Coordination office for women and work is also well visited online

It is the first point of contact for women and men who have taken a break from work to raise a family and want to reorient themselves professionally: the Hannover Region's Women and Career Coordination Office. Advice and further training are the core business of the coordination office - and it has been very successful despite the difficult conditions caused by the pandemic: in the current six months, there have been around 60 training and further education events, which are held entirely online and are well attended. A further 40 online events are planned for the next six months. The aim of the coordination office is to move away from printed programs and towards digital offerings. Registration now also takes place exclusively online and no longer by email or telephone as before.

Heart topic Support for women with families

Accompanying and supporting women with families is and remains our core issue," says Ayten Berse, Head of the Women and Work Coordination Office. "When it comes to balancing family and career, coronavirus is a burning issue, but also a great opportunity. Due to the pandemic, we have not only developed the training program from face-to-face to online formats, but also offer our advice online."

The service is well received: Last year, the coordination office advised and coached 140 women in several one-to-one meetings. This year, 46 women have already benefited from the advice.

One of them is Jelena Gayk, who is just returning to work after a year on parental leave. "The first interview was still possible in person, then we continued online," reports the 33-year-old. "Technically, it worked perfectly and we had a good personal level, even though the consultation took place on a screen." As a result, the cultural manager is currently attending a series of workshops and seminars on the topics of digitalization and returning to work. "Online, it's also much easier to reconcile this with the organization of everyday family life," says Gayk.