This free jobs fair, hosted by Smart Works Leeds, will be an opportunity for women in Leeds and surrounding areas to boost their careers and connect with a variety of employers.
Women are invited to attend the Women into Work Jobs Fair on March 11th, 2025, from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM at Leeds Beckett Student Union, to meet employers who are actively seeking to increase female representation in their workforce across a wide range of sectors.
The Women Into Work Jobs fair is being powered by the Keith Howard Foundation. The Keith Howard Foundation is an independent Charity (previously known as The Emerald Foundation) and was established in 2008 by the late Dr Keith Howard OBE, a philanthropist and businessman who was raised in Yorkshire. Keith was extremely passionate about supporting local charities in Yorkshire and creating a wide range of opportunities for various communities.
The event is supported by Ilkley-based online training provider High Speed Training, who sponsored Smart Works Leeds previous job fair in Bradford in 2024. A registered B-Corp, High Speed Training believes in using their business as a force for good and one of the issues that they focus on is employability.
Smart Works Leeds is a women’s employment charity who help unemployed women to get the coaching, clothing and confidence they need to secure employment. They have supported 35,000 women into jobs over the past 10 years. 63% of the women supported by Smart Works are in employment within one month of their appointment.
Attendees will have the unique opportunity to meet with top employers, including Sky, the NHS, UK Civil Service, YBS, Mitie, First Bus, and Canal & River Trust, and more who will be offering live job vacancies, volunteering, and training opportunities. Employers will be recruiting for roles in retail, customer service, logistics, education, cleaning, security, admin, care, hospitality, and more. Smart Works Leeds will also be providing a 1-2-1 CV clinic at the event, with HR professionals from High Speed Training offering personalised advice to help women stand out in the job market.
This year’s event follows the success of previous job fairs, which have seen hundreds of women secure interviews and job offers. Smart Works Leeds supported over 800 women across Yorkshire in 2024 alone, and is on track to help 1,000 women a year by April 2025.
Lottie Roberts, Outreach Manager at Smart Works Leeds: “We are so proud and excited to bring our Women Into Work Jobs Fair back to Leeds, the event to connect women to prospective employers directly. Our clients often tell us that job application processes are confusing, that they struggle to find opportunities and that it is really hard to get in front of employers. Through this event, attendees will be able to find out more about the rich range of vacancies available in Leeds and surrounding areas and speak to top employers, to get advice about making applications and furthering their job search. It is our privilege to do an event on this scale for the women of Leeds.”
Amy Mortimer, Head of Social Impact at High Speed Training: “We are so pleased to be able to support Smart Works to deliver another jobs fair, following the success of our partnership on a similar event in Bradford last year. The situation for unemployed women is increasingly challenging and Smart Works understands what is needed to help. They are great at boosting confidence and coaching women on a course to success and now these jobs fairs are a brilliant way for them to offer further support by connecting inclusive employers to women seeking work in Yorkshire.”
To find out more about the event and to register to attend, visit the registration site or simply show up on the day.
