Smart Works Newcastle
Give Us Five
To celebrate opening our doors 5 years ago we've launched our Give Us Five campaign, where we're aiming to raise £5000 to help us support 1000 women into employment across the North East.
Story
Thank you everyone for all your help! You were so understanding, patient and lovely. I cannot believe how much better I felt from walking through your doors to walking out. I felt like I grew a foot in height! I definitely feel better due to my lovely outfit (my family LOVE it) and the mock interview. I will try my best and know my transferrable skills ARE important. I can now feel I can be myself. Thank you again.
For five years, Smart Works Newcastle has been inspiring and empowering women across the North East who need help getting into work, having supported our first client on 24th April 2018. To celebrate our 5th birthday, we have launched our Give Us Five campaign to generate much needed funds, donations and awareness.
In the past 5 years we've supported over 1600 women on their employment journeys, and this year we want to support 1000 more to change the trajectory of their lives.
In 2022 alone, we supported 736 women with high-quality clothing and/or one-to-one coaching to help them see their true potential and succeed at interview, meaning that outside of London, we delivered the highest number of Interview Dressing and Prep appointments out of all the local centres last financial year. 72% of women got the job within a month of an appointment with us.
In that period, our Volunteer Stylists and Coaches collectively dedicated 3128 hours, powering the service, united by a mission to help all women realise their potential.
I love being a volunteer because every day is different. We meet incredible women, many have overcome significant challenges and barriers to employment. Being able to support them is a great privilege and at times a very humbling experience.
We support anyone aged 16+ who identifies as female with free high-quality clothing, shoes and accessories, and 1:1 coaching. The core of our service is a two-hour appointment, where each client receives a complete outfit (theirs to keep) and dedicated 1:1 interview training. Once they get the job, we offer a second dressing for a working wardrobe to see them through to their first payday. For clients at an earlier stage of their employment journey, we offer Career Coaching, a one-hour appointment with a coach to identify tangible next steps to secure an interview.
This is a great service. it has given me confidence in how I look and feel. I would not be able to afford clothing for myself so it has helped me massively.
We also know that our service is much needed: national data highlights high regional unemployment figures: between September and November 2022, the North East unemployment rate for ages 16+ was 1% higher than the national average rate, and additionally, the economic inactivity rate for those in the North East aged 16-64 was also 3.3% higher than the national average. (ONS 2023)
We believe in fashion as a force for good. We know that when a woman looks and feels great about who she is, she can change her life. We are proud of the joy and magic our service brings to the women we serve. We know our service is deceptively simple. It only works because of the care and thought we invest in our clients journey with us.
So please help us to celebrate our fifth birthday by becoming part of our Give Us Five campaign at Smart Work Newcastle, and thereby support and empower 1000 women across the north east to change the trajectory of their lives.
For more information please visit newcastle.smartworks.org.uk