The Forces Employment Charity has announced its flagship Women into Employment series will return this year to empower women from the Armed Forces community to develop sustainable and fulfilling careers.
Running from February to mid-March, Women into Employment 2026 will combine webinars with in-person events, offering practical career support, expert insight, and meaningful networking opportunities. The new hybrid format will make the series more accessible than ever.
Female veterans, reservists, military spouses, partners, and young women from military families often face distinct challenges when entering or re-entering the civilian workforce. These include translating military experience into language employers understand, managing childcare and frequent relocations, and navigating gender bias or underrepresentation.
The Ministry of Defence’s Families Continuous Attitudes Survey (FamCAS) 2025 report found that 68% of spouses who had sought work in the previous 12 months experienced difficulty finding suitable employment. Women into Employment exists to address these challenges directly, offering tailored support, visibility, and pathways into meaningful employment.
This year’s programme introduces a flexible mix of events to suit different needs and locations. It begins with Empowering You, a hybrid pre-series event running 3–5 February, hosted both virtually and in person; hosted by Barclays at their campuses in London and Glasgow on Wednesday 4 February.
This is followed by three lunchtime webinars focused on purpose, applications, interviews, mentoring, and employer relationships. The event series concludes with a London networking evening, hosted by Bank of America, featuring inspirational speaker Michelle Mills-Porter and opportunities to meet employers face to face. Please see the full schedule below:
- 10 February – Webinar 1: Finding your purpose with Michelle Mills-Porter (13:00–14:00)
- 24 February – Webinar 2: Bossing applications and interviews (13:00–14:00)
- 3 March – Webinar 3: The benefits of mentoring and building employer relationships (13:00–14:00)
- 12 March – Networking Evening hosted by Bank of America, London (17:00–20:00)
Caroline Woodward, Senior Events Manager at the Forces Employment Charity, said:
“Whether you’re thinking about your next career, WIE26 is a brilliant way to be inspired, gather tips to become super polished and be clear who you are and what you want. You’ll also meet people who can help you take the next step, and I’d encourage every woman from the Armed Forces community to join and see what’s possible.”
The Women into Employment series forms part of Op ASCEND, an Office for Veterans’ Affairs programme delivered by The Forces Employment Charity with funding from the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust. The programme builds on the work of the Career Transition Partnership (CTP), supporting veterans and their families to maximise their potential and progress their careers.
To register, sign up to each portion of the series you wish to attend. Don’t miss out, book your tickets today!
https://www.forcesemployment.org.uk/news/women-into-employment-is-back-in-2026/
