Transforming lives through employment

What does it really mean to be “fitted for work”?

“We believe that every woman is entitled to economic security and independence” - Donna De Zwart

In a world in which self-confidence, social expectations, economic realities and where we live, all play such a strong part in how we step forward into employment - the notion of being ready to tackle the employment process can seem overwhelming.

Which is why two decades ago the Fitted for Work job readiness program started. CEO, Donna De Zwart sat down with me to discuss how the program is aimed at empowering women to enter the workforce, recognising the need for a holistic approach.

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“Inclusion and empowerment are at the heart of all we do,” Donna says.

“The organisation exists because we believe that every woman is entitled to economic security and independence, and we believe one of the best ways for her to achieve that is through employment.”

“All of our services revolve around getting women ready for work, helping women find work, but then helping them stay in work and navigate their world of work.”

And it is being recognised - earlier this year Fitted for Work was honored with the Victorian Telstra Business Award for the ‘Accelerating Women’ category. 

Fitted for Work operates across every state and territory in Australia and in 20 years has assisted over 47,000 women.

And these women have come from incredibly diverse life experiences.

Donna says they work with women aged from 16 through to 65 plus. She says they come from all different cultural experiences and socioeconomic backgrounds.

“We will work with women who haven't finished high school, we'll work with women who have PhDs, we'll work with women exiting prison, migrant and refugee women, many women over 55 who are struggling to stay in the workforce, and we also work with many, many survivors of domestic and financial abuse.”

About the woman herself

Donna says the services Fitted for Work offers are very bespoke to the woman herself – they are tailored depending on what a woman needs.

This includes everything around getting ready for a job, confidence building through to styling sessions which provide women with a wardrobe. She says often it won't just be the clothing, it will be shoes, handbags, jewellery, cosmetics, underwear and sanitary products.

Donna says they also help clients go about looking for work, including preparing for an interview, writing cover letters and putting a resume together.

“Once you land the job, how do you stay in that job? Because we know that your problems are not going to magically disappear because you now have a job.”

“Often they can be exacerbated because there's a whole lot of pressure. So we offer a mentoring program for those women and it's where they can talk through some of the issues that they're facing in work and in managing life with work.”

Changing as the world does

Longevity of the program has come from adapting to the times, Donna says.

She says the biggest change that it has seen is the increase in numbers of people using the service. They are also seeing a growing number of women over 55.

“We know that that is the fastest growing homeless population in Australia. And we know that ageism exists out there for women over a certain age. And we know there's a whole lot of factors that compound. Low superannuation, perhaps they've been working for a number of years in casual and part-time jobs.”

“Often, this is the point in their lives where they might be going through huge changes, whether it's marriage breakdown, whether it's menopause, caring for elderly parents. So that is one of the biggest changes that we've seen.”

Donna also says we should not discount the ongoing impact the COVID pandemic had on women’s involvement in the workforce.

She said during that time many women stepped back to help with family, but they are now having to step back into the workforce as the cost of living crisis hits hard.

“Many women are struggling to start again,” Donna says.

“And the world of work has changed, right? Pre-COVID, who did a job interview on Zoom? So, there's a whole new level of skill involved in applying for a role or even looking for a job now.”

Growing

Donna says Fitted for Work is focused on building its financial sustainability, which includes bolstering its social enterprises.

“That's really important to us because we don't have to be reliant on volatile funding sources. And that also enables us to determine where we know the money needs to get spent.”

One of those social enterprises is the Conscious Closet clothes shop run from Bridge Rd, in the Melbourne suburb of Richmond.

“Because we've been around for 20 years the women of Victoria really do donate the most wonderful amazing clothing and accessories.”

Donna says the “very best” go to the clients who are going for job interviews.

“But we also get the most amazing, crazy, colourful designer clothes, all sorts of different things. We also have some beautiful relationships with big retail partners, including Dish, Taking Shape, Witchery, there's a whole lot of brands that we work with.”

She said the demand for the clothing was out of control.

“And I think that's because people want to shop sustainably, people want value for money and people want interesting things and we certainly have that. Whether it's nightclub outfits or mother of the bride outfits!”

Donna says another important focus for the organisation is growing the brand of its ready for work programs nationally.

She said while the overall Fitted for Work brand is well known in Victoria and New South Wales, there is scope to grow it in other states as well.

“We have a hub in Parramatta, which is a bit of a pilot for us, that we know we can roll that out to other rural and regional areas of Australia”.

“That's really important because one thing we did learn through COVID is whilst we can do everything online and we can make it still very personal, there are those women who either can't use technology, don't know how to use technology, or perhaps are not even allowed to use technology.”

A helping hand

Donna says working with ANZ had proven to be a “holistic partnership” in which the bank refers customers in financial difficulty and vulnerability to Fitted for Work for support towards independence, while bank staff volunteer their time and participate in clothing drives.

At the same time, Donna was thankful to ANZ last year for sponsoring her to participate in the prestigious 10-month Williamson Community Leadership Program.

“We work in an industry where money is tight and professional development particularly for someone in my role is very rare and that sort of investment is very rare. So, I'm very excited to be developing my skills.”

“It really honed my direction and self-belief around what I'm doing. It gave me a great deal of comfort that I am heading in the right direction. It aligns with my beliefs and values.”

“I think it's no surprise that we've had some success in the last six months, particularly with winning the Telstra Business Award in Victoria, which recognises that we're not just a charity, we're actually a smart business.”

“I do credit Williamson's for being able to make that very clear to me. Being able to nurture the connections made with the other participants has also been wonderful.”

Tina Biscan is Community Partnerships Lead at ANZ.