A toolkit has been created to show employers in Cumbria the benefits of having a diverse workforce and how to achieve it.
It is hoped it will help break down barriers for those who are often overlooked in the jobs market, strengthen workforce teams and help those organisations which are struggling to recruit.
The toolkit has been created by Getting Cumbria to Work and Choices Cumbria, which are Building Better Opportunities projects collectively covering Barrow, South Lakeland, Allerdale and Copeland. Each supports people who face multiple and complex barriers to move towards employment.
“We want to encourage employers to think more creatively and innovatively about their recruitment processes to increase their success in filling vacancies and to widen their talent pool by increasing their understanding of how to recruit inclusively from underrepresented groups, such as the long-term unemployed, lone parents, refugees and people with mental health conditions and physical disabilities,” said Natalia Wealleans-Turner, project manager of Building Better Opportunities Getting Cumbria to Work.
Tamsin Beattie, project manager for Choices Cumbria, added: “We believe that everybody has the potential to secure and retain meaningful employment; that everybody should feel valued in the workplace and that everybody should have the opportunity to change their life by finding the right job.
“This can be achieved through inclusive recruitment processes, understanding barriers and creating a safe and supportive environment.”
She said the toolkit aimed to help local organisations and employers understand the benefits of having a more diverse workforce and provide them with practical tips, tools and resources to achieve it.
The toolkit highlights that a diverse workforce can add new skills and experiences to a team and help to develop new, ‘hard to reach’ networks through involving people with different social, geographical and cultural backgrounds.
It states that at each stage of a prospective employee’s journey barriers can be created, caused by organisational practices. The toolkit gives tips and advice to employers about how to overcome these barriers in the recruitment process.
They include checking for gendered or biased words or terminology; making any forms or application materials accessible by using large print and plain language; offering short work trials or practical trials where possible to assess the actual skills needed for the role; and offering reasonable adjustments to all candidates.
The toolkit has been sent to Cumbria LEP with a request that it shares it with businesses in the county. It has also been sent to a number of businesses, health bodies and third sector organisations.
If any companies or organisations would like a copy, they can download it from the Cumbria CVS website at https://cumbriacvs.org.uk/ or by emailing Tamsin.Beattie@groundwork.org.uk
The Building Better Opportunities projects are funded jointly by the European Social Fund and the National Lottery Community Fund.
