Speaker - our very own Sue Housley

Smart Works

We are a UK charity that exists to give women the confidence they need to reach their full potential, secure employment and change the trajectory of their lives. 

In 8 years, we have helped over 20,000 women in 8 centres across the UK

The Smart Works story began in North London in 2013. Later that year, we opened our second centre in West London. Our journey had begun. We set up and licensed the Smart Works model to bring the service to life in cities across the UK. Using this model, Smart Works was brought to Edinburgh in 2014, Manchester and Reading in 2015, Birmingham in 2016, Newcastle in 2018 and Leeds in 2019.

We are proud of what we have achieved in eight years, but there is more work to be done.

Job interviews are difficult and a significant barrier to success. Without the necessary self-belief and practical tools, it is easy to become trapped in a cycle of failed interviews and unemployment.

The impact of the pandemic has heightened this and increased pressure to succeed at job interviews, meaning our support has never been more needed.

We believe in the power of clothes and coaching to transform a woman’s confidence. Our service is carefully designed, with kindness and respect at the heart of everything we do. It is about much more than the clothes she is gifted: it is about what the clothes allow each woman to become. When she looks in the mirror, she begins to see hope and possibility for a better future.