A successful pilot mentoring initiative for the black and minority ethnic (BAME) community is to be rolled out nationwide and extended to non-BAME youth claimants who might also benefit.
The UK’s Department for Work and Pensions’ ‘mentoring circles’ will be rolled out from next month (April) across the Jobcentre Plus network.
Last year around 500 BAME jobseekers attended sessions hosted by experienced staff from large companies including KPMG, Fujitsu, HSBC and Network Rail to get help with CV writing, goal setting, job applications and interview practice. Many participants landed jobs, or went into training or further education as a result.
The pilot was originally launched in 2017, in response to the Race Disparity Audit, running in 20 challenge areas with high ethnic minority populations and significantly wider ethnic minority employment gaps. The average employment gap between ethnic minorities and the white population is less than 10%. For example, challenge area Hackney has a gap of 22.0 percentage points and Leicester, another challenge area, a gap of 16.9.
Every jobcentre will now have access to a toolkit to help work coaches understand the make-up of their micro-labour market for all claimants on all benefits, so they can determine who will benefit from the initiative.
Fujitsu hosted the first in-house industry-led mentoring circles session in its Manchester office. Rupal Karia, head of UK&I – public and private sector – and executive sponsor of the Cultural Diversity Network at Fujitsu said, “This initiative helps people to maximise their potential, develop their skills and enable them to be completely themselves in the workplace. If we help one person get into work it will have been worth it.”
Thames Water has also been taking part in the pilot, organising 121 of the circles in London. Communications director Sundeep Tucker is one of the senior employees who have joined in. He said, “There are, sadly, many people within the BAME community who lack the confidence, opportunities and support needed to progress at work. Thames Water’s pro-active advice in this area is really important and is having tangible results.”
At Thames Water, 14.5% of employees identify as BAME, while only 6% are represented at management level.
Thames Water has also introduced a reverse mentoring scheme to increase inclusion and runs several employee support networks, including the BAME diversity and inclusion champions, which meet regularly, and a working group supporting the company to deliver its culture, inclusion and engagement strategy.
The initiative has been broadly welcomed by mentors, including experienced mentor, and mentee, Juliet Barratt. “Mentoring can lead to better prospects in life and a more successful career, including promotions, increased opportunities and pay rises. I’ve personally found mentoring others hugely rewarding.”
But she also urged the Government “to put in place follow-up actions, even if it’s just a way of keeping in contact with the mentee after the scheme runs its course… you can’t just help someone to start and then leave them to fend for themselves.”
Former sixth form director, pioneer of a Europe-funded programme for post-16 vocational subjects, and head of education for national charity RoSPA, Barratt credits mentoring as vital in helping her make a career switch in her thirties to build the £72million sports nutrition brand Grenade from her kitchen.