Two recruitment networks driving inclusivity

Investing in Talent awards 2023

Recruiters are on the front line when it comes to improving diversity of talent pools. When agencies work together, collaborating on diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB), it produces much stronger, deeper results, as evidenced by two entries to Recruiter’s Investing in Talent Awards 2023.

Recognising the need for the recruitment industry to help drive DEIB within its own organisations, Recruiter created a new category of Best Industry Group Inclusion Advocacy Initiative. The aim was to highlight the need to recruit diverse individuals not only for clients but for recruitment businesses themselves.

The top winning entry was Programme One, a network of agencies striving to bring more black talent into the recruitment industry and to help them progress their careers. Also gaining applause from the judges was Campaign, the UK’s first peer-to-peer LGBTQ+ business network for the recruitment industry, which earned ‘highly commended’ recognition.

Programme One was formed by Guy Hayward, CEO of recruiter Goodman Masson, in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in the US in 2020. “There are very few black recruiters,” Hayward explained, “so I called together half a dozen CEOs of my competitors to create Programme One. Collectively, you become a powerful force – you can’t make change alone.”

Initially, Programme One involved 13 recruitment businesses, but it has since grown to 19, with another on the verge of signing. Hayward thinks the initiative is at a tipping point, with 50 candidates hired and a strong pool of talent on the database. A variety of fundraising initiatives are planned for the summer, including a charity ball and a football tournament, and Hayward hopes to have 50 agencies signed up by the end of 2024. “The primary objective this year is the number of agencies joining,” he said.

Derek Mackenzie, CEO at Investigo, set up Campaign 18 months ago to promote LGBTQ+ inclusion in the recruitment sector after he was asked the question “How can an organisation be truly inclusive when there’s only one LGBTQ+ person there?”

Through Campaign, which is again a collaborative effort between agencies, Mackenzie has created a network, providing advice and knowledge to individuals. “I’ve been aware of the struggles that many LGBTQ have in our sector for years, often feeling invisible or isolated, unaware of their options or lacking support,” says Mackenzie. “There are great firms out there who are working to be more inclusive to our community.”

Going forward, Campaign is focusing on allyship to spread its message more broadly. It’s also launching online seminars to reach a wider audience.

The aim was to highlight the need to recruit diverse individuals not only for clients but for recruitment businesses themselves”

Programme One’s outreach work includes working with colleges, schools and sports clubs. It also hosted its first networking event last year, in collaboration with the Black Recruiters Network. Jasmine Alexander, lead career outreach consultant at Programme One, is focused on raising awareness of the scheme: “There are a lot of barriers facing black people getting into the industry, the main one being that they are not aware that recruitment is an opportunity for them.”

That first networking event with the Black Recruiters Network earned Programme One what Alexander called “overwhelming feedback, in a good way, and we’ll do it annually, maybe even bi-annually”.

Elizabeth Taiwo, recruitment consultant at (We Are) Aspire, got a job in 2022 through Programme One. She says the initiative is invaluable, not least because of the mentoring support she received once placed: “There’s lots of touchpoints, informal chats making sure I’m happy, that progression is good and if I have any concerns.”

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