This event aims to highlight that diversity is not just ‘the right thing to do’ but is a business imperative you need to constructively integrate and grow in your business effectively and inclusively. A report by McKinsey & Co. states that businesses with employees from a good mix of ethnic backgrounds are more likely to outperform their competitors by 35%.
Aimed at business owners and decision makers, the launch of the ‘Leicester Future Leaders Programme’ offers an opportunity to discuss this critical, highly relevant and topical subject which is dedicated to increasing diversity within the workforce of local businesses.
You will discover the issues being tackled to build a more diverse workforce, explore why diversity holds value for businesses and understand the positive implications on diversity for you and your business.
Agenda:
10.30am Welcome, refreshments, introduction and background on the project
10:45am Diversity and Inclusion key note and panel discussion
11:30am Workshops
A. Creating a job advert that speaks to all – terms to use and avoid
- This interactive session, led by the CBI (Confederation of British Industry), will reveal to participants the common pitfalls in writing a job ad – and how to make your adverts appeal to a wide and diverse pool of candidates.
B. A graduate’s journey into work – view from the Afro-Caribbean Society
- Derrick Mensah is a well-known figure among students and staff at DMU. Born in Ghana, he moved to Southend, Essex at age 10 and then to Leicester in 2013 to study Biomedical Science at DMU. Derrick’s early career has included an industrial placement year at LGC and two years as Vice President of Student Activities. He has recently been hired to run a sector-leading project focused on students’ personal development and wellbeing. Always an entertaining speaker, Derrick will share the highlights and barriers he’s faced in the world of work, seen from the graduate’s perspective.
C. The mutual rewards of business-mentoring young people
- Join this session to hear about the power of mentoring for both the Mentor and Mentee. Business mentoring is about listening and helping someone with less experience, but it’s also about learning from them, being in touch with issues for the next generation, and reflecting on yourself as a leader. This highly engaging session will seek to share success stories, tips, and answer your questions about mentoring - led by Andy Morris, DMU, with Emma Southern, The Princes Trust.
12.15pm Workshops
D. Recording and measuring workplace ethnicity – simple tools to use
- We won’t know we’ve changed unless we measure where we started… This session will look at simple tools for Leicester businesses to collect equalities data in their workforce, taking into account what is achievable for small to medium firms. The session will cover the facts around holding protected data, and invite businesses to be part of the conversation in building a common toolkit for all. Led by Antonia Jackson, DMU, with Paul Jenkins, Dunelm
E. Understanding unconscious bias and how it could be affecting your recruitment decisions
- This session, led by Wendy McPherson of Inclusive Boards, is designed to enable the delegates to explore the advantages of working in a diverse and inclusive organisation and why it is relevant to them. Challenging Unconscious Bias is a business improvement tool that is ultimately about people making decisions that are in the best interests of your company and your success.
F. Does your website make you an employer of choice for young people? Findings from the Leicester and Leicestershire BAME Youth Employment Accessibility Research project
- Join Access Generation for an interactive workshop to learn about the insights gathered in a research project. The Youth Employment Accessibility Research has been designed and is delivered by young people to assess the job application process and what a company says about itself on their website against the criteria young people apply when choosing an employer. Over a six week project, Access Generation worked with two graduate interns to review the original research findings from a purely BAME perspective. Come and join us to hear the project results, and what they might mean for your website plans.
1pm Close and next steps
1.30pm Networking lunch
Please note, workshops are bookable on the day and will be available on a first come first serve basis