The Women into Sustainable Employment scheme aims to improve language and workplace skills and is being piloted in Dundee and Glasgow.
It is run by Bridges Programmes, which supports refugees, asylum seekers and others who do not speak English as a first language.
If successful, the project could be extended across Scotland.
The Scottish government said research suggested women from black and ethnic minority groups face many barriers to work and are under-represented in Scotland's labour market.
Minister for Youth and Women's Employment, Annabelle Ewing, said: "This course is aimed at precisely that group of women and I am very pleased that the Scottish government is able to fund the programme in two of Scotland's cities to help improve their employability, including building up their confidence, sharpen their English language skills and experience the workplace itself.
"We hope that if successful, such an innovative approach to the provision of English for speakers of other languages can be rolled out across Scotland to allow many more to benefit in the future.
"We are committed both to strengthening the economy and reducing inequality in Scotland. Schemes such as Bridges will help us make progress on both fronts by helping a minority group take their rightful place in the workplace."
Founder and director of the Bridges Programmes, Maggie Lennon, said "We are delighted that the Scottish government is funding what we know to be a successful and practical way of getting black and minority ethnic women into work.
"The key to the approach is working closely with employers at every stage, to ensure that the training is relevant to their needs as well as the women, meaning work- placements are more successful which in turn can lead to more sustainable job outcomes.
"Once again we see Scottish employers taking a pro-active role in supporting people far from the workplace."

Neel Croos, 26, died from a head injury following a fight in Holborn Way, Mitcham on 23 November 2015.
Prashad Sothalingam, nicknamed Bullet, was one of several young men from the Tamil community who had been at a birthday party when violence erupted.
He was jailed after being found guilty of murder and wounding with intent at a retrial at the Old Bailey.
Sothalingam, who had previously been convicted of violent disorder, was told he must serve a minimum of 29 years in prison.
The court heard the killing was the result of a "power struggle" within the Tooting Boys gang between the Elders and Sothalingam's group, the Youngers.
Mr Croos's group, which was also armed, had been hunted down by Sothalingam's group.
Sothalingam had been at a birthday party on the fifth floor of a Morrison's car park in Mitcham, the court heard.
When they saw a rival faction arrive they attacked them with a variety of weapons.
One witness said he heard someone say in Tamil: "There they are. Go get them."
He told the jury he had seen Sothalingam, who he had previously seen playing football, swinging an axe at Mr Croos, hitting him on the head.
He also told the court he had seen other men carrying a sword, metal poles and socks stuffed with snooker balls or stones.
The judge also jailed Sugan Selvarajan for a total of 14 years for wounding with intent and violent disorder, and Sivakaran Ockersz for 31 months for violent disorder and an unrelated ATM fraud.
Visuparathan Dayaparan was sent to prison for 27 months after being convicted of violent disorder.
Sothalingam, 26, from Mitcham; Ockersz, 19, of Wallington; Selvarajan, 33, of Mitcham; and Dayaparan aka Visu, 24, of Mitcham, had denied the charges.
A new project to help women from ethnic minority backgrounds into work has been given £110,000 of government funding.
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A man has been jailed for life for killing a rival gang member with an axe during a fight in a car park.