Smart Works - Data and reporting

The Smart Works Five-Year Strategy

Smart Works has launched its 2025-2030 Strategy, setting out an ambitious plan to reach more women, strengthen our foundations, and raise our voice on the barriers women face in the workplace. Building on a decade of growth and impact, our new strategy will ensure more women across the UK can access trusted, personalised support to secure employment and transform their futures.

Grounded in the lived experience of our clients, and shaped by the insights of our staff, volunteers and partners, the strategy provides a clear path forward for the charity. Over the next five years, Smart Works will expand its reach, enhance its services, and use its national voice to influence change. Together, we will continue to build a future where every woman has the confidence, tools and opportunities to succeed

Read the strategy

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.

Read our EDI strategy

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.

Read out EDI strategy

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.

Explore the Unemployment Index

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Impact data and reports

Why we do it > Impact data and reports

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