$5.8 million pledge to secure NSW women’s economic futures

Future Women’s highly successful Jobs Academy would play a critical role in bridging a jobs and skills gap and securing women’s economic futures, under a plan announced by NSW Labor on International Women’s Day.

If elected later this month, a Minns Labor government will expand Future Women’s Jobs Academy to support up to 1,000 more women in NSW. 

“Future Women are delighted by the prospect of expanding the Jobs Academy to more women in NSW. Our national program is already hugely oversubscribed. The demand is there, and women’s desire to work is strong,” said Helen McCabe, Founder and Managing Director of Future Women. 

Ms McCabe said the expansion would allow the Jobs Academy to meet current demand, and boost workforce participation for women in NSW. 

At 3.1 percent, NSW boasts the lowest unemployment rate among the states, but the NSW Treasury has estimated that by 2025-26, an additional 300,000 workers will be needed to fill critical jobs and skills gaps in this state.

Future Women Deputy Managing Director Jamila Rizvi said the innovative program offers the missing link for women seeking the skills and connections to return to work in the state. 

“Jobs Academy was designed by women, for women. Jobs Academy works because it meets women where they’re at, supporting them with everything from skills identification to resume writing, interview preparation and mentoring.”

Future Women’s Jobs Academy received $8.7 million in the October federal budget to support 2,000 Australian women over three years. This comes after a strong result in its initial pilot program with 72 percent of participants commencing work or study. 

Future Women has forged partnerships with more than 70 employers committed to hiring from the Jobs Academy including HESTA, CyberCX, Salesforce, Nine and Microsoft, with a focus on flexible and rewarding work.

For more information on the Jobs Academy, please contact Sally Spicer at [email protected]