Chair of Smart Works Greater Manchester since 2019, Jan Iceton, a former business development director with 30 years’ career experience, has personally overseen the service growth, both face-to-face and virtual, of this national charity helping unemployed women of any age succeed in finding work. Feeding into Jan’s business experience and her natural flair for fashion, this role might well have been tailor-made for her!
Stockport-based since 2015, Smart Works Greater Manchester opened its City Centre branch last April 2023. This rendered the charity more geographically accessible to less advantaged, unemployed females living in the north of the city.
They too, now had greater opportunities to benefit from the coaching, personal styling and tactful guidance on interview skills that Smart Works’ 50 volunteers are trained to deliver. Jan adds, “We also provide an online service for anyone with an upcoming job interview who is unable to reach either of our two centres.”
One of eight regional operations, Smart Works Greater Manchester, between March 2023 and March 2024, assisted 833 disadvantaged women with its in-depth preparation for interviews. For many, their Smart Works experience has proven life-changing. Consequently, the charity’s reputation amongst unemployed women and prospective employers has escalated.
Boosting these ladies’ confidence by helping them in finding work, offering them suitable attire for their job interviews and convincing them to attend requires understanding, patience and empathy. Smart Works Greater Manchester states that 63% of its clientele gained employment following their pre-interview training and that during the year ending in March 2024, Smart Works delivered 1,110 appointments.
To better comprehend some challenges the women face, Jan adds, “38% of our clients had been out of work for a year, 12% for over 5 years and 21% had applied for over 50 posts. 34% were single parents, 47% came from an ethnic minority and 15% had a disability. Since Covid, Smart Works has aimed to be more aware of which employers have vacancies to fill within Greater Manchester’s ten boroughs and also which clients, who are all registered as unemployed, have the necessary skills for the posts in question.”
She explains, “We attend referral partners’ job fairs and hold our own in Stockport and / or in Manchester. We like to vary our job focus. For instance, at one fair we supported referral partners with vacancies in hospitality, at another they were focussed on jobs in retail and then for yet another it was focussed on jobs in the transport sector”. Above all, we are so grateful to our wonderful volunteers, to our individual and corporate clothing donors and to our amazing retail partners including N Brown (JD Williams), Boden, John Lewis, Marks & Spencer, Whistles, Burberry, Evans, Hobbs and Coggles. They not only support us, but they also supply us with such lovely interview-appropriate suits, pants, skirts, dresses, blouses, accessories and tote bags. All these are carefully tissue-wrapped by our stylists after clients have made their clothing choices and, in every package, there’s a donor’s confidence card.”
Smart Works’ many supporters range from Jobcentre Plus, care leaver services and local councils to housing associations, HM Prison Service and charities such as The Prince’s Trust and women’s refuges.
Smart Works’ one-to-one service entails two one-hour sessions. During the ‘first dressing’, a stylist works with a client, helping her choose clothes she will take home and wear for her interview. The second hourly session is taken up with training, preparing and improving a client’s interview skills and her responses to key questions. Every woman who has secured work is then invited back for her second dressing. This is to select another eight items of clothing to pad out her working wardrobe, as she obviously cannot wear the same outfit every day – and her payday may well be weeks away.
Clients’ appreciation of Smart Works’ input into their success is clear. 99% credited the charity for increasing their chances of attaining work, 96% were more confident wearing their interview outfit and 93% felt more self-assured of succeeding at their next interview.
Candidate Naomi adds, “I enjoyed having a chat about my experiences and having so many new tips for the interviews. Smart Works really gave me a new perspective. I also really enjoyed having an outfit chosen for me.’
In June 2024, Smart Works Greater Manchester celebrated its ninth birthday. It has assisted over 4,500 women, created over 5,600 appointments for them and it proudly avers, ’Get the clothes, get the confidence – GET THE JOB.’
If you are interested in donating clothing or your time, or you would like more information, please contact Smart Works by phone, online or pop in!
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Call 0161 974 0669 or contact us online at greatermanchester@smartworks.org.uk
Visit Smart Works Stockport Centre: 2nd Floor, Mellor House 65-81, St Petersgate, Stockport SK1 1DS
Or Smart Works Manchester City Centre: 3rd Floor, Holyoake House, Hanover Street, Manchester M60 0AS
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By Fay Wertheimer
