What is the WEVH

The Manchester Women's Electronic Village Hall (Women's EVH) is a unique Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Training and Resource Centre run by women for women.

We were set up in 1992 and are based in city centre Manchester, providing ICT and Multimedia facilities for women in the Greater Manchester area.

In September 2000 we received news that we had been successful in our bid to become a UK Online Centre. As part of this success we have received money towards our new Women's Technology Centre at Ada House.

This has allowed us to purchase new IT equipment and has helped with the costs of the refurbishment of the building which now features 2 training suites, meeting rooms, kitchens, a creche and a loft-style floor of offices available for rent.

From the outset a fundamental policy of the Women's EVH has been to provide access to training and resources for all women. We have established Equal Opportunities policies and practices that ensure women from the most disadvantaged backgrounds benefit from their courses.

We monitor what kind of women use our training facilities and ensure that disabled women, women from ethnic minorities and women with little or no formal training or education are successfully accessing the training on offer.

This is underpinned by the community outreach work carried out by the Women's EVH which helps inform local organisations and communities of the opportunities available to them.

Together with the LearnDirect courses (self-directed courses with materials available online) we will be offering a new range of opportunities for women who may not be able to attend classes at fixed times.

As ICT and new media become more widely integrated into all areas of our lives, many more agencies are becoming aware of the need to provide flexible ICT learning facilities and resources to enable social inclusion.

With over ten years experience, as one of the pioneers in this field we will continue to make a unique contribution by providing our holistic women-centred approach.