First Bus helps bring down barriers for WomenZone members in Bradford

A partnership between First Bus and a group supporting women from Bradford’s ethnic minorities to build career confidence has achieved amazing results in its first weeks.

The bus operator has teamed up with WomenZone, a charity-based community centre in the city, to provide a range of support including one-to-one mentoring, interview skills and tailored training to bring down barriers to employment.

Following a series of workshop sessions held at First Bus’s depots in Leeds and the community centre on Hubert Street in Bradford, 15 women have applied for apprenticeships in engineering and driving.

For others, it has given them the confidence to look at potential job opportunities in other areas.

Ayesha said: “The First Bus interview skills workshop helped me to confidently answer questions, practice my interview technique and deliver a successful interview and I now have a job working at Greggs factory and warehousing department.

“The support from First Bus and WomenZone was really good as this was the first time I practised interviews.”

Another WomenZone member has successfully started employment in the care sector. “I was lucky enough to be part of the interview and employment skills workshop that First Bus delivered with WomenZone. I learned techniques that I used in my interview and now have a great job that I am so happy with.”

Mazish Ahmed, Operations Manager of WomenZone, said: “This partnership with First Bus has had a profound impact already, boosting confidence and providing invaluable tools for career success for the women who took part.

“It has had a positive impact on our members and the community. At WomenZone we continue to be excited by the ongoing work with First Bus, creating further opportunities of development, growth for our community and to boost the chances of the local youth who otherwise would not have had this opportunity.”

First Bus is now working on a series of sessions at its Shared Services centre in Leeds, which covers customer services, HR, procurement and retail development to help improve understanding and awareness of office-based roles and employment skills.

Mubs Mahmed, Community & Social Value Partner at First Bus North & West Yorkshire, said: “The willingness and determination shown by the members of WomenZone and its team to embrace learning and skills development has been inspiring and is the key element in the success we have seen to date.

“We’re naturally delighted this has encouraged some women to look at job opportunities with us, but also very rewarding to know that new careers have been started in other business and service sectors.”

WomenZone is among a group of social value projects involving young people, disadvantaged communities, women and girls and education that First Bus is partnering with to support objectives in lifeskills, careers and youth opportunities, crime prevention and safety.  

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Picture captions:

Mubs Mahmed with the WomenZone leadership team (from left) Mazish Ahmed, Sadia Sajid, Staff manager and Rubina Khalid, CEO and Founder.

Mubs Mahmed chats with the WomenZone leadership team and young members.