Today, on Employability Day, we're celebrating the power of confidence, opportunity and support in helping people move towards and into work. But we're also asking an important question: what more can employers do to create opportunities for talented women who are too often overlooked?

At Smart Works Greater Manchester, we see every day how confidence can transform a women’s journey to employment. Through high-quality interview clothing and one-to-one tailored interview coaching, we help women feel prepared, confident and ready to succeed when opportunity comes.

We support women at every stage of their employment journey, from those who are NEET (not in education, employment or training), to women returning to work after raising families, caring responsibilities or redundancy, and those navigating the challenges of re-entering the workplace over 50.

Every day, we see the skills, resilience and potential these women bring. Yet we also hear about the barriers they face. The Smart Works Greater Manchester Unemployment Index highlights these barriers: lack of confidence, career breaks being viewed negatively, inflexible recruitment practices, and assumptions about age, experience or employability.

Employers can play a vital role by:

-Valuing transferable skills alongside traditional career pathways

-Removing unnecessary barriers in recruitment and selection processes

-Creating flexible and inclusive opportunities for returners and career changers

-Challenging age-related bias and broadening access to employment

-Investing in confidence, development and progression to improve retention and long-term success

Whether it's returning to work after a career break, changing direction, overcoming personal challenges or taking that first step into employment, we're proud to stand alongside the women we support as they build confidence and unlock their potential #EmpDay26#WeGetBritainWorking