By Madelaine Currelly This project is funded by the Status of Women Canada

 Status of Women Canada funded a 3 year project to study economic security for rural women.  The focus of the project: the local economy, Job Search Strategies, Financial Literacy  Job search strategies and Financial Literacy are inextricably linked. Economic Security requires an understanding of both

 The project involved approximately 200 local women representing the following groups: ◦ Women who live/work on farms ◦ Women in receipt of financial assistance ◦ Women looking for employment ◦ Women who are currently employed ◦ Young women graduating from High School or College/University

 The first phase of the project involved a Gender Based Analysis (GBA) of women’s economic security both nationally and locally  The Results indicated that men and women job search differently, men and women handle money differently and participate in the economy differently

 Job Search: ◦ Women tend to rely more on family and friends (strong ties) for job search assistance rather than approaching others in the community (weak ties). ◦ Women may be at a disadvantage as their social networks are comprised of more women than men. This may funnel women back into traditionally female-dominated, low-paying jobs.

◦ Women are less likely to develop job search goals than men, this therefore affects their ability to be strategic, resulting in a higher need for coaching ◦ Women are more likely to take a lower paying job which affects their economic security

 Financial Literacy: ◦ While women are more effective at daily budgeting, they are more risk–averse than men. This means that they are less likely to seek out investment information or to invest. ◦ Women are less confident in their financial literacy knowledge and skills. ◦ Women do not utilize weak ties effectively to develop their financial knowledge and make financial decisions.

 Based on the input from local women, the stakeholders identified the following two priorities: ◦ Access to relevant information and resources in an unbiased, non-judgemental environment that is easy to understand ◦ Relevant training for local opportunities and job search strategies including coaching and mentoring

 Videos ◦ Women requested information that is accessible, easy to understand and in story-telling format ◦ Videos can be easily accessed by rural women. They will be available online, at local libraries and through local employment partners

 Videos ◦ Job A and Job B Job A and Job B ◦ Research, Research, Research Research, Research, Research ◦ Effective Networking Effective Networking ◦ A Tailored Approach to Applying A Tailored Approach to Applying ◦ The Art of the Interview The Art of the Interview

 Virtual coaching for job search through online tool  Job search strategies and job search process driven  Only tool with virtual coaching capabilities  6 licenses

 A Learning PlatformLearning Platform ◦ Job seeker learns through online courses and research based process using a virtual coach ◦ System includes a self-paced 8 module learning course; Social Capital Development and Strategic Job Search Management ◦ Job Seekers are presented with weekly challenges, based on their needs, to ensure that they continue to improve their understanding of the strategies

 An Organization & Management toolOrganization & Management tool ◦ Seamlessly records and stores all critical job search info in one location ◦ Job Seekers can see at a glance their entire job search process allowing them to stay focused on their activity ◦ Reports on job seeker activity are easily printed or shared with their virtual coach

 A Virtual Job CoachVirtual Job Coach ◦ Experienced job coach available 24/7 ◦ Virtual coach can easily communicate with the job seeker in a variety of ways ◦ strategies, challenges and videos to teach critical job search techniques for every step of job search process

 A Job Support NetworkJob Support Network  Job seekers can request their network to become “supporters” of their job search  “Supporters” can be sent a weekly keeping them informed of the job seekers process  Accounts can be linked to , facebook or linkedin contacts

 A GameGame ◦ Job search process is turned into a game by providing rewards and encouragement for following specific behaviours ◦ Job seekers earn ‘badges’ by completing steps that make them strategically more effective ◦ A ‘strategic score’ is visible for each job opportunity identified.

Community Training & Development Centre Phone: (905) Website: Videos available through Wise By Plan website or directly through YouTube using the Wise By Plan channel Online learning and management tool (SnagPad) available through (view as job seeker) Gender-Based Analysis and Forum results available through Wise By Plan website WISE By Plan