The Jo Cox Women in Leadership Programme 2025

What does the leadership programme do? 

The Jo Cox Women in Leadership Programme aims to train hundreds of women to be future leaders in the labour movement. 

This round of the programme (Cohort 8) will run from January to May 2026 and will: 

• include a mix of online and in-person (including one residential) training events delivered by experts from Labour Women’s Network; 

• build a diverse and intersectional network of women from across the country who can support one another in their future endeavours; 

• develop participant skills in all aspects of politics, including as candidates at every level, as campaigners, organisers, spokespeople, leaders and political activists;  

• identify and train talented women from a variety of backgrounds in all regions and nations;  

• establish a pipeline of talent to diversify the people who stand for election and play leading roles in the Labour movement and wider public life.  

What we are looking for? 

We’re looking for women members who:  

• display a determination to make things happen, change lives, improve communities and achieve a Labour government; 

• show that they are able to build strong relationships and motivate others; 

• demonstrate some experience of running a campaign or project, either through the Party, their trade union/socialist society or their community; 

• can communicate well through a variety of mediums; 

• demonstrate creativity and the ability to come up with innovative solutions to problems; 

• can demonstrate an intention to pay forward to other women what they gain through this scheme; 

• want to work hard to help Labour win elections at every level. 

As this is an advanced programme of high-quality training, candidates must already have some level of involvement with the Labour Party. 

The programme has been carefully designed and therefore applicants must be able to attend all sessions on the following dates in order to participate: 

• Introductory Online Session via Zoom – Saturday 24 January 2026 10am to 12noon 

• Day One in person– Saturday, 7 February (c10.30am to 5:30pm) 

• Online Catch-up via Zoom – Wednesday 25 February 8pm to 10pm 

• Day Two in person– Saturday 14 March (c10.30am to 5:30pm) 

• Online Catch-up via Zoom – Wednesday 22 April 8pm to 10pm 

• Residential – Saturday 30 and Sunday 31 May (c10.30am Sat to 5:30pm Sun) 

There will also be supplementary tasks which must be completed in between these events, which can be done flexibly to fit around other commitments.  

Travel, subsistence and 1 night of accommodation for the residential weekend will be covered and all events will be free to attend. There may be some additional costs which will need to be borne by participants, but these will be kept to a minimum. Where possible, we encourage participants to consider covering their own travel and parking charges, as a gesture of support towards the Programme and the Party. We understand that this may not be feasible for everyone and costs should not be a barrier to participation. 

How to apply

Applicants should submit the completed form below, including the monitoring form, by 9am on Monday 17 November 2025. Please note that there is no flexibility in the deadline, and it will not be extended for any individual.  

Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their applications in December 2025.  

We are expecting a high number of applicants for this course and are therefore unable to provide feedback to unsuccessful candidates. 

We welcome applications from those who were previously unsuccessful.  This programme is highly competitive, and the application form is the only selection process – there will be no interviews – so it is essential that applicants provide as much relevant information as possible clearly and concisely. 

Guidance for Applicants  

Please read the below carefully: 

• Applicants must complete all the sections on the form. Incomplete applications will not be accepted or considered. 

• Applications will not be accepted or considered without the required two references. The names of referees alone are not sufficient.   

• Applicants should note that, as part of its safeguarding process, the Labour Party will carry out due diligence checks on all successful applicants, and that you must therefore declare all your social media accounts, including any you no longer use, in the relevant section of the form. 

• You must send in the application before the deadline – late applications will not be considered. 

• Please note that your application will be read by relevant officers of both the Labour Party and Labour Women’s Network. Everyone seeing applications, however, will be bound by a duty of appropriate confidentiality. 

• Labour Women’s Network and the Labour Party are committed to training a diverse and representative group of women and take positive action steps to ensure that this aspiration is achieved. 

Our online form is compatible with commonly-used accessibility technology. If you have any access issues regarding the application process, please email [email protected]  

Application Form 

Please fill in the form below, making sure that you complete all the sections without exceeding the word limits set.  

Please note that, to be considered for a place on the scheme you must also sign the undertakings at the end of the form and provide two references with the application.

Completed applications should be submitted by no later than 9am on Monday 17 November 2025.