Smart Works - Our clients

Client stories

Featured: Stephanie's story

After a long time out of work caring for her father, Stephanie was ready to return to the workplace but felt her anxiety was holding her back.

"When I was younger, I went to college and I did art and design. I did makeup and nails while I was in college and at the time that was something that I was passionate about. After college, I worked in a nail salon for a while. The people were lovely there and they wanted me to stay on, but because of personal reasons, I had to leave. That led me to have a long gap in my employment, where I wasn't doing much for my future. I was helping my mum care for my dad, and it was quite a difficult time for me."

"I had a work coach who was supporting me, he knew my history and desire to do something new. He was supporting me to look into the type of jobs that I'd want to do, and create a plan, like a career path. When I started working with him, I didn't even have a CV and thought I didn't have many skills, because I’d been out of work for so long.

After applying for jobs for a while, he said to me: ‘Have you heard of Smart Works? I think you’d really liked them. They’re all about empowering women."

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Client stories

Explore our case studies to hear our client's stories

Client case studies

Mya’s Story

Mya, aged 21, had been unemployed for four months when she first heard of Smart Works. She was speaking to her work coach at the job centre one day when she was offered a referral to the charity.

HQ | July 22, 2024

Client case studies

Gloria’s Story

When Gloria was made redundant, she used the chance to take a much-needed break, having spent the last 18 years working and simultaneously raising her four nephews and niece. After taking some time to travel and study various courses, Gloria went to her local job centre for support.

HQ | July 22, 2024

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Client participation

Our clients are the core of our organisation and the reason Smart Works exists.

To achieve this, we want to increase participation from those with lived experience of unemployment and the Smart Works service, so that their perspective, knowledge and feedback directly inform our strategy and decision making.

Smart Works Client Advisory Group

In September 2021, we launched our first ever Client Advisory Group as part of our mission to ensure the voices of our clients always inform our decision-making.

Now in its fourth iteration, The Client Advisory Group is made up of 20 former clients from across the UK, who have experienced the Smart Works service and want to share their ideas on how we can improve and develop. The Group meets quarterly with the Chief Executive to discuss strategic topics and act as a key touchstone in decision making, with learnings shared directly at the Smart Works Charity Trustee meetings and across the charity.

The Group continues to provide rich insight into how we can reach more women, which partners we should work with, and how to best involve clients in our future work. The 2024 and 2025 cohorts have played a key role in the development of our next strategy which has been vital in ensuring that the future of Smart Works is driven by our clients’ voices.

Smart Works Client Champion Program

In June 2023 we launched a new initiative, where former clients were appointed as Client Champions and became spokespeople for the charity.

Our Client Champions take part in a range of opportunities that support the charity, including outreach in their local community, media engagement and speaking at events. The Client Champion Programme helps us to reach more women and ensure that clients are always at the forefront of our work.

Smart Works Client Champion Program

The Smart Works Unemployment Index

In January 2023, we launched the first Smart Works Unemployment Index.

The Index is a robust study examining unemployment issues affecting our clients across the UK. It covers three areas: experiencing unemployment, experiences of the interview process, and the meaning of having a job.

The aim of the Index is to ensure that our clients’ voices 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