Year 1 of the Smart Works Charity three-year plan! 💙

At the core of our Three-Year-Plan, is the aim to increase the number of women we support from 5,000 to 10,000 every year.

In our first year working towards this goal, we delivered over 8,000 appointments, a 43% increase from the previous year and supported more than 6,000 women, with 69% of them successfully securing a job within a month of their appointment.

We’ve expanded our reach by opening brand new centres in Glasgow, Croydon and Manchester City Centre, areas in which data shows a clear need for our service, and have delivered 26% of our appointments virtually. Continuing our virtual service has allowed us to help clients who cannot get to one of our centres in person.

We have taken steps to better understand the needs of our clients and provide them with the exact support they require. From the launch of a UK-wide Client Advisory Group, a cohort of former clients with the hindsight of our service advising us on how we can improve; to the Care Leaver’s program, designed by care leavers for care leavers, delivering a tailored service supporting their specific needs; and the Female Unemployment Index, a report tackling the underlying barriers women face when looking for work. We have been able to learn from the diverse lived experiences of our clients and allow their voices to direct us in innovating our service to reach even more women.

Across the UK, we’ve grown our community and welcomed over 30 new employees on our journey and are continuing to grow a dedicated community that will help us as we work towards achieving our goal in the next couple of years, and make a real impact in the lives of women all over the UK.

Our success so far is a testament to the power of community, which is at the heart of our charity. Together, we are looking forward to another year of growth, innovation and success as we work towards empowering 10,000 women every year.