This International Day of Education (Friday 24 January) we’re taking a moment to celebrate the newest element of our service provision, supporting women into education or training.
In January last year we launched our one-year pilot, offering women support in accessing education and training. We identified a need for gender-specific education and training support for women who’ve been through the criminal justice system. And today we’re proud to say that, following the pilot’s success, we’ve now rolled this support into our permanent service.
We now have a full-time Education and Training Lead, Katherine Lear, who supports women with convictions to explore opportunities.
Katherine LearI've always been passionate about the role that education can play. Before joining Working Chance I was a teacher, and now I'm really lucky that I can use this experience and support women to curate a future that starts with education and training. I'm immensely excited by every client's success and look forward to supporting more women on their education or training journey.
Education and Training Lead, Working Chance
Why education or training for women with convictions?
There is a huge range of benefits of education or training for women with convictions. For some women, a new qualification is a pathway to employment. Gaining new qualifications helps women invest in their long-term careers, find meaningful work, and see themselves as valuable members of society.
For other women leaving the justice system, education is sometimes more accessible than full-time work - it can be easier to access or maintain while adjusting to life after prison. Studying can also fit better around ongoing commitments as women work to rebuild their lives. It’s a good way for women to develop a routine before re-entering the world of work.
Maryam“This is the first step in my journey, I’m ready for this now.”
Working Chance client
Employers often require certain qualifications for roles - this could be GCSEs or equivalent, or a Level 2 or 3 qualification - which can be a barrier for women whose education was disrupted by contact with the criminal justice system. Some women are left without those basic qualifications, making it harder to find stable, well-paid work. Other women cannot return to the profession they left due to their conviction, so education or training helps them to start a new career.
Brenda“I’m feeling really great and looking forward to updating my digital skills.”
Working Chance client
About the pilot
Over the course of the pilot project we supported 40 women on their journeys towards education or training. The women we worked with were interested in a real mix of courses including: business administration, practical courses, university degrees and apprenticeships.
Some women requested support to access basic courses like Functional Skills in English and maths, while others already had high-level qualifications and great CVs, but because of their convictions, they needed to retrain and find new jobs. They just needed a bit of motivation or guidance to figure out their options and that’s exactly what we were able to offer.
Clara“The support from Katherine at Working Chance really turned things around for me. She was able to shine a light on the apprenticeship opportunities available to me.”
Working Chance client
Education and training open doors for women with convictions, giving them the tools to rebuild their lives and the qualifications they need to build meaningful careers. We’re very proud to include this support as part of our permanent service. We’re also incredibly grateful to our partners across the criminal justice sector for their invaluable input and the ongoing relationships that helped us deliver a successful pilot.
