Future Women Jobs Academy Grant Program

The purpose of the grant for the Future Women Jobs Academy – NSW is to boost workforce participation, job readiness and economic security for women in NSW who are unemployed, under employed or seeking to progress to a job that offers stable employment and provides a higher income.

Whilst women’s workforce participation in NSW has increased over the past two decades, there remains ongoing barriers that limit women’s work opportunities throughout their lifetime. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the limitations were further exacerbated as women were seen reducing their hours of work or stopped working altogether at a faster rate than men.

The Jobs Academy program targets priority cohorts of women who experience significantly lower workforce participation rates and face intersecting barriers to entering and progressing in the workforce. Through providing services and resources that increase women's work skills, capabilities, networks, and confidence, there will be greater work readiness for priority cohorts of women and greater employment opportunities and outcomes for women in NSW more broadly.

Participants in the Future Women Jobs Academy program will have access to:

• online resources and bespoke learning hub
• leadership masterclasses and training programs
• professional development, coaching, and mentoring
• jobs and Skills Fair webinars
• a two-day Leadership Summit
• life-time Future Women membership.

Target cohorts and prioritisation

Women in key target cohorts that have significantly lower workforce participation rates and face intersecting barriers to entering and progressing in the workforce are prioritised with this funding. This includes:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait women (for whom applications will be considered first for acceptance into the program)
• women from culturally diverse backgrounds
• women with disability
• women living in regional, rural, and remote areas.

Applications for year one of the program closed on 8 July 2024. 

For more information, please visit Future Women website.

This program is funded and administered by Women NSW.