South Birmingham PCT ... Into work, into promotion
"If we are to modernise our services we need to recruit people who understand the needs of our changing population." Vicki Fitzgerald, manager of South Birmingham PCT's paraprofessional development team
Ishrat Shaheen Ali fond her confidence rose as a result of being on the course
After having her baby boy Usmaan two years ago, Ishrat Shaheen Ali found it virtually impossible to get back to work. The company where she had been an administrator refused to let her go part-time, and she couldn't afford a childminder. "It was really difficult," she says. "I thought that was it for me. It really knocked my confidence."
But all that changed when the 22-year-old enrolled on the community family worker course run by South Birmingham Primary Care Trust. The programme is one of the ways in which the Trust is trying to attract more people from Birmingham's ethnic minority communities, who make up 21 per cent of the city's population - and help them climb the organisational ranks.
At present, ethnic minorities are over-represented amongst staff at lower grades within the organisation, comprising 33 per cent of employees below grade three, and under-represented at management level, where they account for just 17 per cent.
National issue
The problem is not just a local one. Just under 30 per cent of NHS medical staff are from ethnic minority groups, but only 6.7 per cent are at senior levels within the organisation. "Like many organisations, the senior jobs at this Trust are populated by white people," says Vicki Fitzgerald, Manager of the Trust's Paraprofessional Development Team, which designed and developed the course. "Black and minority ethnic people haven't necessarily had a good experience of career progression. This programme is one way of tackling that."
The course was developed over a nine-month period and began enrolling students in October 2003. The team works with Sure Start, a government programme which promotes early education, childcare, health and family support, to identify mothers in the most disadvantaged communities in the city who are keen to start working. Seven of the twelve areas have predominantly ethnic minority populations. The courses are intended to improve participants' employability and act as a gateway in to work and/or further study. Students are supported to gain qualifications at one or all of three levels, which include work placements.
Those who achieve an Open College Network certificate at level two or three are qualified to work as community family workers for Sure Start. If they wish to continue studying, the certificate qualifies them to begin an NVQ course which in turn might qualify them for a foundation degree. In this way, students are helped not just to enter employment, but also to progress upwards through the organisation through further training.
Real job chances
Vicki says the programme is an important stepping stone into employment and training for women who might not otherwise have had the opportunity either to enter the NHS or to gain qualifications in such a supportive environment. "Every element of the course was designed with a job description in mind, so it is very practical," she says. "Ultimately we hope the women will enter work in health and social care. If we are to modernise our services we need to recruit people who understand the needs of our changing population."
Research has shown that spiralling childcare costs, the lack of appropriate transport arrangements and an absence of qualifications can stop mothers from returning to work or seeking work in the first place. For black and ethnic minority groups language issues, family opposition and perceived racism can also play a role. South Birmingham's skills escalator programme has sought to overcome a number of these barriers, offering free transport and free childcare on-site. There is a student support worker on hand to offer emotional support and help is provided with filling in application forms and interviews. More than fifty per cent of students are from ethnic minority groups.
"The women we work with face a number of barriers," says Vicki. "Whether it's for the first time ever or the first time in a long time, getting into the world of work can be a scary thing. We are trying to help people onto the first rung of the ladder."
Self-esteem
Maxine Mills, Course Tutor, says the course acts as an important confidence booster for women. "A lot of the work is about building self-esteem," she says. "A lot of the women come thinking they don't have anything to offer, but I help them realise what they do know and how they can use their life experience. Sometimes just telling them how much they know already can give them that extra push."
Ishrat, whose family is originally from Pakistan, says the course opened her eyes to the possibility of a career in the NHS. "I really didn't know there were so many opportunities out there," she says. "I thought administration was all there was to life."
She is about to get her Open College Network certificate at level three and hopes to go on to complete a degree in health and social care. Her dream is to work with families in a family centre or hospital. "It has given me a lot of confidence," she says. "I got married quite young while I was still studying, and then got pregnant very quickly, so had to give up, though I wanted to carry on. This has helped me do that. Now I would like to give some of that support back to other mothers in a similar position."