Attempts to identify reasons why about 110,000 females who are of working age are not in employment are underway as part of an EU programme.

A policy document being drawn up will seek ways of enticing these women back to work.

The project is part of the €1.65 million Equal programme, partly funded by the European Social Fund, which attempts to help unemployed people, including refugees, to enter the labour market.

The executive director of the National Commission for the Promotion of Equality, Sina Bugeja, explained that women are usually only willing to return to the workplace if it will allow them to continue looking after their family.

"We are talking to them about the possibility of starting cooperatives, where they can work during their free time and produce products which can be put on the market," she said during a press conference.

Some women are not looking for full-time employment and Ms Bugeja said part-time jobs will allow them to fulfil their family responsibilities while being productive and economically independent.

A study compiled by former Workers' Participation Development Centre director Godfrey Baldacchino and university students in 2003 showed that the main reasons for women not working was to look after their families and because they were happy at home, taking care of the family. Moral imperatives, resistance by close family members and the overbearing pressure of household chores came a distant third, fourth and fifth as explanations.

The Foundation for Social Welfare Services is taking care of the programme to integrate asylum seekers. Yvonne Mallia, who is coordinating the project, said 80 people are currently enrolled in training, which is focusing on teaching them English so that those who do not find a job on the island will be able to seek employment elsewhere.

Ms Mallia said some of them already have skills, which need to be strengthened. In fact, the counsellor helping in the project is a refugee. She said the idea of the project is to help the asylum seekers integrate within the community, something which she admitted is not always easy.

The Equal programme, which tests and promotes new means of combating all forms of inequality and discrimination in the labour market, is designed to address the needs of vulnerable people who find difficulty to access employment opportunities, Social Policy Minister Dolores Cristina said.

Speaking during the launch of an information and publicity campaign for the project, Ms Cristina stressed that the best way to include somebody within the community was to give them capabilities and access to employment.

Moreover, the project aims to exchange best practices between participating countries, with some local projects already having been chosen.

Mrs Cristina said Equal is part of the EU's Lisbon Strategy which aims for more and better employment opportunities in the 25 member countries.

Housing Authority chairman Marisa Micallef is coordinating a project that provides training and certification for young people leaving institutional care, who are assisted in finding full-time employment. The project will provide affordable housing options to the certified trainees. Ms Micallef said the project is currently helping 15 young people but it is hoped that it will be extended to all youths in institutional care.

Malta Enterprise is coordinating a project to promote entrepreneurship among the unemployed, particularly women, who are being encouraged to set up their own business. After they complete their training, the successful candidates will be able to apply for a grant to help them with their business venture.

Daniel Debono, who is handling the programme, said about 60 applications have been received, adding that apart from training, the project entails business mentoring. Plans are underway to take a group of people to the UK and Ireland to exchange information.

WasteServ is helping to create employment opportunities for socially vulnerable people through small scale recycling activities.

More information about the project can be found at www.esf.gov.mt

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