Mothers Looking Ahead began with a simple observation of SMEs and consulting institutions within the consortium, seeking ways to support the integration of mothers into the new opportunities created by Covid-19 in education and the labor market.
Statistics from 2021 in the European Union (EU) reveal that the employment rate for women aged 25-54 with children was 72.4%, 4.6 percentage points below the employment rate of women without children (77.0%). It is evident that the presence of children significantly and adversely affects the employment rate of women.
The challenge of mothers dropping out of education and encountering difficulties in returning to education or training, as well as entering the labor market with low qualifications, remains a widespread issue in Europe. Evidence indicates that being a mother often correlates with lower education levels and reduced future family income. International Labour Organization statistics highlight a trend where basic and intermediate levels of education for women are associated with lower and declining employment over time.
The high rates of unemployed mothers in Europe and the dropouts from education inspired the creation of the Mothers Looking Ahead project. The project aims to establish support measures for mothers who are not in education or training, including those from marginalized communities such as ethnic minorities, migrant communities, or the broader community. The goal is to help them return to education and training, enhancing their prospects for (re)entering the labor market and education in the new normal created by Covid-19, which includes distance learning and remote work.
It is crucial to support mothers in re-entering and acquiring 21st-century skills to increase their opportunities in the labor market and improve their quality of life. Ensuring a well-paid income to take care of children has become an important issue, unlike a few decades ago when traditional roles were predominant in most countries.
In conclusion, Mothers Looking Ahead aims to support the educational and professional inclusion of mothers by raising their motivation to reconsider re-entering education or training in the new era of training provided in Europe. The project offers support services, including career orientation, empowerment, motivation, soft skills, basic digital skills, and job preparation training, to help mothers continue and complete their education or training and find employment.
Objectives
Mothers Looking Ahead aims to pursue mothers, with a special focus on those facing fewer opportunities, residing in rural and remote areas, experiencing socio-economic difficulties, or encountering any other potential source of discrimination, including those with a migrant background. The project targets mothers with a low level of skills, knowledge, and competences, encouraging them to reconsider re-entering education or training in the new era of trainings provided in Europe (online, hybrid, face-to-face). Support services will be provided to align them with 21st-century skills, encompassing career orientation, empowerment, motivation, soft skills, basic digital skills, and job preparation training. The goal is to facilitate mothers in continuing and completing their education or training and finding employment. Recognizing the sensitive nature of the challenges faced by many mothers, the project emphasizes sensitivity at each stage to engage and sustain their involvement throughout their educational journey.
Within this context, the specific objectives are as follows:
Identify the necessary skills to establish a motivational program supporting the educational and professional inclusion of mothers. This framework will lay the foundation and identify applicable areas for implementing the motivational program, creating upskilling pathways, improving accessibility, and increasing the uptake of adult education for mothers.
Provide mothers with digital learning options and suitable activities for reaching those with fewer opportunities. This effort will complement the capacity-building of mothers and educators by creating and developing activities to promote equity and equality, addressing barriers faced by groups in accessing opportunities, and facilitating mothers' inclusion and effective learning.
Expected results
A framework for establishing the motivational program supporting the educational and professional inclusion of mothers.
A training curriculum designed for the delivery of a motivational program using high-quality Open Educational Resources (OERs).
Implementation of a series of transnational mentoring forums in project countries.