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Re-entry Process The re-entry process as many women have experienced it consists of the following steps:
Throughout the re-entry process women have numerous learning needs. Women's learning needs are for confidence building, developing life skills and the reorganization of their domestic sphere to accommodate new planned responsibilities; for information to access needed resources and for planning and support for the implementation of their plans. In the experience of this author, there are numerous 'elephant traps' in the re-entry process. The 'elephant traps' are those factors of such importance and weight that should they be absent (i.e. self-esteem) or unavailable (i.e. money for training or day care), they can block or prevent or deflect appropriate re-entry. Lack of a learning resource such as up-grading effectively blocks many women from pursuing training in a well-planned, thought-out career. This happens frequently for graduates of programs introducing women to non-traditional occupations in technology and the trades, when they set a goal to be trained in an occupation which requires academic upgrading. The continual reduction of up-grading spaces in many educational institutions, coupled with the new CMTP policy to sponsor individuals for up-grading only in very exceptional cases, means that without alternate financial backing and learning resources, many women are either blocked from re-entry, or limited to low paying and/or part-time employment. A lack of good quality, affordable day care has effectively prevented many women from re-entering either the education system or the labour force. Others are deflected from their plan, by the lack of these and other resources, into low paying part-time jobs or study programs on a one-course-at-a-time- basis, rather than full-time or more substantial part-time employment or study. |
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