PRESS RELEASE: New digital Career Hub by Dress for Success to benefit thousands of Australian women

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, 1 June 2022: The Dress for Success Career Hub (the Hub) – a collaborative project funded by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet’s Office for Women – is set to support thousands of women wanting to enter or re-enter the Australian workforce.

The Hub is a digital portal that will enable female job seekers to access a practical and holistic range of support services digitally, anytime from anywhere in Australia. The portal will enable women to build skills, confidence, and knowledge to enter or re‑enter the workforce with access to workshops, one-on-one job preparation services and essential career resources. A one-stop shop for women, the Hub supports and empowers women at every stage of their career journey.

The Career Hub further focuses not-for-profit Dress for Success’ effort toward long-term financial independence for women by providing support, professional attire, and development tools that will help them flourish at work and in life.

Leisa Sadler, Dress for Success Sydney CEO says, “Whilst the job market is taking a positive turn, we know that women – especially vulnerable women – have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, negatively impacting women today with potential ramifications for future generations too.

Between the six Dress for Success Affiliates in Australia, the Hub has been an idea we’ve all had for some time. We successfully transitioned to online services at the start of the pandemic in 2020 and we knew that we could help even more vulnerable women by expanding our digital services. We have an incredible network of career experts and industry professionals who collaborate on our programs and content and are equally passionate about helping women build skills and confidence to find employment and a rewarding career.”

Leisa says “The Hub and content have been designed to make it easy to navigate with on demand content and resources accessible 24/7. Becoming a member only takes a few moments. Members have access to our free resources and workshops that are updated regularly, and they will soon have access to job opportunities that are shared with us by our corporate partners.”

Dress for Success was one of the successful organisations to receive funding under the Women@Work measure announced in the 2020 Women’s Economic Security Statement to support the re-opening, recovery and reform of Australia’s economy.

Hub members making connections, finding success

With a soft launch in December 2021, Hub membership has grown to over 800 members with positive feedback about the resources and workshops on offer:

M.O.* said “after attending the Courageous Conversations workshop, I felt empowered to ask for a raise and promotion and received it!”

Alice* who has yet to find employment through her disability service provider has said, “I like that there are resume and job interview preparation options. It did give me a lot of hope to see that there. As a jobseeker that’s where we need the most help.”

Shalu* said “before the Hub I was really struggling with my confidence. I had a fear of judgement that I might not be selected. Being from India, I didn’t have any people I felt that network and connection to. Dress for Success helped me have some time out from this mindset. I tried my best to attend the workshops so I can focus on the things that are important for my career rather than feeling sad all the time. Now I’m focussed on my business and my study.”

From T.C.: “Every woman should have this type of organisation to help with finding jobs.”

From R.W.: “It has helped with further education — it’s allowed me to springboard into further education in TAFE… I would not have done these if I didn’t engage with Dress for Success.” 

To learn more about the Hub, see workshops on offer and to become a member, please visit: https://dfscareerhub.org.au

– ENDS –

FOR MORE INFORMATION INCLUDING INTERVIEWS WITH DRESS FOR SUCCESS CEO LEISA SADLER, CONTACT:

• Stephanie Cowan | Mob: 0401 315 571 | Email: [email protected]

NOTES TO EDITORS

Why the Career Hub is so critical right now

The COVID-19 pandemic has shone a light on the gender gap in Australia. Women have been disproportionately impacted, magnifying the barriers they already face in getting a job and staying in the workforce1.

Dress for Success’s COVID client impact survey showed that during the height of the pandemic:

66% were not receiving an income

72% were facing financial difficulties due to income/job loss

51% were finding it difficult to afford groceries

29% were at risk of losing their housing due to income/job loss

The Office for Women, Australian Government

The Office for Women works across Government to deliver policies and programmes to advance gender equality and improve the lives of Australian women. The Office for Women administers the Women’s Leadership and Development Program (WLDP), to fund and deliver a range of projects for Australian Women.

Website: https://www.pmc.gov.au/office-women

About Dress for Success in Australia

Powered by volunteers, every year Dress for Success Australian Affiliates (Adelaide, Brisbane, Hobart, Perth, Melbourne, Sydney) support more than 5,000 women into employment across the country. Dress for Success’ signature Styling service and suite of Career Support offerings aim to help women overcome bias and discrimination when entering or re-entering the workforce – at no cost to the women needing the services. Transgender and nonbinary individuals, comfortable in women’s spaces, are warmly welcomed.

Visit the Dress for Success Career Hub: https://dfscareerhub.org.au

1 Grattan Institute: Women’s Work, The impact of the COVID crisis on Australian women. 2021.