WOMEN FOR THE FUTURE
Evaluation Summary
THE EUROPEAN UNION
European Language Label
The European Social Fund
Investing in your future
Main achievements Women for the Future September 2014
1. Main achievements Project “Women for the Future” has for two years been working to bring more than 100 women with medium or long-term education abroad closer to enter the Danish labor market. The project has had a number of quantitative and qualitative activity and effect targets, but had also from the start an explicit focus on developing the methods used for this particular target group. The evaluation has had both areas as object sectors. In relation to the quantitative objectives, the evaluation concludes that the project has greatly realized these. A slightly higher share than expected continued in some form of education, either Danish language courses, adult education or vocational/higher education. Furthermore, slightly fewer than expected successfully completed the course, and slightly fewer found employment and fewer started as entrepreneurs. The project has faced financial challenges in relation to entrepreneurship. The evaluation also focused on the project's methods, with special attention to what works. For this purpose a theoretical optic is used, which examines the activities of the project, the qualitative milestones and effective mechanisms to assure that the efforts leads to the desired results. Therefore, as a first step in the evaluation, the developed program theory is based on the project management and teachers' input. The inputs describe the project's target group, efforts, effective mechanisms, targets and milestones. The project has been consistent with the program theory. Considering the nature of the project, there has been surprisingly large local variations that make it difficult for an evaluator to draw a full and accurate picture of the project's efforts. This does not constitute a problem for the project since the project's objective is precisely to provide a context and customized effort, designed for the target group, which can develop over time. The project has also conducted an ongoing formative evaluation, which has resulted in ongoing adjustments. The project has largely succeeded in meeting milestones, as described in the program theory. The evaluation shows that women who participate in the project, greatly experienced having visible goals and have gained a clearer sense of how they can be achieved. The women are also more aware of how and in what context their skills and resources can be used. This happens especially through the work of the individual time line as a condition of the internship, which is in the final part of the project. The women also experience a confidence boost by being able to see that they have value, have something to offer and by learning techniques to present themselves. The evaluation also shows that the women are learning about Danish, primarily work-related norms and standards which is essential in this context. The evaluation also conclude that a number of factors in the project's frames, the teachers' personal and academic skills, as well as the women themselves are crucial to the project's desired effect. These specific mechanisms act especially on motivation and faith in the future and the women’s own skills; factors partly linked to the specific target group, but also the project' way to approach to the task. The right internship match also seems to be crucial to the women’s benefits of the activities, particularly because the activities is to get them more familiar with the Danish labor market, in relevance to their 2
own skills and better job searching skills. The teacher’s hands-on approach and continuous monitoring are important components for the internship to achieve the have desired success. The special learning angle of the project is also essential for the women's outcome. It infuses all of the project activities and is therefore referred to in the evaluation as a transverse effective mechanism. Especially here it is important that the project insist to focus on language skills and practice-oriented learning. These are closely related and requires an approach where skill development and learning takes place, where the development and application unfolds. The project's methods have partially been used in labor market oriented courses in Sprogcenter Nordsjælland, respectively ”Ready to Work” (for illiterates) and ”Where are You Going?” (for short term educated). During and following the project, the project manager and trainers spoke about the methods used at national and international workshops and language centers in Hillerød and Copenhagen.
3
Quantitative target results Accomplishment of objectives just after project completion: Fulltime job Part time job Temporary Wage Subsidy
Education Entrepreneurship
Other things
Class 1
1
1
1
2
6
4
9
Class 2
5
2
2
1
5
2
9
Class 3
1
5
0
3
10
0
4
Class 4
2
2
0
2
19
2
9
Samlet
9
10
3
8
40
8
31
(n=104) Accomplishment of objectives 1-12 months after project completion: Fulltime job Part time job Temporary Wage Subsidy
Education Entrepreneurship
Other things
Class 1
9
3
0
2
4
2
4
Class 2
7
1
2
1
2
0
12
Class 3
2
2
2
1
6
0
5
Class 4
4
2
3
1
11
0
3
Samlet
22
8
7
5
23
2
40
A selection of the effective mechanisms The good internship match A successful internship helps to achieve several milestones, including: •
Greater knowledge and experience of the Danish labor market and labor standards
•
Realistic view of their own ability on the labor market
•
Realistic goal for the future
•
Extension of the network
•
More self-confidence in regards to own skills when meeting employers etc.
The good internship match is a precondition (an effective mechanism) to successful internships and requires: 4
•
A supported contribution
•
Knowledge of the participant, her training, experience and professional field
•
Knowledge of the company where the participant has an internship
•
Initial and ongoing adjustment of expectations (no job)
•
Continuous follow-up with the participant and company
A selection of the effective mechanisms A relational focus WFF works with a number of "behavior-processive" activities (stylist, speeches, role models, etc.) to reach the milestones to: •
increase participants' confidence
•
provide greater self-awareness
•
provide a new perspective on themselves
•
ensure greater confidence when speaking
A good relationship between teachers and participants and between participants is crucial to achieving these goals. There must be trust and sustainable relationships ensuring that participant is comfortable enough to work with herself and her view of herself. Using Danish All lessons in the project is in Danish. Tuition is partly established as Preparatory Adult Education, partly as labor directed Danish lessons and is taught by teachers who have both been training as a second language teacher, Preparatory Adult Education tutor, mentor training and experience as mentors. The advantage in this is, that the need for language support, is angled in the formal language- perspective, represented in FVU (Preparatory Adult Education) and DU (Danish Education) as well the functional approach DU represent, and last but not least; the interactive process represented by tutorial guidance. The women unanimously expressed that the way Danish is included in all activities allows them to learn Danish quicker than, say, at a language center offering instruction in Danish in order to pass a language test. The tuition is generally designed to target the women's language skills towards the reality, they are entering. The projects learning approach is that learning a language has the 5
best conditions, when connected to the social context in which it will be used and to the student who will be using the language. All conversation is conducted in Danish and at a level that allows participation in PAE as the lower writing level is defined by the PAE. The teaching material consisted of the facts of any kind, content of professional courses, experience, company presentations, company visits, study visits and a minimum of traditional textbook material. The segregation in education and internship represents, are challenges the project has worked to overcome by integration of theory and practice in both places. The method has been to involve each student to uncover their potential; linguistically and professionally and to grow both individually and socially in the project and the labor market. The project has had partial double teacher coverage, where both subject and Danish teacher have been present during the lessons, such as, in connection to the web design course. The division between subject and Danish lessons are in that way exceeded and attention to the individual student's learning style can be maintained and used in the following Danish lessons when there is both a learner and an observing teacher present. A teacher explains it as follows: I observe the students' involvement and will be able to give students additional help if needed. I quickly see who needs extra help and who is self-driven. Especially for Danish teachers it contributes to the linguistic continuity to be present. As a teacher says: It allows me to prepare and evaluate the students, because we ascertain the content of the subject of the lesson. The practical training have for a large part of the women, been a good contribution to the development of their Danish language skills, because it has represented a room for “trial and error” - a work space for the skills the women have developed in the time that preceded the internship. To support the interaction between theory and practice, the women got together once a week during the internship, to discuss the linguistic and professional challenges they encountered and shared experiences with the network that is built through the project. Several women describe it as both a good, but a hard experience to speak Danish in practice, as there is a variety of linguistic exchanges, and there will be taken less account of the women's language level than in the teaching situation. Particularly lunch situations can be hard with all the colleagues talking over each other.
6
WOMEN FOR THE FUTURE • MAIN ACHIEVEMENTS
