Jane’s Monthly Column – November 2018
Thank you for all my lovely birthday wishes and cheers to our employer network!
This November, I’m turning the spotlight on the local employers who are helping our Successful Mums flourish.
Over the last four years, we’ve worked with more than 1,200 employers to create some fantastic opportunities for the women we support. These partnerships enable us to connect our mums not only to jobs and work experience but also to expert advice, mentoring, coaching and shadowing.
This year alone, we’ve held: Back to Work courses in partnership with Sainsbury’s Abbey Wood; our first workshops in Ikea in Croydon and Bromley’s The Glades; and, kicking off November in style, an inspiring Women Returners Day with Direct Line.
The Direct Line event saw more than 100 mums (and a good few dads) join us at the insurer’s Bromley HQ for a day packed with expert career advice, back-to-work ideas and networking. Delegates found out about the company’s current vacancies, heard from Jennifer Thomas, one of Direct Line’s most senior women, and got the chance to meet a great panel of women returners, who shared their experiences of working for the company.
It’s brilliant to have such well-known organisations on board but it’s not all about the big names. Successful Mums is just as passionate about working with small businesses and I’m delighted that so many share our vision, from accountants and interior designers to digital developers and PR agencies.
It’s always been important to me to support local small businesses and I believe they have a lot to gain by tapping into our network of experienced, skilled and motivated women looking for local, flexible work. You can read what small business owners Suzanne Elsey and Will Mundow have had to say about finding their perfect Successful Mums.
Whatever their size, it’s clear that the employers who work with Successful Mums are making a huge difference to local women’s lives. Many of the success stories on our website are testament to that and this week’s is no different. It comes from mum-of-two Laura, who graduated from our Sainsbury’s Back to Work scheme in 2016. Two years on, Laura is both a fantastic ambassador for Successful Mums and – as she is now an employer herself – a regular guest speaker at our workshops!
So this month I’d like to raise a glass to all the fantastic employers who are championing mum returners and helping us make a difference – let’s keep up the good work!
If you’re a local employer who’d like to find out more about working with us, visit our employer’s page or contact
Jane x