Case Study

Enabling better lives is Ingeus’ purpose, and is at the heart of all that we do, and this passion shines brightly in our support to women seeking work. Whatever their background or reasons for needing employment, Ingeus is dedicated to helping them succeed. Our partnership with charity Smart Works combines our skills to provide a first-class service. 

  

Over 1,300 women have received support from Ingeus and Smart Works in the last three years, making Ingeus one of the charity’s top three referral partners. The partnership sees women journey from Ingeus’ employability programmes to Smart Works for additional expert advice. Whether they’ve been through the justice system, made redundant or taken a career break to raise a family, our specialist teams work together to get female participants’ careers on track. 

  

Julie Graham, CEO of Ingeus Employment Services, says “Ingeus is honoured to be one of the top referral partners across the UK to Smart Works’ provision, and our partnership plans to go from strength to strength. With thousands of unemployed women across the UK who need support, there is even more work to be done, and we are proud to be supporting Smart Works with their impactful service.” 

  

Launched in 2013, the charity supports unemployed women across major cities, including London, Birmingham and Leeds. Each location offers a place where women can receive employability coaching and workwear styling advice. The tailored one-to-one career coaching session allows the participant to choose the topics and build on support they received at Ingeus. Then, once an interview is lined up, they have an interview preparation appointment where they’ll have the opportunity to run through a mock interview and receive style advice for the big day, involving browsing and trying on clothing. 

  

Charlotte Peagam, Head of Programmes at Smart Works, explains “Our service really complements and enhances the support the participants have received with Ingeus. Women can choose what they’d like to focus on during our career coaching sessions, which might be building on skills they’ve touched on with Ingeus – it’s an additional hour of tailored support. 

  

“The hour-long sessions with a volunteer dresser encourage clients to try clothes on – helping them to realise what looks good and what makes them feel good. All the clothes are donated to us and the majority are brand new, so the women can and do feel good about what they’re going to wear.” 

  

Statistics from the Smart Works Unemployment Index 2024 reveal an impressive 97 per cent of all Smart Works clients say they feel more confident in their new interview outfit after their session with a dresser. A similar number also report they could answer interview questions more effectively, with 63 per cent of all women securing a job within four weeks of their appointment.  

  

One Ingeus client says: “I felt more confident going for my interview and believing in myself as I was very nervous before. I felt that I was able to express everything and get the help I needed, I have never had interview practice or been dressed up for an interview, so this was a special and fun experience. I am so grateful for everyone who took time out to help me.” 

  

Like Julie, Charlotte also sees the partnership with Ingeus going from strength to strength, explaining that they are developing workshops to offer group support in addition to the one-to-one appointments. 

  

She explains “Our core work is still one-to-one sessions, but through the group workshops our participants can get the feeling that they’re not alone. It’s in its early stages, but we hope this will grow to reach even more women and offer potential for our relationship with Ingeus to develop even further.” 

  

Meanwhile, Ingeus’s passion to support Smart Works is extending beyond our office desks. A team of Ingeus employees have spent time as volunteers in the Smart Works offices and style spaces to learn first-hand more about how the charity operates and supports Ingeus referrals. During March, another of our teams are busy individually clocking up 310,000 steps to raise money for the charity. All a step in the right direction for supporting women!