News / Female empowerment
Social enterprise founders recognised for empowering mothers back to work
The founders of an all-female social enterprise have been awarded honorary doctorates by UWE Bristol.
Camilla Rigby and Rachel Mostyn, co-founders of Women’s Work Lab (WWL), recently received honorary Doctor of Business Administration degrees from UWE Bristol in recognition of their contributions in helping unemployed mothers overcome barriers to employment.
The pair co-founded Women’s Work Lab in 2019 after recognising the challenges many mothers face when returning to work.
The organisation’s model combines part-time classroom-based training, work placements, mock interviews and one-to-one mentoring, helping participants become “work ready”.
Camilla Rigby and Rachel Mostyn co-founded Women’s Work Lab in 2019 after recognising the challenges many mothers face when returning to work – photo: WWL
The programme also takes into consideration barriers such as lone parenting, mental health challenges, domestic abuse, disability, housing instability and language barriers.
Rachel Mostyn said: “We are incredibly honoured to receive this honorary degree from UWE Bristol today. Receiving it together makes it even more special. As far as we know, we’re the first people to receive an honorary doctorate from UWE as a job share.”
Camilla Rigby said: “Everything I learned in those early days has helped us establish Women’s Work Lab. Rachel and I were once told by a government minister that we were the sort of women it was very difficult to say no to.”
Since launching, Women’s Work Lab has supported around 800 women back into employment, positively impacting the lives of more than 1,600 children while partnering with hundreds of businesses to create work placement opportunities.
The organisation’s model combines part-time classroom-based training, work placements, mock interviews and one-to-one mentoring, helping participants become “work ready”
Their work has earned national recognition, including a prime minister’s Points of Light award and the University of Cambridge Social Innovation Prize in 2024.
Women’s Work Lab has since expanded to Birmingham to help mothers in the midlands to return to work.
UWE Bristol said the honorary doctorates recognised the pair’s “commitment to transforming lives through education, empowerment and practical learning”.
The founders of Women’s Work Lab have been awarded honorary doctorates by UWE Bristol – photo: UWE Bristol
Main photo: UWE Bristol
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