An innovative program to support women considering nominating as candidates in the 2016 local government elections will be launched at UTS on 24 September.
Empowering Women in Local Government has been developed by the UTS Centre for Local Government (UTS:CLG) and the NSW Australian Local Government Women's Association (ALGWA NSW) to redress the existing gender imbalance in the state's councils.
"The statistics show us that across Australia women remain significantly under-represented in local government at both an elected level and senior management level," said ALGWA NSW President, Councillor Vicki Scott.
"ALGWA NSW wants to work to change this! We encourage any woman considering standing for council elections in 2016 to participate in this unique learning opportunity."
UTS:CLG Centre Director Associate Professor Roberta Ryan said, "This type of program has never been offered before and UTS:CLG commends ALGWA NSW for its visionary leadership in championing gender equity in local government."
UTS:CLG Program Manager Nicole Campbell said, "Empowering Women in Local Government is a fantastic opportunity for women to learn about local government; develop their leadership skills; understand effective engagement and communication techniques and learn how to campaign effectively."
The program is a six-day course comprising a mix of on-line and face-to-face learning, framed around three modules: Understanding NSW Local Government, Developing professional and personal leadership skills and Campaign Logistics.
It will also establish a strong peer-to-peer network of women working in local government.
To commence on Friday 23 October, hosted by Strathfield City Council, Empowering Women in Local Government will be delivered by UTS:CLG's highly qualified local government team.
For further information on course costs and to register, visit the ALGWA NSW website.
Empowering Women in Local Government will be formally launched at UTS on 24 September from 5.30pm to 8.00pm on Level 7, UTS Building 10, 235 Jones Street, Ultimo.
- UTS's Centre for Local Government and the NSW Australian Local Government Women's Association are launching an innovative program to redress existing gender imbalance in the state's councils
- The six-day Empowering Women in Local Government program will develop professional and personal leadership skills along with learning how to campaign effectively