairman of Donegal County Development Board, Councillor Francis Conaghan, will today officially launch the web page for the Cross Border Women’s Development Project.

The two representatives will also present certificates to staff members from Derry City Council and Donegal County Council who participated in the City and Guilds Web Design Course and who completed an Entrepreneurial Skills Development Training course.

The Cross Border Women’s Development Project is a cross border initiative by Derry City Council and Donegal County Council and is partly funded by the EU Programme for Peace and Reconciliation, under Measure 5.2. The two-year project is aimed at identifying, developing and promoting initiatives to encourage the participation and advancement of women in the public sector labour market, particularly in Derry and Donegal Councils. The project is managed by a Joint Committee made up of officers and elected members from both Councils.

The Deputy Mayor, welcoming the work carried out by the Project, said he believed the project was making “significant progress” in examining issues that have prevented women from both Councils making progress.

Referring to the website course, the Deputy Mayor said the project was a “great success.” He commented: “Staff from both Councils participated in a Web Design Course which was delivered by the NWIFHE over an 11 week period. Staff from both Councils who participated in the course are trained to update and maintain the project website www.crossborderwomen.com. This website is aimed at providing women from both councils with information on cross border and cross community issues. It will include detail of training and employment opportunities, childcare facilities and healthcare as well as a range of other matters of interest such as domestic violence and work/life balance.”

The chairman of Donegal County Development Board said he was very much in support of the work being carried out by the Cross Border Women’s Development Project. “This is an innovative initiative aimed at increasing the personal and career development of our female employees in both councils. Staff who have participated in any of the courses have benefited greatly from the experience and enjoyed meeting with their counterparts from across the border,” he said.

Cllr. Conaghan added that certificates were also going to be presented to participants who successfully completed Entrepreneurial Skills Development Training.
“ This course was designed around 10 modules and was delivered over a five day period. It focused on entrepreneur skill development and was aimed at assisting the participant towards enhancing her career development opportunities. It was a very successful course which was relevant to women working in both local authorities and outside in the commercial business work,” he added.
Ú na Collier, Cross Border Women’s Development Project Officer said she was delighted representatives from Derry and Donegal Councils were taking part in today’s launch.

“ Today’s event is a great opportunity for us to provide our members with an update on what progress we have made with the project to date. We are delighted to officially launch our website – www.crossborderwomen.com and to present certificates to the women from both councils who successfully participated in the web design and entrepreneurial skills courses. We will continue to further develop ways in which we can help women from both councils to overcome the barriers that have impeded them in progressing in the workplace and look forward to working with as many women from both councils in the future,” she said.
Ends

Notes to Editor:

The Deputy Mayor, Alderman Joe Miller, Derry City Council and the chairman of Donegal County Development Board, Councillor Francis Conaghan will attend the official launch of the website and present certificates to successful participants on Monday, 01 November, at 2.00 p.m. Letterkenny Public Services Centre.

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