Strengthening the Family in
the 21st Century Initiatives
Today's Department of Labor (DOL) represents the workforce of the 21st
Century. The Women's Bureau (WB), through its Technology and Strengthening the
Family Initiatives - e-News, worker shortage, financial security, workplace
flexibility, and Corporate Mentoring promote an environment that is responsive
to the demands and challenges of the 21st Century workforce. More than ever, it
is vital to ensure opportunities for American women to achieve their potential
in the workplace.
Financial Security
This initiative is designed to
help women achieve financial security. The regional offices are reaching out to
diverse communities and using faith-based organizations and volunteers as
partners. Partnerships include the U.S. Department of Labor's Employee Benefits
Security Administration, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC),
Social Security Administration (SSA), Small Business Administration (SBA),
Internal Revenue Service (IRS), State Treasurers, local Commissions for Women,
Asian American Alliance, Chinatown Chamber of Commerce, American Bankers
Association, and the National Council on Aging.
Program for
Hispanic Women
“Las Mujeres y el Dinero” “Women
and Money” is a series of financial education conferences held across
the country. These events are designed for Hispanic women who face unique
challenges when it comes to financial security. The kickoff event was held in
Phoenix, Arizona on October 23, 2003. The website address is
http://www.dol.gov/wb/hisp.htm.
Contact: Jenny Erwin in Region IX (415) 975-4750.
Wi$e Up
Please
view the Wi$e Up home page Wise up is an e-mentoring financial security and
retirement savings project that is accessible via the web and at institutions
in six regions. The project is designed to teach Generation X women ages 22 to
35 the basics of managing money, saving, investing, using credit wisely, buying
insurance and retirement planning. The curriculum is available online and in
participating institutions. For the online component, women can interact with
financial planning mentors through a listserv maintained by the University of
Texas at Dallas.
Contact: Beverly Lyle in Region VI (214)
767-6985.
Additional
Financial Security Resources
Please view
the latest edition of e-News
In response to the President's
Management Agenda to bring people closer to government, the Women's Bureau
launched e-News, an electronic newsletter, in April 2002 to inform women
workers about the Bureau's programs and activities. Editions of e-News have
focused on Women's History Month, Women and Technology, Women Entrepreneurs,
Economic Security, Strengthening the Family, and Jobs and Economic Growth. The
website address is: /wb/media/newsletter/e-news10artl-01.htm
Contact: Beth Gable (202) 693-6719
Please
view the GEM-SET III/Girls' E-Mentoring In Science, Engineering &
Technology For Immigrant Girls home page
For the past two
years, the Women's Bureau at the U.S. Department of Labor has been implementing
GEM-SET, a demonstration project that links girls, ages 13-18, with volunteer
women mentors in the fields of science, engineering and technology via e-mail
and a website -- (www.gem-set.org).
Through the GEM-SET I and II programs, the Women's Bureau has gained an
understanding that girls of immigrant backgrounds often have unique needs and
concerns that are markedly different from the general student population.
GEM-SET III promotes mentorship, family and community involvement to prepare
and encourage immigrant girls to study and enter the fields of science,
engineering and technology. The project serves primarily Hispanic and Asian
immigrant girls ages 13-18 in Chicago, New York City, Houston, Miami, and Los
Angeles.
Contact: Nancy Chen in Region V (312) 353-6985.
Please view the Group E-Mentoring in Nursing
(GEM-Nursing)
The Group E-Mentoring in Nursing
(GEM-Nursing) Initiative is designed to increase awareness of the benefits of a
career in nursing. GEM-Nursing consists of a dynamic web site,
www.gem-nursing.org,
featuring valuable information on the nursing profession, educational programs,
and links to financial aid resources. The Project also includes an online
mentoring component for young men and women ages 15 to 21 who are interested in
considering nursing as a career. Volunteer nurse mentors in a variety of
nursing fields provide guidance and support to young people by answering
questions and sharing career experiences. GEM-Nursing is a multi-regional
demonstration project of the Women's Bureau in partnership with the University
of Michigan School of Nursing.
Contact: Jacqueline Cooke in Region I
(617) 565-1988.
Women with Disabilities Entrepreneurship Project
This two-year multi-regional project is designed to train women
with disabilities to become entrepreneurs. The project helps women with
disabilities explore their options, develop a viable business plan, and secure
funding to open their businesses.
Contact: Delores Crockett (202)
693-6710.
Employer-Driven Older Women Workers
The
Women’s Bureau is partnering with CVS Pharmacies to reach out to older
Hispanic and Asian American women through basic computer and life skills
training. Upon graduation, these women can apply for entry-level career ladder
positions with CVS.
Contact: Beverly Lyle in Region VI (214)
767-6985 and/or Nancy Chen in Region V (312) 353-6985.
The Ground Zero Initiative: Building a Pipeline of Women for the
Skilled Trades in Metropolitan New York (Construction Trades Prep)
This program directly addresses the needs of the building trades by
increasing both the number of female workers in the industry and the level of
technical assistance NEW provides to unions and potential employers. The
program is designed to accommodate working women who seek to increase their
earnings through participation in skilled apprenticeship programs by providing
classes at night. This is an accelerated six-week program, which meets three
nights a week and Saturday. It provides extensive job readiness training, an
introduction to the trades, a review of trades' math, and a hands-on shop
component.
Contact: Mary C. Murphree in Region II (212) 337-2389.
Please view the The Women in
Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations (WANTO)
The
WANTO program seeks to increase the participation of women in apprenticeships
and nontraditional occupations (NTOs) by providing grants to community-based
organizations (CBOs) for the delivery of technical assistance to employers and
labor unions, which in turn, help them recruit, select, train, and retain women
in apprenticeship and nontraditional occupations. Under a Department of Labor
Inter-agency Agreement, WANTO is jointly administered by the Women's Bureau and
the Employment and Training Administration, Office of Apprenticeship Training,
Employer and Labor Services (OATELS). Funds for the technical assistance
grants, which began in 1994, are authorized under P.L. 102-530.
Contact: Diane Faulkner (202) 693-6752.
Please
view the The Military Spouse Resource Center
This is a
joint project between the Department of Labor's Women's Bureau, Employment and
Training Administration (ETA), and Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy
in cooperation with the Department of Defense (DOD). This online learning tool
and resource guide helps military spouses access training and placement
opportunities, community resources, and the local workforce development system.
The site is up and running at
www.milspouse.org.
ETA and DOD are managing the site.
Contact: Sara Miller (202)
693-6710
Please view Flex-Options for Women
The specific goal of the Flex-Options for Women project for FY
2004 is to help women-owned businesses develop workplace flexibility policies
and programs for their workforces.
The program brings together corporate executives and women entrepreneurs
who volunteer to mentor women business owners interested in developing flexible
workplace policies and programs. By encouraging women entrepreneurs to focus on
work redesign and implementing flexible work options, employees will improve
their ability to manage work and life responsibilities. Business owners will
realize positive bottom line impacts as well.
Six out of ten Women's Bureau regions are participating in the
Flex-Options for Women project-New York, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, San
Francisco, and Seattle. With coverage in 27 states, women business owners will
learn about the successes and challenges of implementing flexible work policies
and programs through group and individual mentoring.
From January through August 2004, the Women's Bureau has held six
teleconferences focusing on important flexible work arrangement issues such as
"trends in workplace flexibility, challenges to flexible work arrangements, job
sharing, legal issues, and best practices." In addition, the six Women's Bureau
regional offices participating in the Flex-Options for Women project
have held 11 roundtable discussions and other regional events which have been
used to recruit mentors and prospective women-owned businesses seeking guidance
in implementing workplace flexibility programs.
View this U.S. Department of Labor webpage for more information on
flexible work
schedules.
Contact: Karen Furia and/or Michael Williams (202) 693-6710
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