back to news and projects
Local employment charity Highway to Opportunities (H2O) is proud holders of a national record- employing Britain’s first Asian/Muslim female bus drivers.
Mubeen Shahid, Shahbana Hussain and Nita Patel can currently be found guiding H2O’s specially adapted outreach buses through the Asian communities in Oldham, enabling women the chance to learn English, apply for jobs, or get on a training course without travelling into the town centre. The buses are fully equipped with a mini computer suite, class rooms and a crèche.
Nita Patel was the first Asian women to qualify as a bus driver in the North West taking her test in 1991, she has since been joined by Mubeen and Shahbana, who after completing a PSV familiarisation course became the first Muslim female drivers in England.
For Mubeen Shahid completing the course was an extra special achievement as it was through this service that she learnt English, and progressed with a childcare career.
“When I came over from Pakistan in 1985 I couldn’t speak any English, and my chances of getting a job was exceptionally slim. However in 1991 I moved to Oldham and began to learn English on this very bus-my advisors at the time are now my colleagues!”
“I was interested in a career in childcare so once I had learnt English my tutors suggested I move onto a childcare course- again this was done on the bus. Once I had completed this I found work as a crèche worker with OMBC, and then a job for a crèche worker came up on the bus which I applied for and got”
“In 2003 I completed driver training which means now I work full time as a bus driver and crèche care worker’.
‘I can identify with the women coming on the bus who have little confidence because of their language barriers- that was me once, but its rewarding to see them move into employment or training at the end of it.’
Three Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) workers are based on the bus, along with two crèche workers, speaking a range of languages including Urdu, Punjabi and Bangla offering women in Asian communities the chance to access a range of free employment services including job seeking, CV writing, IT training, and language classes in partnership with the Lifelong Learning Centre.
The bus is open 5 days per week, to find out where the bus will be contact H2O on 0161 621 9200.
