Working Chance
Working Chance is a UK employment charity, founded in 2009 and headquartered in London, that supports women with convictions across England and Wales into work through one-to-one coaching, employer partnerships, and inclusive-hiring consultancy.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Working Chance does
Working Chance is a UK registered charity (Charity No. 1131802) and private limited company founded in 2009 and headquartered in London, operating as the country's only employment charity dedicated solely to women with convictions. The organisation delivers a one-to-one employability support service to women in England and Wales — covering CV writing, interview preparation, conviction-disclosure coaching, and placement into roles with employer partners — delivered remotely via Zoom and phone. A referral pathway routes beneficiaries from probation officers, prisons, Jobcentres and support organisations into the service.
The portfolio is anchored on three core offerings: the Employability Support Service for women with convictions, the 'Hiring With Conviction' employer guide and the related Consultancy and Training service for inclusive hiring, and two proprietary research publications — 'Progress & Prejudice' (employer attitudes) and 'Worst-Case Scenario' (racism and women's re-entry into work). An ecosystem of 130+ employer partners across hospitality, utilities, construction, infrastructure, healthcare, retail and the third sector provides the placement channel, while beneficiaries are supported by a team of Employment Advisors, Senior Employment Coaches, and Education and Training Leads, several of whom bring lived experience of the justice system.
The business model is a typical UK charity mix: individual donations, corporate partnerships (company donations, payroll giving, skills-based volunteering, paid work placements, pro bono support), grants and contracts from the Ministry of Justice and HM Prison and Probation Service, and revenue from challenge events such as the Women's Run Series. Beneficiaries receive services at no cost; the consultancy and training line to employers is the closest the organisation has to a B2B paid offering. The board is chaired by Lin Hinnigan (former Chief Executive of the Youth Justice Board and Ministry of Justice senior official), with Natasha Finlayson OBE as Chief Executive and Richard Rowley as Deputy Chief Executive; the charity is preparing a new three-year strategy and recruiting a new Chair of Trustees in 2026.
Working Chance firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Working Chance
- Legal name
- Working Chance
- Website
- https://workingchance.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Working Chance is a UK employment charity, founded in 2009 and headquartered in London, that supports women with convictions across England and Wales into work through one-to-one coaching, employer partnerships, and inclusive-hiring consultancy.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Working Chance industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Employment Support Services for Women with Convictions
- NAICS
- Vocational Rehabilitation Services (6243), Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131), Employment Placement Agencies (561311), Vocational Rehabilitation Services (624310)
- SIC
- Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Workforce Reentry Programs (Justice-Involved) (EDAAAOAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Employment & Job Readiness Support Services (BPAGAEAJ), Career Coaching, Mentoring & Placement Support Services (EDAAAKAO), Supported Employment & Job Coaching (EDAKANAE), Workforce & Job-Seeker Services (Community-Based) (EDAAAFAM)
Keywords
Where Working Chance is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Working Chance business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Donations: Individual donations from supporters who contribute financially to support women with convictions rebuild their lives through employment.
- Corporate Partnerships: Corporate support including company donations, payroll giving schemes, skills-based volunteering, employee fundraising, paid work placements, and pro bono strategic support from businesses.
- Government Grants and Contracts: Funding from government bodies including Ministry of Justice and HMPPS contracts for delivering employment services to women with convictions.
- Fundraising Events: Revenue generated from challenge events including running events, walking challenges, and community fundraising activities.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
Working Chance product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Working Chance is a registered UK charity that delivers one-to-one employability support to women with criminal convictions, covering CV writing, interview preparation, disclosure coaching, confidence building, and direct placement into roles with partner employers. It complements this with the Hiring With Conviction employer guide and paid consultancy and training services that help organisations recruit and support people with convictions fairly. All frontline support for women is delivered free of charge, remotely via Zoom or phone, across England and Wales.
Product overview
Working Chance is the UK's only employment charity solely for women with convictions, offering a suite of interconnected services. The core offering is the Employability Support Service, which provides one-to-one guidance including CV writing, interview preparation, and disclosure support. This core service is complemented by the Hiring With Conviction employer guide and Consultancy and Training services, which help employers implement inclusive hiring practices. The organisation also produces research publications including Progress & Prejudice and Worst-Case Scenario to influence policy and employer attitudes. A referral pathway enables partner organisations to direct women to their services.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Progress & Prejudice: Research initiative providing the most up-to-date facts and figures about employer attitudes towards hiring people with convictions.
- Worst-Case Scenario
- Hiring With Conviction
Products and services
- Employability Support Service One-to-one employability support for women with criminal convictions in England and Wales, covering CV writing, interview preparation, disclosure coaching, confidence building, and direct job placement with employer partners. Delivered remotely via Zoom and phone and provided free of charge at the point of use.
- Hiring With Conviction Comprehensive guide and resource for UK employers on recruiting and supporting people with criminal convictions, providing practical advice on fair, safe, and effective inclusive hiring practices.
- Consultancy and Training for Organisations Paid inclusive hiring consultancy and training for UK employers, including hiring practice audits, confidence-building sessions, policy reviews, and ongoing partnerships to embed inclusive hiring of people with convictions.
Quantifiable outcome
- 97% of clients feel more hopeful about the future
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Working Chance
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Working Chance technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Working Chance partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- The Big Yellow FoundationcoreThe Big Yellow Foundation selected Working Chance as a charity partner in 2023, providing funding of £77,500 over the first two years. The partnership includes inclusive hiring consultancy, work placements for women, and workshops for Big Yellow's 200 branch managers on hiring people with convictions.
- AmeyminorEmployer partner working with Working Chance to source and hire women with convictions for various roles.
- Network RailminorEmployer partner providing employment opportunities for women with convictions through Working Chance's candidate placement services.
- VirginminorEmployer partner working with Working Chance to create inclusive hiring opportunities for women with convictions.
- Thames WaterminorUtilities company partnered with Working Chance to hire women with convictions, including working with supply chain organisations to create suitable positions.
- Practice Plus GroupminorHealthcare employer partner providing employment opportunities for women with convictions.
- Kier GroupminorConstruction company partnered with Working Chance for inclusive hiring of people with convictions to strengthen teams and support social value activity.
- YMCA St Paul's GroupminorCharity partner whose partnership with Working Chance strengthened recruitment approach and helped diversify talent pool.
- National Women's Justice CoalitionminorCoalition partner collaborating on women's justice issues.
- ClinksminorNational infrastructure organisation supporting charities working with the criminal justice system, collaborator with Working Chance.
- KERBminorHospitality partner providing real employment opportunities in the food sector for women with convictions through Working Chance.
- Big Yellow Self Storage CompanycoreParent company of The Big Yellow Foundation providing paid 12-week work placements at retail stores for women with convictions, with potential for permanent roles.
- Vicky PryceminorPatron since 2014, economist and former Joint Head of UK Government Economic Service, passionate about criminal justice impact on women and economy.
- Dr Lucy BaldwinminorAmbassador, leading academic on parental imprisonment and maternal issues in criminal justice, recommendations informed Female Offender Strategy.
- Jo MajorminorOne of UK's leading voices in inclusive hiring, founder of Diversity in Recruitment, regular speaker at industry events.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Working Chance competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Nacro: UK charity providing education, training and employment support, including through-the-gate services for people in or leaving prison — overlapping mission in reentry employment.
- Unlock: Charity providing information and advocacy for people with convictions, with explicit focus on employability and disclosure — directly comparable beneficiary population and policy-advocacy orientation.
- Catch22: UK charity delivering employment, education and justice services including support for people with convictions; Working Chance CEO Natasha Finlayson is a Catch22 trustee, evidencing direct overlap in delivery and policy.
- Shaw Trust: One of the UK's largest employment-focused charities, supporting people with convictions, disabilities and health conditions into work — directly comparable mission and employer engagement model, at materially larger scale than Working Chance.
- St Giles Trust: Charity supporting ex-offenders into training and employment through personal guidance and employer partnerships — directly comparable beneficiary group and employment-placement model.
Others
- Centre for Justice Innovation: UK charity advancing innovation in criminal justice — closely related ecosystem player and policy/research collaborator rather than direct employment-services competitor.
Emerging players
- Mencap: UK learning-disability charity with dedicated employment programmes serving people facing barriers to work — overlapping employability-adjacent mission and employer-engagement methodology for disadvantaged cohorts.
- Women in Prison: Women-only charity advocating on behalf of women in the criminal justice system, providing advocacy, mentoring and policy work — strong thematic overlap, complementary rather than directly competitive.
- Together Women: Women's justice charity delivering services in women's prisons and the community — overlapping women-specific focus and justice-system touchpoints, though not employment-placement-led.
Broad incumbents
- Business in the Community: UK business-led membership organisation driving inclusive hiring and social impact across employers — comparable employer-engagement model and inclusive-hiring consultancy, at much broader portfolio scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Working Chance social profiles
Digital presenceWorking Chance compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Working Chance financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Working Chance leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
Working Chance funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Working Chance M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Working Chance
What does Working Chance do?
Working Chance is a registered UK charity that delivers one-to-one employability support to women with criminal convictions, covering CV writing, interview preparation, disclosure coaching, confidence building, and direct placement into roles with partner employers. It complements this with the Hiring With Conviction employer guide and paid consultancy and training services that help organisations recruit and support people with convictions fairly. All frontline support for women is delivered free of charge, remotely via Zoom or phone, across England and Wales.
Is Working Chance a public or private company?
Working Chance is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Working Chance founded?
Working Chance was founded in 2009. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Working Chance based?
Working Chance is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Working Chance make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Donations are the primary driver. The others are corporate Partnerships, government Grants and Contracts and fundraising Events.
Who are Working Chance's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Nacro, Unlock, Catch22, Shaw Trust and St Giles Trust. Centre for Justice Innovation is listed as an others. Emerging players are Mencap, Women in Prison and Together Women. Business in the Community is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Working Chance have an API?
No public API is recorded for Working Chance.
What industry is Working Chance in?
Working Chance's product category is Employment Support Services for Women with Convictions. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAAAOAG, Workforce Reentry Programs (Justice-Involved), with a secondary code of BPAGAEAJ, Employment & Job Readiness Support Services. Its NAICS code is 6243 and its SIC code is 7361.