AJ Bell, one of the UK’s leading investment platforms, has launched a new initiative that will see it donate £50 to Smart Works for every new investment account opened on its platform during the week of International Women’s Day (6-10th March).
Smart Works exists to give women the confidence they need to reach their full potential, secure employment and change the trajectory of their lives. Each woman is dressed for interview during a bespoke appointment with a Smart Works stylist, followed by a one-to-one coaching session to help enhance skills for interview. 93% of clients leave feeling more confident about succeeding in their interview and 72% go on to get the job.
The initiative applies to all types of investment account opened on the AJ Bell investment platform during the period – ISA, Pension and Dealing account. The donation will be made from the AJ Bell Futures Foundation which has been established this year to help people build positive futures through initiatives focused on skills development and self-enhancement. The initiative will close if or when the total donation reaches £50,000.
Kevin Doran, managing director at AJ Bell, comments:
“We want people to feel good when they invest with us and through this initiative our customers will be supporting Smart Works in helping thousands of women achieve a brighter future at the same time as investing in their own future. Smart Works is a fantastic charity that helps women prepare for job interviews and enter the workforce with confidence and we are proud of our long-term partnership with them.”
Kate Stephens, Smart Works, CEO, said:
“The need for the Smart Works service has never been greater and we are working hard to reach an ambitious goal to double the number of women we help each year, to 10,000 by 2025. With the generous support of AJ Bell and their customers we’ll be one step closer to making this a reality and reaching even more unemployed women in need with the clothing, coaching and confidence they need to get the job and transform their lives.”
Further information
About Smart Works
Smart Works is a dynamic, high profile and fast-growing UK charity that dresses and coaches unemployed women for success at their job interview. We empower each woman by giving her the clothes and the confidence she needs to succeed.
After visiting Smart Works, 72% secure a job within a month, gaining financial independence and transforming their lives.
The Smart Works service is delivered in London, Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Newcastle, Reading and Leeds. Over the past nine years, Smart Works has helped 30,000 women. It is our mission that any woman who needs our service should be able to find her way to a Smart Works centre.
In April 2022, Smart Works launched a new Three-Year Plan that will see the charity double the number of women helped annually from 5,000 to 10,000 women a year. To achieve this, we will grow our existing centres and open new centres in areas of need.
Following the opening of the South London centre in February, Smart Works will be opening another new centre in Manchester City Centre later in 2023. Plans are also being made to open in Liverpool, where data indicates a high level of need for the Smart Works service.
Smart Works has been voted Social Action Charity of the Year.
Smart Works Charity, Charity No: 1080609