Mums in Birmingham invited to apply for 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 BMet College, a Further Education and Training College and the Women’s Work Lab, an award-winning social enterprise.

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 over 600 Mums on their journeys back to work and on average, 70 per cent 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.

The expansion into Birmingham is a partnership between the Women’s Work Lab and BMet College, funded by the West Midlands Combined Authority.

It will see pilot programmes launched in January and April 2026 – funded by the Rigby Foundation.

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. The programme will run in a central location in Birmingham.

The free programme runs in school hours and combines classroom based training, a 4-week work placement and 9 months of bespoke career support and mentoring.

Out of the mums enrolling in the programme, 88 per cent of our have been out of work for more than 6 months, 57 per cent are lone parents, 30 per cent are survivors of domestic abuse and one in five are aged over 50.

To date, they have supported over 600 Mums with a 92 per cent graduation rate and 68 per cent of Mums are now in employment, formal training or work-related volunteering. Mums frequently describe the programme as “life-changing”.

Sophia Mohammed, former participant and now Women’s Work Lab Programme Manager said: “WWL has completely changed everything about how we now live and how we think about our future. We have hope and we feel unstoppable about what might come next.”

Suzie Branch-Haddow, vice principal for External Development at BMet, said: “At BMet, we recognise the urgent need to support women into employment by removing any barriers from confidence to childcare to upskilling.

“This programme is a vital step towards helping mums return to work.”