On the heels of a successful launch for Women in the Workplace (WIW), a virtual platform which highlights programming around citywide resources specific to women, and Atlanta Innovation Week, which showcases Atlanta’s red hot startup ecosystem, the Women’s Entrepreneurship Initiative (WEI) continues its mission to elevate, engage and empower entrepreneurship through women with events throughout the month of November and into the holiday season.
According to statistics, women have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of women in the workforce has significantly dropped since the beginning of the pandemic in early 2020. According to the American Progress Organization, four times as many women as men dropped out of the labor force in September 2020, roughly 865,000 women compared with 216,000 men. In addition, 275,000 women left the labor force in January 2021, accounting for nearly 80% of all workers over age 20 who left the workforce that month, according to the National Women’s Law Center.
As a result, Women in the Workplace was developed to identify, mobilize, and spotlight prime partner solutions, targeting gaps in Atlanta’s underserved communities made evident by the COVID-19 pandemic with five main areas of focus: Economic Mobility; Mental Health; Entrepreneurship; Families & Childcare; and Capital Investment & Resource Allotment. Each area of focus is led by a city agency with expertise in that space, including Worksource Atlanta, One Atlanta, Women’s Entrepreneurship Initiative, Mayor’s Office of International Affairs and Invest Atlanta. To date, the platform has served more than 250 women throughout The City of Atlanta with important information and marketplace resources.
“The risk of women leaving the labor force and reducing work hours in order to assume caretaking responsibilities amounts to tens of billions of dollars per year in lost wages and economic activity,” explained Dr. Eloisa Klementich, president and CEO of Invest Atlanta. “For a healthy, equitable economy, women, particularly those in underserved communities, need access to resources like Women in the Workplace so they can continue to be strong financial contributors while also caring for their loved ones.”
WEI kicks off additional programming in conjunction with Global Entrepreneurship Week and Women's Entrepreneurship Day. Programming includes "Preparing for the ARP", a workshop to help small businesses and startups prepare for the American Rescue Plan grants, as well as conversations focused on early stage strategy with The Farm Boomtown “Ignite Ideas”, how women can best position for equity investment with VC Worthy, and a better way to approach the new year’s business resolutions with Single Mom Founders.
“This is such an important platform, because WEI knows that when women have access to good information, women create results,” exective director Monica Hooks explains. “In addition, Women in the Workplace was developed by women for women using a women-owned technology platform. It’s a testament to the opportunities available for women in Atlanta and WEI is proud to lead the effort.”
Other resources and marketplace items include:
- WBENC Certifications: GWBC Scholarship Announcement
- The Greater Women's Business Council will provide two (2) scholarships for the nationally recognized WBENC certifications. Winners Announced Friday, November 19th.
- WEOP "Prime Time: Certified & Contract Ready"
- This Do-It-Yourself (DIY) certification workshop will provide women-owned businesses with simulated demonstrations of how to complete the online application for WOSB certifications. *SAM Registration required to receive information. Deadline: Friday, November 19th.
- $1,000 Home Based Business Grants: The (Tech) Tipoff | Encore Pitch Competition
- WEI are back with our second pitch competition of the year where entrepreneurs can win $1000 grants for their home-based businesses. Attend a day of workshops to prepare your pitch. Sign Up Deadline: Friday, November 19th.
- ShePivot Talent Development and Certification Program for Women
- To support recent college graduates and women business leaders who have recently lost their jobs due to COVID-19, STEM Atlanta Women launched the ShePivots Emerging Technology Certification Program. A program designed to re-skill and up-skill women of color in advanced technology Services to help prepare them for career opportunities in emerging technology. Deadline: Monday, November 29th.
Women in the Workplace outcomes are driven by the One Atlanta: Economic Mobility, Recovery & Resiliency Plan. Data and reporting will support the Mayor’s Office of International Affairs and the Carter Center’s “Inform Women, Transform Lives” campaign, in line with the United Nations General Assembly Sustainable Development Goals, a collection of 17 interlinked global goals designed to be a "blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all." WEI is passionate about supporting these initiatives, because we know that women are the center of economic development not only in Atlanta, but for communities worldwide.
“Combining all these resources into one place is the holistic approach most needed to help women get back into the workplace,” WorkSource Atlanta Executive Director Amy Lancaster-King said. “WorkSource Atlanta is proud to be a partner in this important effort.”
To register for events, visit www.weiatlanta.com/womenintheworkplace. The WEI program also opened applications for Cohort 4 on November 15, 2021. Visit our website for FAQs.