NSW Labor vows $5.8 million to expand Future Women's Jobs Academy to 1000 more women

A program to help women return to or progress in the workforce will be given a $5.8 million boost if Labor wins the upcoming New South Wales election.

If elected, a Minns government would make the investment in Future Women's Jobs Academy, which would allow it to expand to 1000 more women in the state.

"This is the missing link between the hundreds of thousands of women in this state who would like to get back into the workforce," Future Women deputy managing director Jamila Rizvi told 9news.com.au.

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The Jobs Academy assists women who have been unemployed or underemployed for at least a year and prioritises those facing additional barriers.

These include women who have been unwell or caring for someone who is, those who took time off to have children, or are neurodivergent.

"We find that a lot of these women have graduated from TAFE or uni or school, usually done well … and then for whatever reason life has intervened and things have got really hard," Rizvi said.

"All of a sudden, they wake up and they've been out of the workforce for 10 years."

The program itself runs for 12 months, is entirely online, and includes career development planning, resumé training, mentoring and, crucially, being connected with employers.

"It's a bit like a dating site, we match the right women with the right employer," Rizvi said.

It aims to give women the tools to secure their economic future and help them build up superannuation, which they have been missing out on while out of the workforce.

NSW has the lowest unemployment rate in Australia at 3.1 per cent but, like much of the country, is facing a skills shortage.

In the October federal budget, the Future Women's Jobs Academy received $8.7 million to support 2000 Australian women over three years.

In a pilot program, 72 per cent of participants commenced work or study.

Future Women has partnered with more than 70 employers including HESTA, CyberCX, Salesforce, Nine and Microsoft.

Future Women is a part of Nine, the publisher of this website.