At Smart Works, we work together towards our collective goal – to reach and help any woman who needs our support. In order to achieve this, it is essential that we are guided by clear strategies that set out our future plans and aspirations.
The Smart Works Three Year Plan
In April 2022 Smart Works announced a Three Year Plan, setting out our collective vision and strategy for the charity until March 2025. The strategy is evolutionary in approach but will deliver a step change in what we are able to do. Over the three years, our goal is to double the number of women helped from 5,000 to 10,000 clients a year, which will be achieved by deepening our reach in existing centres and opening in entirely new areas of the UK.
From building on what we know works, to investing in infrastructure, we will continue to be driven by the data throughout and work towards our collective goal of helping over 10,000 woman a year from at least ten flourishing centres across the UK.
Above all, it remains our ultimate ambition that any woman in need of our support should be able to find her way to Smart Works.
Our Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Strategy
In June 2023, Smart Works launched an Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Strategy to align with our Three Year Plan. It is grounded in one of our core values – Accessible Aspiration, which is the promise that Smart Works will always be approachable and inclusive, empowering others to thrive and fulfil their potential. Born out of conversations with our community, it is our commitment to removing any barriers and behaviours that prevent Smart Works from being truly diverse and inclusive.
Our Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Strategy is the framework for how we will nurture a culture of diversity and inclusivity, woven into the fabric of our organisation. It is a starting point, setting out our collective roadmap and priorities for change by 2025.
To read our Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Strategy in full, click here.
The Smart Works Unemployment Index
In January 2024, we launched our second Smart Works Unemployment Index.
Based on data from over 3,700 of our clients across the UK, we have built on our inaugural index, and developed further unique insights into women’s experiences of unemployment, the importance of confidence, and the meaning of having a job.
We had hoped to be sharing some much-needed positive news, but unfortunately, our findings highlight how women’s experiences of the employment market were even more challenging in 2023. Drawing on our research, we have taken a step further in this report, proposing a set of recommendations for employers to create a more accessible recruitment landscape.
We want the Smart Works Unemployment Index to amplify our clients’ voices, so they are heard by those who have the power and means to create a better employment journey for women in the UK.
Find out more about the Smart Works Unemployment Index and read our reports here.
