Changing Direction

Funded Employment and Enterprise skills courses for unwaged women

Changing Direction provides funded, employment and enterprise skills courses for women who are unwaged, in receipt of benefits or looking to change careers. 

This 15-hour course is for any women who would like to explore their options for employment, education or self-employment.*

The courses will look at:

  • your skills
  • communication skills
  • confidence building
  • exploring how to use your skills to bring in an income
  • what next

Women completing the course who are interested in starting a business, can then feed into the next start-up course, Roots & Shoots, for 12-months of taught input and support from other women running businesses, to make sure that your business has the best possible chance of growing.

*Please note that self-employment is not about zero-hour contracts, but learning to run a sustainable business that will enable you to contribute to the community’s economic growth.

This group has been very important because it's helped me to think [...] realise that it is important that women need to share with women to make advances.
Change Direction Now
changing direction, the growing club

The next course starts...

The Growing Club runs a variety of courses at different times of the year. The next face-to-face Changing Direction course will be: 

Lancaster course:
dates coming soon

Morecambe course:
Currently in progress

Contact us to be put on the waitlist for the next course in your area.

Book via phone/email
Book via Eventbrite

Branching Out

Skills Training Course for young women as part of the Employment and Enterprise skills training programme.

Branching Out

This course was a funded skills training course for women deemed to be economically inactive. The course covered: problem solving, confidence building, communication skills and more. The sessions were run in small supportive groups and the course was funded by the Francis C Scott Charitable Trust.

 

"This course encourages you to value yourself and your skills, grow in confidence, listen better and be creative."


"It’s an amazing course. It helps women to rediscover their self-confidence and the opportunities around them."


"This will give you confidence in yourself, and motivate you to get to the next step."


"It’s a course to focus on yourself and clarify your goals."

crafty women, the sowing club, lancaster
sunflowers, the sowing club, lancaster
crafty women, the growing club, morecambe, textile candy
women and enterprise hub, the sowing club
Past Courses
"The Sowing Club [Changing Direction] has been useful to meet women with tremendous passion for life, brilliant creative ideas and an attitude that will shape a great future for every one of us. Gaining support, being positive and overcoming adversity have been main themes, and I have benefited from the collective knowledge and input from Jane and Mandy. I have particularly benefited from the moral support, and challenges to think and speak positively about the future; to be creative; to get on with it. To believe I can do it. I have benefited from being encouraged about my own ideas and from the positivity in the room... I think the continued surrounding support ... will be vital to encourage and build my confidence."
- A.T -

Join us today

If you are interested in finding out more about the programmes currently running, please get in using the contact details below.

We look forward to hearing from you.

  • 01524 383846
  • The Women and Enterprise Hub, 1-2-3 The Barracks, White Cross Business Park, Lancaster, LA1 4XQ
Join the next programme
big lottery fund, sponsor, funding, the growing club, the oswing club, lancashire, north west

Funded by the Big Lottery Fund.

european union social fund, ESF

Funded by the European Social Fund.