In recognition of International Day of the Girl on October 11, UK employment charity Smart Works has launched its new campaign, Break Barriers, Build Futures.
Today, the charity unveils its photo story on youth unemployment, shot by award-winning photographer Amelia Troubridge. The photographs tell the stories of real young women facing real barriers to employment, captured in Birmingham, Newcastle and Leeds. All three young women are ambitious about building their futures, supported by Smart Works.
ONS data highlights a youth unemployment rate of 13.9% in comparison to a national average of 4.2%. Given that 379,000 young women are not in employment, education or training, the campaign couldn’t be more timely. Earlier this year, The Prince’s Trust reported that for a startling 40% of young women, a lack of confidence is one of the biggest barriers holding them back from achieving their career goals.
Based in 7 cities nationwide, Smart Works supports unemployed women across the country to achieve interview and job success through its transformative dressing and coaching service. In the last year, the charity has supported more than 8,200 women, with Newcastle supporting over 500 of these. After visiting Smart Works, 95% felt confident to succeed in their next interview, and 63% went on to secure employment within one month.
Adrijana visited Smart Works Newcastle this summer after she was referred by her local job centre. She had been applying for jobs for a while with little luck, experiencing a number of barriers in her job search.
‘Looking for employment while trying to get experience is almost impossible as a lot of places are looking for experienced employees. Certain job roles out there require so much that I have found myself doubting if I fit the criteria to apply.
I have found myself spending so many days and hours applying for so many different jobs just to sometimes not even get a response from 1/50 applications. There are times I have felt that it is almost impossible to find a good job which could turn into a long lasting, well-paid career.
But Smart Works have been an absolute blessing in disguise! I walked in there so nervous and walked out feeling like I’ve got that confidence back in me. It gave me back my inner spark to go out there and just take every opportunity, to keep trying no matter what. I am extremely grateful to Smart Works for reminding me that I can go out there and be able to face an interview without having the thought of it being the most overwhelming thing.’
Now, Adrijana is about to start her new role as a teaching assistant. She is pictured in her photo story in her hometown of Newcastle.
Helen Boyd, Smart Works Newcastle Centre Manager said:
We are delighted to take part in such a powerful campaign and we are so grateful to Adrijana for sharing her story. So often women lack the confidence in their own ability when applying for jobs and going through the interview process, at Smart Works Newcastle we want to make sure we are supporting women across the north east to fulfil their potential to get the job and gain financial independence.
If you’re a young woman looking for support ahead of an interview, contact the Smart Works Newcastle team on 0191 691 7900 to find out how you can get a referral.
To find out how you can support this campaign, visit www.smartworks.org.uk/girl