A first batch of 30 unemployed women who have completed a training programme on Induction to World of Work under the Back To Work Programme (BTWP) received their certificates yesterday at the seat of the Ministry of Labour, Industrial Relations, Employment and Training, in Port Louis.

During the ceremony, the Minister of Labour, Industrial Relations, Employment and Training, Mr Soodesh Callichurn, reiterated that female unemployment rate in Mauritius has traditionally been much higher as compared to that of male.

In this regard, he added that Government has put in place the BTWP in June 2015 in order to bridge the gap and create job opportunities for women, in addition to other training programmes to ensure that the needs and aspirations of jobseekers and employers are met.

The Minister made an appeal to unemployed women who wish to take advantage of this programme to come forward for registration. The programme has been organised at a regional level mainly at Rivière du Rempart and will be organised in other regions across the island so as to enable a greater female participation.

Mr Callichurn, also underpinned the importance of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as a vital tool towards modernisation, hence encouraging participants to take maximum advantage of the various training being dispensed to them, so as to boost up their self-confidence through the use of ICT in their future jobs.

The BTWP has as objectives to help women integrate or re-integrate the labour market by undergoing a training programme designed to build or re-build self-awareness, self-esteem, social responsibility and entrepreneurial skills, and strengthen interpersonal and communication skills.

After the training, they will benefit from placement in private enterprises or with individual employers after which they may be employed. Initially set at 500 participants, the programme is being extended to 1000 participants as mentioned in the 2016-2017 Budget.

BTWP was set up so as to facilitate women above the age of 30 to find employment in private enterprises or with individual employers. It is a placement and training programme for women mounted by the Ministry of Labour, Industrial Relations, Employment and Training in collaboration with the Human Resource Development Council and the Skills Working Group.