The ISU chapter of the Society of Women Engineers has launched a program to help battered women find jobs and gain independence.

Cari Olson, president of SWE, said the organization is planning computer lessons for the women who live at ACCESS, the Assault Care Center Extending Shelter and Support, a women’s shelter home located in Ames. The project was started to instruct women who have never learned how to use Microsoft computer programs, said Olson, junior in agricultural engineering.

Although the program got off to a rough start in October, after only one woman attended a session in a campus computer lab, the organization is taking a new route to the women.

Abby Hancock, SWE secretary and member of special events committee, said the poor turnout was due to the location and the fact that the women had to find a ride to and from campus.

“We are changing our design of the program,” said Hancock, sophomore in chemical engineering.

“We will be taking the sessions to the women at the shelter.”

Vince Stout, co-chair for the SWE ACCESS committee program, said the group will use ISU technology to help the women learn.

“We are planning on renting laptops and projector screens from the Communications Building located here on campus,” said Stout, junior in agricultural engineering.

“The number of laptops we rent will depend on how many women sign up to attend each session.”

Jenna King, director of ACCESS, is looking forward to having SWE come to the shelter and said it will greatly benefit the women.

“SWE is planning the sessions on their own and we have to do nothing except have the women sign up,” King said.

Olson said learning new skills is a jumping-off point for many of the women.

“Computer skills are so valuable in the job force and we are so fortunate to have grown up learning how to use computers,” she said.

“SWE is planning on giving something back.”

The society will also present classes about interviewing and business skills to the women. Donations from local Ames clothing businesses have provided professional clothing for the women to wear for when they go on job interviews, Stout said. And to go along with the professional clothing, SWE is holding a cosmetology session for the women so that they will look their very best for their interviews.

Stout said members of SWE are very excited now that the project is under way and are also enthusiastic about helping those in need.

“The women that come to the sessions want to learn and are willing to try something that might seem a little scary at first,” she said. “But with the help of SWE, they will have an understanding of Microsoft in no time.”