Retraining and Returning to Work

At its beginnings, NACEW noted a high need for retraining schemes in particular for women over 45 who had brought up their families and were now looking to return to the workforce, usually full time and whose skills needed updating. The 1969 report noted that 'one of the evident needs is for the training of mature women in modern office practice.'^[44] It was envisaged that retraining would refresh and extend women's basic qualifications. Wellington Polytechnic began such courses the same year and in 1973 New Outlook courses began at Christchurch Technical Institute.^[45]

A further way of helping this group was by providing information centres that would 'help women bridge the gap between domestic life and the demands of employment'^[46]. A pilot information centre within the Employment Division of the Department of Labour's national office opened in 1969. NACEW hoped that such centres would be set up in the suburbs as well. The work of this centre helped women return to work by giving them information and advice on the current labour market. In 1972, the Department of Labour opened an employment services branch in Auckland. Sheila McMillan, a NACEW member, was associated with this. The Council was also aware that more publicity was needed to attract women to use the information services. ^[47]

Elizabeth Orr, a foundation member of NACEW, also edited Women at work: a guide to employment and training opportunities for women returning to work^[48] for the New Zealand Federation of University Women in 1968 with some funding from the Department of Labour. This book was 'to help married women, and more particularly women, who are wondering if they would like to return to work'.^[49] In 1989, Alison Kuiper co-authored Working Your Way Back to Work. A guidebook for New Zealand women returning to the workforce. At the time she was NACEW's Acting Chair whilst Margaret Wilson was overseas.^[50]

By 1973, it was apparent that a disproportionate number of well-educated women were attending the retraining courses at Wellington Polytechnic and coming to the information centres. This concern about retraining of women was an important issue in NACEW's early years but fell away by the beginning of the 1980s for demographic reasons. The large number of women looking to return to the workforce had been the mothers of the baby boom generation. These women had a high fertility peaking in 1961 when the fertility rate exceeded 4.3 births per woman. By the 1980s women married later, and had children later, and were in paid work longer before starting families.^[51] This generation returned to the workforce when their children were younger and wanted childcare and the possibility of part time work. NACEW's work on these topics therefore became more important and has remained so.