About Making Work Work
Making Work Work is a suite of programmes designed by The Challenges Group and Scotland’s Flex Influencer 2022, Lynn Houmdi, to help people, particularly women, to make empowered transitions into fulfilling work that works around all the other commitments and enjoyment of life. We support women to craft their careers through the ups and downs of life and to rediscover their professional selves.
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Boost work-related
skills
Our programmes are designed to equip you with the skills you'll need to find work that fits around your life and with your existing experience.
Build confidence in your skills & abilities
Working with our facilitators and other participants, you'll build your confidence and refresh your transferable skills, whether you seek employment or want to start a business.
Expand your network to support your job search
Through the Making Work Work team and our programme of masterclasses, you will build a network of support and opportunities for your future career.
Gain knowledge & develop strategies for job search and (work)life blend
Returning to or progressing at work and finding an employer who offers the flexibility you need can be tricky. We'll work with you to update your CV, understand modern, flexible working and find employers who can help you make work work.
Find a peer group of supportive women
As part of an upcoming Making Work Work cohort, you'll be one of a group of likeminded women who understand your situation, share your goals and support you in your aspirations.
Our Programmes
Making Work Work – for Women Returners
Piloted in partnership with The Scottish Government, our original Women Returners programme won a Chartered Management Institute Innovation Prize in 2021. Since then the team has supported more than 150 women to find flexible, fair employment which suits them, their families and their lifestyles.
LEAP - for Edinburgh Women
A follow-on opportunity for women in Edinburgh who have completed Making Work Work. The LEAP programme is a partnership between The Challenges Group and Firstport offering a recognised training route and a placement to support women to build skills and networks following a career break.
Our Goals
Regardless of the specific audience we seek to support, the aims of Making Work Work programmes are as follows:
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To contribute to more positive and productive workplace cultures where people can contribute in a way which fits with their lifestyles and commitments;
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To improve the diversity of workplaces and address the Gender Pay Gap by supporting women to return to work commensurate with their skills and aspirations and by helping employers to find, recruit and retain them;
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To lift incomes of families by enabling women to work;
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To help women to devise (work)life blends that suit them, their families and lifestyles.
Our Partners
Making Work Work Alumni
Making Work Work participants go on to work, start their own businesses and volunteer on their own terms. Here are some of their stories.
The Challenges Group,
7 Montgomery Street Lane,
Edinburgh, EH7 5JT