Work lab supports women into jobs

Roxanne is one of more than 18,000 people in the West of England who have become unemployed since February 2020 as the effects of the pandemic hit. A former hairdresser, she lost her office job and was put in touch with Women’s Work Lab by Bath Job Centre.

Roxanne said: "I was keen to get back into the workplace and find a fulfilling career that I could be proud of”.

As a single parent, she didn’t want to go back into hairdressing as the hours didn’t fit with her family life. After completing training and work placements, Roxanne has just secured a new job as an HR admin assistant with Dorothy House Hospice Care, which fits with her parenting responsibilities.

She added: “My confidence has been at an all-time low and I felt I needed the support of the Women’s Work Lab to give me direction and help me find a job I loved.”

Metro Mayor Dan Norris said: “It’s great to meet Roxanne and hear about her success in landing a new job.  Sadly, there are many more women like Roxanne whose work has been affected by the pandemic – that’s why we’re putting more support in place for residents and businesses to make sure everyone in our region has the opportunity to find secure, fulfilling work.”

Women have borne the economic brunt of the coronavirus pandemic. They are more likely than men to be furloughed, made redundant or take time off work with no pay to look after children. 

Women's Work Lab is a community interest company that supports unemployed mums receiving benefits to become work ready. They work with women experiencing complex barriers to employment including lone parenting, domestic abuse, mental and physical health challenges and additional caring responsibilities.  

In partnership with Bath & North East Somerset Council, they offer bespoke training, work placement and mentoring programmes that focus on building confidence, ambition and employability skills. All training is term time and school hours to make it as accessible as possible.