Skills Bank

by Sema Aksoy

I would like to introduce to you the women behind
the Skills Bank, i.e. the members of the Committee.

The Skills Bank Committee consists of three women who are dedicated members of CCLOW. These women are Martha Colquhoun, chair; Betty Ann Taylor, member-at-large; and Sema Aksoy, Skills Bank coordinator.

Martha's involvement with the organization dates back a few years. She is now a member of the CCLOW Board of Directors and the provincial Director in Manitoba. Her primary areas of expertise include micro technology, adult basic education, human relations and affirmative action. She also does administrative and management consulting.

Recently Martha has done two projects which you may find interesting. Two years ago she produced written material for a lecture and workshop on "Microtechnology and the Diminution of Women". In her presentation she aimed at alerting women to the impact of micro technology on their lives. The other project she developed was a workshop on "Stress Management for Women", for which she produced workshop materials and plans. Further information on both of these projects can be obtained from the Skills Bank.

Betty Ann Taylor is a member of the Skills Bank Committee who represents the entire membership. She has first hand experience with the Skills Bank because her previous participation in setting up and running of the Skills Bank.

Until the time she was offered a permanent position with the Toronto Board of Education, Betty Ann worked as the Skills Bank coordinator. However getting a teaching job did not mean that she was leaving her affiliation with the Skills Bank. She came back to serve on the Committee and to share with us her skills, experiences and ideas.

Betty Ann is a specialized English as a Second Language teacher. She also has training in adult basic education, affirmative action and public school system in which she is employed. While working on her masters degree at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), Betty Ann produced a report on information exchanges and the CCLOW Skills Bank which is available for circulation from Sema Aksoy who is the present Skills Bank coordinator.

Sema is the third member of the Skills Bank Committee. She has been a member of CCLOW since 1980. Sema is a doctoral candidate at OISE in the departments of Educational Administration and Planning. She has extensive experience in the area of community development, immigrant women and the elderly. She is also developing some expertise in the overseas project promotion and financing.

Recently the CCLOW Resource Centre became affiliated with the Skills Bank Committee. Now we have two affiliate members who develop and run the Resource Centre. They are Shirley Brazer, librarian, and Gheorghina Szasz, library technician.

If you would like to have further information about the members of the Skills Bank Committee and their projects please write to us. We would like to hear your comments and concerns about our Bank.

We extend our best wishes to you for the festive season. We also would like to tell you to watch for the Skills Bank Package which will reach you in the early new year.