Luminary’s Literature Review was undertaken to ensure that our mission and approach are responding to a genuine, documented need and are informed by the recommendations of existing research. It involved extensive reading and analysis around the theme of unemployment among women, particularly survivors of gender-based violence.

We read a wide variety of research but attempted to base this piece of work in our ‘home town’ of North East London where Luminary’s work is rooted. We discuss the key barriers to employability for women who have survived gender-based violence and note recommendations for our model, many of which have already been implemented.

The employability essentials: what women *really* need to learn to develop readiness for work and maximise their employability.

We’ve read widely around the area of employability to understand the core components that need to be covered in an individual's employability education to enable them to successfully enter paid work. Our reading ranges from academic publications, and good practice from educational institutions, to research from like-minded women’s organisations. This briefing paper is written as an offering to the employability sector, detailing the core pillars that uphold our work on employability and shape our training curriculum. We make recommendations for the essential content that should be included in an employability curriculum for organisations and education providers who are training adults who have experienced trauma and consistent unemployment.