Metro Mayor Meeting with our Mums — The Women's Work Lab

This week the Women’s Work Lab met with Dan Norris, Metro Mayor, as part of the West of England’s first ever Jobs & Skills Summit.

The week is billed as an opportunity for the new Mayor to meet people across the region and hear their views on jobs and skills opportunities and concerns. As part of the day on ‘barriers to work’ the Women’s Work Lab co-founders, four of our Mums and Will Monachino-Ayres from B&NES Council, who are funding our three Bath programmes, were invited to an informal meeting with Dan. Unsurprisingly childcare, confidence and a lack of recent work experience featured highly in the conversation.

Speaking about the Women’s Work Lab on BBC Radio Bristol (listen from 2h11mins) after the meeting Dan said; “This is a great project that reaches out to people and thinks about what is going on in their lives and how we can connect them up with work and training and skills.

“This is exactly what I want to see. It’s amazing projects like the Women’s Work Lab, that has mentors and has amazing women’s groups that get together that really give confidence to women. This means they can then go back to work and do the best by themselves and their families. It’s great to see and I’m really inspired.”

Meeting the Mums

Dan spent an hour chatting to Kelly, Bethany, Samantha and Roxanne at the Station, Bristol’s Central Youth Hub, about how the Women’s Work Lab programme has supported them on their journey back into work.

Bethany shared her hugely positive experience at the University of Bath and how her 4 week placement there has given her so many new skills. The good news is she has just been shortlisted for an interview for a lab technician position so we have everything crossed for her!

After 11 years out of work, Kelly spoke so eloquently about the challenges of supporting her children with Special Educational Needs and also finding employment. She explained how the programme has really helped her to gain confidence and look at what sort of job she may be suited to. She loved her placement at Curo as an Independent Living Support Worker and is now looking to secure employment in a similar role.

As for Samantha, who is of course our Team Administrator and a Bristol WWL graduate, there may well have been a few tears when she explained how family life had changed as a result of her doing the programme and getting back into work after an 11 year break. “It’s like our whole family is in a better place,” she said. “My sons are so proud of me and it’s wonderful to be such a positive role model and doing a job I really love.”

Roxanne’s story

Finally Roxanne chatted about how previous to the Women’s Work Lab she was a hairdresser for 15 years and after a spell of unemployment due to the pandemic was looking for a new direction. Huge props to Roxanne who put her nerves to one side and actually joined the Mayor on John Darvall’s show on BBC Radio Bristol to talk about the programme!

“I was at a loss at what to do next. But the Women’s Work Lab really helped me with that,” she explained. “The programme focuses on giving women confidence and helping them to get a foot in the door. It helps you when you apply for jobs and you don’t have any experience.”

Roxanne outside Dorothy House Hospice Care

“For me, it was so fantastic to actually get some work experience. I wanted a completely different career and I wasn’t sure what it was and I didn’t have the confidence or skills to work that out. The Women’s Work Lab helps you to look at yourself and work out what you want to do. They give you the confidence and the experience so when you do then go on to apply for jobs you have work experience and something to talk about.

As part of the programme Roxanne went to Dorothy House Hospice Care on a four week work placement working in HR and experiencing other admin roles.

“The placement at Dorothy House was absolutely incredible. I was able to work in different roles within an organisation and discover what I enjoyed and also where I had transferable skills.

“I have since been offered a job in HR Administration at Dorothy House and I’m just so excited. It is a wonderful place and the team is so supportive. It's a place of joy and is so peaceful and beautiful.

“The Women’s Work Lab taught me that I have a lot of transferable skills. The programme helped me to see that while I was a hairdresser I had lots of other skills that would help in the workplace - so dealing with people, being organised. It has given me the confidence to find a new career. Before I wouldn’t consider that I could be anything other than hairdressing but I feel so differently now.”

So in all a hugely successful meeting, next steps for the Women’s Work Lab is to ensure that we can secure our longer term funding so that we can continue to provide programmes for Mums across the South West. In 2022 we plan to offer six programmes - two in Bristol, two in Bath and two in South Gloucestershire - so watch this space!

Applications are currently open for our Bath September and November 2021 programmes - more information here