How Kos supports women

Women often face obstacles when they want to return to work after having children. Kos offers advice and workshops.

Stuhr – The new program of the Coordination Office for Women and Business (Kos) is entitled “Courageously taking new paths in life”. For almost two years, the sponsoring association of the same name has also been offering advice at the meeting point Sie(h)da, where Kos employee Julia Bäcker is available to answer women’s questions.

Many obstacles to returning to work after having children

If women want to return to work after having children, they have to overcome many obstacles, reports Kos director Kathrin Würdemann. “That is a major disruption. “We are in demand at the interface,” says Würdemann. “We are also increasingly noticing the demand in the municipality of Stuhr.”

In general, women who want to make a change seek advice, Bäcker has found. They see their clients in two main situations: “Either they've been out of work for a while because of the children and are asking themselves: 'What else can I do?'” Or they've been in the same job for 10, 20, 30 years and want to do something different. “But I can't do anything else,” is often the response. That's where Kos's services come in. Together with the women, they make dozens of strengths visible. So that the women can confidently apply for the job market.

“How do I find the right job?” is also a recurring question. It’s not about strategies like the classic job advertisement, but about actively approaching potential employers.

Kos does not only focus on workshops

Bäcker cites the workshop “Self-confident and confident!” as an example of an offer from Kos that is intended to provide an impetus for a better performance on the job market. Time and place: November 6th at Sie(h)da.

The new program of the Brinkum meeting point includes six more offers from Kos, such as “Professional restart – with momentum into the autumn” (September 13th) and “Get a career start! What do I actually want?” (November 8th).

Be brave, take risks, break out – despite having a family, children, relatives, partner. Women are not alone in this, says Bäcker. How do other women do it? Kos also wants to demonstrate this with her work, for example through networking or so-called power portraits in the program booklets.

The topic of “Back to the professional future” is the most heavily represented in the new Sie(h)da program, and not just because of the Kos offers. The employment agency is also represented there in the person of Nicole Schliekau, careers advisor for adults. “Arriving-Learning-Working” is the theme on October 10th, and “New Year – New Thoughts – New Ways” on January 9th, 2025.

Sie(h)da is not only there for professional topics

The equal opportunities officer Nicole Feldmann-Paske emphasizes that Sie(h)da should continue to serve as a space for exchange beyond professional topics. Pregnancy and birth play a major role in the program, especially since additional offerings have been added with “Yoga for pregnant women” and the one-day course “Birth preparation with a difference”. From birth to the playgroup and exchange for parents to the meeting for women over 60: the range covers a whole woman's biography.

“Cooking together” enriches the part of the program that deals with integration and intercultural exchange.

According to Feldmann-Paske, the “Parents’ Meeting: ADHD, Autism, Giftedness & Co.” and the two toddler groups are “very, very popular”. Registration is therefore recommended. ANDREAS HAPKE