A North East-based training provider says its latest qualification could help make sure women's workplace opportunities are not hampered by symptoms of the menopause.
Learning Curve Group, which operates across the country, has launched a level 2 course - Understanding Menopause in the Workplace - which is said to be the first accredited qualification of its type on the topic in the UK. The firm says it will be available to anyone over the age of 16 and is designed to support career starters in jobs such as HR and healthcare roles such as nursing and midwifery.
The qualification, developed in partnership with Innovate Awarding, will provide knowledge and teach practical techniques for learners, their colleagues and managers to encourage positive behaviour and positive thinking with regard to challenges posed by menopause. Learning Curve's move comes in response to a 2021 report from the 50Plus Choices Employer Taskforce - a group made up of representatives from various professional bodies - called 'Menopause and the Workplace: How to enable fulfilling working lives' which called for support for societal changes to meet the needs of longer working lives.
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Lizzy Owen, director of Curriculum, Growth and Design at LCG and author of the Understanding Menopause in the Workplace qualification, said: “I wanted to develop this qualification to highlight the impact that menopause has on women in the workplace. As women are occupying more traditionally male dominated roles and working for longer, the effects that menopause has on women and their careers are only going to increase. Having available education on the topic is needed to ensure that women’s opportunities in the workplace are not negatively impacted by menopause symptoms.
"At Learning Curve Group, we are dedicated to transforming lives through learning and I believe this qualification will help accelerate the understanding of the symptoms of menopause and help businesses better support their employees. I am very proud to have developed the UK’s first accredited qualification on understanding menopause in the workplace.”
Karen Lawlor, development manager at Innovate Awarding, the awarding body for the Understanding Menopause in the Workplace qualification, said: “For far too long, the impact of menopause on individuals and on businesses has been ignored, mostly due to a lack of knowledge and understanding around the subject. Momentum is now growing to put this right; businesses are becoming aware of the importance of retaining staff and helping them through challenging life changes.
"I am very excited and proud to have been involved with the development of the first nationally accredited qualification covering menopause. Now people of all ages in all workplaces have the opportunity to learn about menopause, to understand what menopause is, its impact on the individual and on the business, and to identify ways of addressing the issues caused by menopause in the workplace.”
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