Push for Women to Take the Lead
31 March 2014 at 9:25 am
Feminist Not for Profit YWCA of Canberra has launched an innovative new program to encourage women into leadership roles.
She Leads will comprise of a year-long Diploma of Management tailored specifically to women leaders, and a one-day conference that will feature a line-up of renowned Australian women including author, journalist and pioneering feminist, Anne Summers, Executive Director of UN Women Australia, Julie McKay, and Deputy Secretary Defence People in the Department of Defence, Carmel McGregor.
Executive Director of the YWCA of Canberra, Frances Crimmins, said that She Leads addressed an important need in the community, by providing a safe space for participants to explore their leadership potential, and to learn about the unique challenges faced by women leaders.
“Some women tell us that they haven’t come across discrimination in their workplace, which is welcome news. But unfortunately, current research shows that women are significantly under-represented in the top echelons of most industries,” Crimmins said.
“According to the Australian Census of Women in Leadership, women hold only 9.2 per cent of key management positions in the top 500 publicly listed companies in Australia.”
Crimmins said that while the focus of the program was to develop young women’s leadership potential, the Conference and Diploma will engage women from across the age spectrum.
“At the YWCA of Canberra we believe that leadership should be transformational and intergenerational,” she said.
“This year, we have drawn on our national networks to develop a program featuring outstanding women leaders who will inspire, motivate, and challenge delegates, be they aspiring, emerging or established leaders.”
The She Leads Diploma will include a framework of developing participants’ cognitive capabilities and emotional intelligence (knowing), practical leadership skills (doing), and leadership identity (being). The course will interweave this framework with a traditional Diploma of Management.
For more information, visit www.ywca-canberra.org.au.
Expressions of interest in the She Leads Diploma of Management can be directed to alison.barclay@ywca-canberra.org.au.
