Skills and style sorted
Image 1 of 7
Viorica Caraus, personal stylist and Colette Wright, Future Trends Manager, Primark.Image 2 of 7
Ewelina Soltys, posewithewelina and Laura Barnes, WorkEqual.Image 3 of 7
Ellen Downes, WorkEqual, and Donna Kelly, freelance hair and makeup artist.Image 4 of 7
Mary Angland, Uisce Eireann.Image 5 of 7
Ifeyinwa Unamba, Blarney.Image 6 of 7
Maria Macklin, House Of Colour.Image 7 of 7
Drashti Oza, Marketing Consultant, Marsi Care.A workshop was recently held on Leeside where attendees received one-on-one career mentoring and styling for interviews as part of their ongoing pathway to employment.
More than 70 women attended the event organised by registered charity WorkEqual which equipped them with new skills for entering the jobs markets as well as a specially selected outfit for their next interview.
Thanks to the support of Penneys Primark, The Community Foundation Ireland, and the Irish Public Employment Service, Intreo, the WorkEqual event offered attendees the opportunity to have a one-on-one chat about reaching their dream job.
They also offered a personal styling session with a professional stylist.
Attendees also have the option of continuing to work with a WorkEqual coach or mentor, without any charge, for as long as the support is needed.
Typically, six out of 10 women who use the WorkEqual services reach their employment goal within six months.
This is thanks to the knowledge and skill of volunteers who come from business workplaces across Ireland, as well as a network for professional stylists whose expertise provides wardrobe solutions and boosts confidence.
Over the past 13 years, WorkEqual's volunteer network and bespoke initiatives have helped 6,000 people move forward in their career journey.
The next event will take place at the beginning of May and places can already be reserved on WorkEqual.ie.
Commenting ahead of the upcoming Cork event, WorkEqual CEO Su Duff said: “It's thanks to the generous support from our new network of volunteers in Cork, significant financial assistance from Penneys, and The Community Foundation Ireland as well as on the ground engagement with Intreo, that we're able to build this superb service in Cork."
She added: “Our free services are grounded in an ethos of kindness, respect and understanding, so we meet people exactly where they are on their path to employment, ensuring every support is very tailored and at the right pace for each person.
She added: “As a result, WorkEqual clients talk about having renewed self-belief, feelings of significance, value and readiness to work. We believe that anyone attending our event at the Imperial Hotel in Cork will feel like they've made a significant step in this direction."
To continue expanding the number of people benefitting from WorkEqual's free services, the charity will hold additional interactive workshops in Cork throughout 2025, while also planning to establish networks in other cities around Ireland.
Corporates that would like to get involved in the volunteering network, or to develop a partnership can reach out to the WorkEqual team.
See workequal.ie for more information and details.