Objective: The project's objective was to provide a course in community and career development to enable women with a diversity of educational and ethnic backgrounds to move into appropriate employment or to enter mainstream education or training. Design: The course was developed using action research with continuous feedback from participants. Setting: The course took place in an ethnically mixed and disadvantaged inner city area. Method: Women were recruited by the course leaders via existing community networks. Both leaders had wide experience of working with women in the area where learning took place. The course was developed collaboratively with participants and course leaders. Results: Action research provided an appropriate framework for developing the course to meet the needs of participants. Half the participants achieved accreditation and half had gained related paid employment by the end of the course. Conclusion: Collaborative development resulted in a course that was more appropriate to participants' expressed needs and provided the foundation for future work with "widening participation" students. The movement of women from ethnic minority communities into appropriate work is likely to have positive health impacts on the wider community.