Mums in the Midlands invited to apply for a free programme to help them get back into work
Unemployed mums in Birmingham are being invited to apply for a free 12-month programme to help them rebuild their careers and build a financially secure life for themselves and their families. The programme is run by the Women’s Work Lab, an award-winning social enterprise and BMet College, a Further Education and Training College. The Women’s Work Lab supports unemployed mums in receipt of state-benefits back into work and is expanding to Birmingham.
Since 2019 they have supported more than 600 mums on their journeys back to work and on average, 70% will be in employment, formal training or work-related volunteering within nine months of completing the programme.
Birmingham faces some of the highest levels of economic inactivity and poverty in the country and there is a high level of need explains Rachel Mostyn is Co-founder of The Women’s Work;
“Having spent 8 years developing, delivering and honing our HIVE programme in the South-West, we are excited to be expanding into Birmingham. We know how needed our specialist support is and cannot wait to support more mums in recognising their potential, whilst introducing employers to so much new talent.
“The impact of our work goes well beyond just ‘getting a job’ - it’s transformative for the whole family and creates hope and aspiration for all.”
The expansion into Birmingham is a partnership between the Women’s Work Lab and BMet College, funded by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA). Suzie Branch-Haddow is the Vice Principal for External Development at BMet;
“The WMCA Growth Plan and Get Britain Working strategy both show that women and carers make up the largest group of people who are classified as economically inactive in our region and we are committed to helping change that, which is why developing a bespoke programme for mums across the region is such a priority for us.
“At BMet, we recognise the urgent need to support women into employment by removing any barriers from confidence to childcare to upskilling. This partnership programme with The Women’s Work Lab is a vital step towards helping mums return to work.”
The Birmingham 12-month programme will launch in January & April 2026. It includes classroom training, career coaching, mentoring, and a work placement with a socially conscious employer.
Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands said: “Our region has some of the highest levels of economic inactivity and poverty in the UK but it doesn’t have to be that way. My Growth Plan sets out to tackle the lack of opportunity and support that has too often been the root cause of this inequality.
“The Women’s Work Lab offers mums an effective way to learn new skills and get into work, giving them the support they need to improve their quality of life, as well as strengthen their local communities and get our economy growing again. This is how we change thousands of lives for the better.”
In the city, 7.6% of the economically active population, aged 16+, is unemployed. The UK average is 4.5% and in some areas, more than half of children are living in poverty. In the Birmingham Ladywood constituency, 62% of children live in poverty.
Leading Midlands charity, The Rigby Foundation is funding the programme’s set up and development costs. The Foundation supports young people in the region into education and employment - Chair Steve Rigby felt this programme would very much help those young people; “Birmingham faces some of the highest levels of economic inactivity and poverty in the country. It has the highest claimant unemployment rate (14.3%) amongst the core cities and is well above the UK average (5.1%).
"We know from recent work we did with the Centre for Social Justice that young people with one or both parents unemployed and with a low household income are more likely to become NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) than others. Having parents who experienced unemployment increases the probability of being NEET by 17%. This partnership with The Women’s Work Lab hopes to change these outcomes.”
Applications are now open for all mums who receive state-benefits, are aged 19+ (no upper age limit) and would like to find meaningful work. They can apply through the website: womensworklab.co.uk/im-a-mum. The programme will run in a central location in Birmingham.
