‘Ready to join an army of feminist changemakers?’

Applications are now open for the Jo Cox Women in Leadership programme. 

Now in its eighth cohort, this programme gathers a diverse group of women from every region where the Labour Party organises. If you are a woman with the potential to lead, who would benefit from the unique personal and political development the scheme brings, and who would pay their training forward to others, then this could be for you.

READ MORE: ‘Forty years on, women in Labour are still being told to wait their turn’

The Jo Cox Women in Leadership programme was forged by Labour Women’s Network and the Labour Party in the weeks following the assassination of Jo in 2016. Jo was the MP for Batley and Spen, Chair of Labour Women’s Network, and a passionate feminist and campaigner for equality, human rights, and international justice. This programme is part of her enduring political legacy. We are proud of the many graduates who are now in the Commons but this programme is not and was never designed to be an elite pipeline or a parliamentary training scheme. It is a space for women to supercharge their political ambitions and, in the words of our former LWN Chair Abena Oppong-Asare MP, join an ‘army of feminist changemakers’. 

This is a course designed to reflect and draw upon the breadth of women’s experiences, with all the demands and pivots that many of us must navigate. We welcome applicants representing the full diversity of Labour women and as such, there is no one ‘ideal’ type of successful application. Instead, we take women as we find them, as diamonds in the rough, who understand that they’ll get out what they put in, and make the most of this investment in them.

One graduate told us what the Jo Cox Leadership Scheme means to her: “The scheme was my way of rebuilding and reconnecting with myself politically,” Holyrood candidate Kainde Manji explained. “The work we did around self-care being an act of political resistance particularly resonated with me, and the peer support during and since the course has been invaluable.” 

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And as a proud graduate and now trainer on the scheme, I can attest to its lasting impact. The extraordinary energising “yes I can” feeling that lasts well beyond the five months or so of formal training, the lessons learned that boost and challenge you in equal measure and, of course, the network to tap into when you need it most. 

It is a privilege to witness those lightbulb moments and friendships being formed, and to hear of the many and wide-reaching ways graduates have put what they’ve learned into practice. The fact that Labour continues to invest in the programme despite competing financial demands is evidence of the commitment to ‘walking the walk’ on being the Party of equality. 

Like the rest of the training team, I can’t wait to meet the next cohort. But before that is the part we least look forward to – deciding who will be offered a place. This is a competitive course, with many more applications than we have room for. It takes LWN, representatives from the Party and the NEC two days to read through and reach the decisions. And it’s never an easy choice.

So, if you have applied before unsuccessfully, please persist and try again. And whether it’s your first attempt or your fifth, here are our tips for a good application:

1. Please read the form carefully and complete it in full. Applications with missing details will not be considered.
2. Be memorable. We read hundreds of applications. We need to recall you as ‘the one who X…’.
3. Lived experience is as relevant as any roles you have held, and a story is always more powerful than a list.
4. Be honest about why you are applying. If you want to come on the course to address certain insecurities, say so. If you want something specific out of it, tell us what that is.
5. If you are not ‘the finished article’, say so. Equally, if you have done something amazing, please include it. We need to see your potential and with hundreds of applications to read, need you to point it out.
6. Be aware this is a positive action scheme. If your application suggests you face limited barriers and have plenty of political opportunity already, you may have to wait your turn.
7. Apply early and thoughtfully. Every year, despite being open for weeks, many applications are submitted at the last-minute and in a rush – sadly it often shows and some sisters end up missing the deadline entirely. Please don’t let that be you. 
8. Only apply if you’re committed to attend. We recognise that it is a big commitment for participants, but it is also a big investment by the Party, the staff and volunteers running it and unsuccessful applicants who have missed out.
9. Don’t commodify or sanctify Jo.
10. If you are not successful this time, channel American activist and writer Stacey Abrams: “Do not allow your setbacks to set you back.”

We know it’s not always easy to prioritise investing in yourself but if this programme speaks to something in you – to your ambition, your will to be a change maker – apply online today.

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