The Circle Academy targets mid level female talent, the stage that represents the greatest retention challenge for businesses
Successful applicants undertake a tailored 12-month development programme that includes Emerging Leadership training, thought leadership sessions, and one-to-one mentoring with some of the UK’s most senior female industry leaders from a diverse range of sectors. The programme also offers purposeful networking opportunities to build valuable professional connections and is curated specifically to overcome the primary barriers that women face to progression at work, namely:
- Lack of role models
- Perceived lack of progression opportunities
- Limiting self beliefs
- Unequal access to networks and critical experiences
The Circle Academy runs annually every March in both London and Glasgow.
Applications for our March 2026 cohorts open on 1st September 2025 and close on 31st December 2025.
Programme Content
Emerging leadership training
Three full days of carefully curated, in-person training across the annual programme. Content is designed around building authenticity, agency and impact at this crucial development stage, equipping mid-level professionals with the skills and mindset they need to stay and thrive in the industry.
Three full days of carefully curated, in-person training across the annual programme. Content is designed around building authenticity, agency and impact at this crucial development stage, equipping mid-level professionals with the skills and mindset they need to stay and thrive in the industry.
Modules combine the latest performance psychology theory with practical tools and insight; deepening participants’ self-awareness, enhancing their leadership capability and business acumen. These include:
- Building confidence & self awareness
- Leadership & Personal Brand
- Communicating with Impact
- Management & Delegation
- New Business & Negotiation
- Work-life Integration: Stress & Resilience
Thought leadership summit
A full day conference in central London including high-profile guest speakers, panels and workshops, with topics evolving in line with participant feedback and the latest performance psychology research
Mentoring
Impactful 1:1 mentoring from one of our 130+ mentors, representing some of the industry’s most senior female leaders, each with a minimum of 15 years of experience. Mentors offer practical advice, insight and encouragement, helping participants navigate challenges and explore next steps with clarity. Explore our mentors here
Networking events
Access to a powerful, cross-sector network of ambitious peers and seasoned professionals, fostering authentic connections and high-level thinking, all within an energising and supportive environment
Eligibility Criteria
We welcome applications from any mid-level female professional working in any area of the Built Environment. This includes site-based, technical, operational, and head office roles (eg. HR, finance, project management, design and sustainability).
You are eligible if you consider yourself to be at a mid-career stage. While you are free to define what mid level means for you, many of our applicants:
- Find themselves at that tricky “middle” point in their career — no longer new to the industry, but not yet in senior leadership
- Are beginning to manage people, projects, or resources
- Are starting to realise that the skills that helped them succeed in a hands-on or technical capacity aren’t necessarily the same ones needed to move into more strategic, leadership-focused roles
This opportunity is for professionals who are ready to step into their next chapter. If this sounds like you, we’d love to hear from you.
Fees
Individual
5+ Spaces
10+ Spaces
Apply here for your opportunity to be an Academy Partner on our 2026 programme
”Over the time we have worked with The Circle Partnership we have seen our female talent (in terms of mentors and Academy Partners) benefit enormously from the skills, support and new perspectives that the 12-month programme provides. Our projects and broader business have also benefitted from the connections that our women have made and their exposure to different ways of working. At a corporate level we have also appreciated The Circle Partnership’s advice and guidance on maximising the impact of our own internal mentoring initiatives.
Lucy KendallHead of resourcing, diversity & inclusion, Laing O'Rourke
