Your questions answered

Approximately 40% of our clothing is brand new and comes from a range of luxury brands and high street retailers such as Hobbs, John Lewis and Evans. We also receive make-up from Bobbi Brown. The other 60% is donated by individuals, companies and various other organisations that run clothing drives for us. All our clothing donations are carefully sorted and steamed before being hung in our dressing room.

Smart Works supports unemployed women, from the age of 16 upwards with no upper age limit. Women who are looking for work or who have a scheduled job interview lined up for paid employment or an apprenticeship.

No, appointments at Smart Works are by referral only. Each local Smart Works works with a large range of referral partners who support women back into work. If you are unsure please call and we will be able to advise you.

If you have an item such as shoes or a jacket that you’d like to wear to your interview you can bring this and our stylists can work around the garment to find the rest of your outfit. For your interview coaching session it’s very helpful if you have the job description for the role you are interviewing for and your CV.

No, the Smart Works service is a one off service to prepare you for your interview. If your last visit to Smart Works was more than two years ago do call and we will be happy to discuss this with you.

Our service is available to women across the UK, regardless of their distance from a Smart Works centre. All our coaching can be done over the phone or via video call by the same trained volunteers who come to our centres, and parcels of workwear can be posted to your home address.

We have two different locations, our Stockport centre and Manchester City centre. An appointment can be booked at either one of our centres.

Stockport centre:

2nd Floor
65 – 81 Petersgate
Stockport
SK1 1DS

Manchester City centre:

3rd Floor, Holyoake House
Hanover Street
Manchester
M60 0AS

 

Clothing donations must be booked in advance. Please call or email to arrange a date and time that suits with the team on 0161 974 0669 or greatermanchester@smartworks.org.uk. We look forward to hearing from you!

Clients who have received our dressing service in preparation for their job interview are offered a Second Dressing voucher. This Second Dressing takes place when the client has received a job offer within six months of visiting Smart Works. To book in for your Second Dressing simply call 0161 974 0669 or email us. Please bring proof of your employment to your Second Dressing.

Many organisations run a clothing drive on behalf of Smart Works, which is an easy and fun way to secure a large number of clothing donations and ensure that great quality clothing is put to the best possible use. We are also happy to come and speak at clothing drive events, to bring to life the impact that your support has on the women who come to Smart Works.

Or alternatively your organisation may be interested in partaking in our Annual fundraiser or a CSR volunteering day – please contact us via email to discuss.