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Welcome to this edition of the Birmingham Professional DiverCity e bulletin.
Recently the team has been focusing on project based activity and re-evaluating our services.
We are confident that our clients will be pleased with the new enhanced services we will be offering over the coming year. Recruitment support ‘healthchecks’ and ‘tendering support’ will play a large part of our work later in the year, when we will be looking at best practice in relation to public sector contracts.
Julie, Davinder and Khembe are very much looking forward to meeting with all our clients over the coming months to re-evaluate diversity and CSR activities.
We will be encouraging clients to look at the opportunities for improving recruitment processes and retention of talent and using Diversity Assured Recruiters in order to improve standards within the recruitment industry.
The next month or so we will be advertising the annual events and workshops schedule and inviting you to suggest areas that you would like to see covered.
If you would like to make any suggestions or would like support in recruitment, retention and CSR please contact Sangeeta@birminghamdivercity.co.uk
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Corporate Social Reponsibility that really matters......
There are plenty of young people in education who would benefit from your help, input, experience, guidance and even practical advice but, are you prepared to give it? Employees from Ernst & Young recently volunteered their time to help teenagers from an inner city secondary school. Would you like to do the same?
At Hamstead Hall Community Learning Centre in Handsworth Wood, Birmingham there has been a pioneering Business and Education Initiative taking place, which has been very successful. This project was designed to make a difference to the lives of today’s youth and was the brainchild of Julie Kaya of Birmingham Professional Diversity, Ken Morris Headteacher and Ronnie Bowker and Juliet Bain of Ernst &Young.
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According to the CIPD 76% of all companies now utilise the services of Recruitment Agencies to fill their vacancies.
If your serious about recruiting a diverse workforce, then ensure that the Recruitment Agency that you use is a Diversity Assured Recruiter.
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Supplier Diversity in UK and Europe
'Supplier Diversity' is taking hold in the UK’s public and private sectors. But what does it actually mean?
The concept is well established in the USA, where legislation requires a proportion of public sector contracts to be awarded to companies that are 51% owned and controlled by women and minority ethnic groups. A commercial infrastructure has evolved to support implementation of this, including accreditation of ownership of businesses.
Procurement legislation is quite different in Europe. One objective of the infamous European Union Public Procurement Directives is to ensure that all businesses have an equally free and fair opportunity to compete for contracts. The concept of introducing US-style quotas is dismissed.
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Benefits of partnership with Birmingham Professional DiverCity
Article kindly supplied by Jane Frisby - Employer Team, Birmingham City University employerteam@bcu.ac.uk or tel:0121 331 7648
Many ‘non-traditional’ students and graduates de-select themselves from applying for many of the ‘Blue-chip’ companies, believing that those companies are ‘out of their league’, and indeed some of their recruitment practices, like for example;
only advertising their opportunities at universities from which they have previously recruited ‘good’ candidates; or using eaication forms which look for ‘extra curricular activities’ and excluding part time work can prohibit non-traditional candidates.
Read more about this article and learn about solutions
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Read what the companies we work with have to say
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EVENT NEWS:
Retaining Talent in the Workplace -
Getting the best after maternity/paternity leave for parents and their employers
This event was kindly hosted by:
St Phillips Chamber, 55
Temple Row,
Birmingham, B2 5LB
A popular event with; senior decision makers, staff working in human resources and with parents/prospective parents.
The event gave attendees the opportunity to hear Ellie George of Accenture, talk about their nationally recognised practices in this area. Joanna Forbes of Martineau Johnson and Jennifer Jones of Mills & Reeves both spoke elequently and humourously about how they balance their parental responsibilities with their professional careers.
And to round things off Alex Smith of Living Eulogy was able to give insight into the different ways men and women communicate with the aim of supporting both those working in HR and parents/future parents to ask for what they want.
Feedback from the event was excellent with comments including;
“very frank presentations, good pace and interested audience” ,
“the speakers were excellent” ,
“informative and creative (very funny indeed)”.
Look out for our new schedule of events for 2008..... we hope to see you there
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Issues of Maternity/Paternity Leave
Recently a number of Birmingham Professional DiverCity clients have raised with us the issue of maternity leave and the impact this has upon women and the managers supporting them. How we both retain and remove barriers to progression within this highly valued group in the workforce is an issue that is likely to grow as more and more senior execs are approaching retirement and the labour pool is rapidly changing.
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Over 400 people into work - but farewell to Fair Cities
Three years ago the highly ambitious project – Fair Cities was launched to take forward the Government’s twin vision of economic sustainable development and social justice for all. Pilot projects were set up in
Birmingham,
Bradford and Brent.
Fair Cities had three main objectives:
The first was to increase the number of disadvantaged residents (primarily from ethnic minority backgrounds) who gain steady work and new careers.
These were met through three main strategies:
The second objective was to test the effectiveness and value-for-money of the demand led approach in tackling disadvantage in the labour market.
The third objective was to apply practical lessons from the development and implementation of Fair Cities throughout the welfare-to-work system.
The Birmingham Fair Cities pilot project will close on 31st March 2008.
To date, Fair Cities
Birmingham has helped over 400 unemployed people back into work. Fair Cities has worked with key employers in
Birmingham and has helped design and deliver customised pre-employment training route-ways that have led to jobs with the prospect of progression. Special recognition goes to The Royal Bank of
Scotland, Sky Blue and West Bromwich Building Society for their active participation in the programme and for providing live vacancies which we are happy to say Fair Cities have helped them to fill.
The Birmingham City Strategy aims to continue this employer/demand led approach with pre-employment training support for the most disadvantaged parts of the city region through its partnership led by the Learning & Skills Council, Jobcentre Plus and eight major local authorities.
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Diversity Unpacked
Article kindly supplied by Iona Jones- Imagine Associates
Imagine Associates
work with the voluntary, public and private sector to improve their staff productivity, customer loyalty and community credibility.
Clients are provided with guidance and effective tools to help them to manage change and to take bold and confident steps towards greater diversity and equality.
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By now, most people are familiar with the quote from Alistair Campbell, the then Prime Minister Tony Blair’s director of communications. Intervening in an interview to prevent the Prime Minister from answering a question about his Christianity, Mr Campbell interrupted: "We don't do God”'
It has since also emerged that on other occasions Mr Blair had been prevented from using the phrase, "God bless you."
Of course, all the detail is now in the open. Not only did Mr Blair ‘do God’ but we have learnt that it was central to his job as Prime Minister.
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Holyhead School:Opportunity for Professional Service Firms
Martin Bayliss is the extraordinarily dynamic Head of Holyhead School. Because it is a Business and IT Foundation Secondary School it represents an ideal opportunity for the business and professional service sector to engage with schools and young people. Martin would like to engage with employers, has a great “offer” and a very clear understanding of the wider skills agenda; diversity issues and the future growth demands of the financial and professional service sector in the region.
What does foundation status mean? As a Foundation School the Governing Body employs all staff; owns all assets; controls admissions and has Charitable Status for the purpose of securing extra external funding. The current governing body is very committed and active.
Martin is keen to explore the possibility of 4 or 5 employers working with cohorts of students over a five year period to supplement any coaching/mentoring that is being currently undertaken in school.
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Have you considered giving the benefit of your
experience and skills to young people?
Article kindly supplied by Mark Arnott-Job - Enterprise Co ordinator, Bournville College.
Tel: 0121 483 1026
Bournville College is seeking volunteers from the business community to help out with some of their exciting new initiatives in the sixth form Business Studies curriculum area.
Read more
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RNIB expands into catering and conferences with fantastic food in a central location and a range of facilities!
Article kindly supplied by Mike Ellerby - RNIB, Tel:
0121 655 4250 or e-mail
concept.conferences@rnib.org.uk
Concept is a developing Social Enterprise that provides competitively priced conferencing and catering facilities right in the centre of Birmingham. We aim to have a workforce that is comprised of a minimum of 25% of people with visual impairments.
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Want to contribute to future e-bulletins?
Inform our clients and partners about your activities, share your good practice and highlight experiences where you have made successful improvements to your organisation
Email:
Julie
@birminghamdivercity.co.uk |
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"Working to encourage and facilitate professional services businesses in maximising economic potential by successfully achieving and managing a truly diverse workforce at all levels"
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