Leeds businesses support women into work jobs fair

Leading UK employers and businesses gathered in Leeds to take part in a Women Into Work Jobs Fair, hosted by Smart Works Leeds, the charity that dresses and coaches unemployed women across Yorkshire for job and interview success.

The ground-breaking event, held at Leeds Beckett Student Union, saw 26 employers including Mitie, Network Rail, Cygnet and Univar set out their stalls to advertise their vacancies and opportunities to local women who have been searching for work.

More than 250 unemployed women from all around West Yorkshire attended the Women Into Work Jobs Fair to find out about a diverse range of opportunities with employers in the fields of banking, maintenance, travel, the public sector, hospitality, retail, customer services, administration and more. Every organisation in attendance is keen to bring more women into their workforce, and the event has served a springboard to begin the recruitment process.

By attending, each employer pledged its commitment to boosting the numbers of women in its workforce.

The businesses taking part were: Cygnet, Leeds Community Healthcare, Be Caring, Outwood Grange Academies Trust, Univar, Network Rail, Mitie, Yorkshire Building Society, Leeds Teaching Hospitals, the Canal and River Trust, the Civil Service , Children’s Corner Childcare, West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue, Leeds City Council, Leeds City College, Ripon House, Splendid Hospitality and Manning Stainton. The Kings Trust, Blue Apple, High Speed Training, Leeds Apprenticeship Hub, Learning Curve and Generation attended to offer training courses, and volunteering opportunities were advertised with St Lukes Cares and Smart Works.

The Women Into Work Jobs Fair was hosted by women’s employment charity Smart Works Leeds in collaboration with the Keith Howard Foundation (previously known as The Emerald Foundation), an independent charity established in 2008 by the late Dr Keith Howard OBE, a philanthropist and businessman, raised in Yorkshire, who strived to support local charities and create opportunities for local communities.

The event was supported by Ilkley-based online training provider High Speed Training, a registered B-Corp which believes in using its business as a force for good, with a key focus on employability. There will be opportunities for attendees to have a one-to-one CV clinic at the event with HR professionals from High Speed Training offering personalised advice to help women stand out in the job market.

Based at Mabgate Mills, Smart Works Leeds helps unemployed women across Yorkshire find work by providing them with coaching, clothing and confidence. The national Smart Works charity has supported 35,000 women into jobs over the past 10 years, and 63% of its clients find employment within a month of their appointment.

Lottie Roberts, outreach manager at Smart Works Leeds said: “This event is to connect women to prospective employers directly. Our clients often tell us that job application processes are confusing, that they struggle to find opportunities, and that it is hard to get in front of employers.
“Through this event, attendees have been able to find out more about the rich range of vacancies available in Leeds and surrounding areas and speak to top employers, to get advice about making applications and furthering their job search. It is our privilege to do an event on this scale for the women of Leeds.”

Amy Mortimer, Head of Social Impact at High Speed Training said: “We are so pleased to be able to support Smart Works to deliver another jobs fair, following the success of our partnership on a similar event in Bradford last year. The situation for unemployed women is increasingly challenging and Smart Works understands what is needed to help. They are great at boosting confidence and coaching women on a course to success and now these jobs fairs are a brilliant way for them to offer further support by connecting inclusive employers to women seeking work in Yorkshire”
Aliyah, who attended on the day to speak to employers said: ‘‘The event helped me to see that there are many opportunities for women to get into work. Each stall holder was kind, engaging and informative. It made me hopeful about my future .’

If you would like to access the Smart Works service, find out more about the charity or become a supporter, please see the website here: https://leeds.smartworks.org.uk or email leeds@smartworks.org.uk.