Employment-Ready Not for Profit Receives Funding Boost

A community organisation which assists women from disadvantaged backgrounds to gain sustainable employment has received a top up from the Victorian government.

The employment-ready not for profit, Fitted to Work, received a $150,000 grant on Tuesday to assist in getting a further 400 women from Victoria into sustainable employment.

Fitted for Work was the first Australian organisation dedicated to helping women who face barriers to employment find jobs, and has assisted more than 24,000 women since 2005.

Fitted to Work CEO Donna de Zwart told Pro Bono News they were thrilled to receive the grant.

“For us it is not just about the money, it is really about the recognition that what we do has a profound impact on the numbers of women that are seeking employment,” de Zwart said.

She said the demand for employment was growing.

“There are 350,000 women registered as looking for work but we know there are many, many more women who are underemployed, who are not able to earn enough or have job instability because of casual employment,” de Zwart said.

“We also know that many women who are experiencing disadvantage fall through the gaps and are not picked up by traditional recruiters.”

Through Fitted for Work a network of volunteers assist women experiencing disadvantage to find work, and keep it, through mentoring and transition to work programs in Melbourne.

They also assist in sourcing professional clothes to wear to work, preparing resumes and hosting interview technique classes.

“But a large majority of what we do is build women’s self-confidence to enter or re-enter the workforce,”de Zwart said.

A recent survey of Melbourne clients showed 64 per cent of the women the organisation worked with were employed within four months of their visit to Fitted to Work.