Guidance

Ethnic minority employment bulletin: Autumn 2022

Updated 1 December 2022

Welcome to our Autumn Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) Bulletin, intended to provide LEPs with up-to-date information, articles, research, case studies, as well as strategic and practical advice about Ethnic Minority Employment.

Apprenticeships

Apprenticeships are an excellent opportunity for people of all ages and backgrounds. They are a core part of the Government’s skills agenda, helping to drive economic growth by improving the skills pipeline. Both apprentices and employers stand to benefit. Apprentices gain high-quality, hands-on training to start and progress in work and employers gain the skills needed to grow - filling vacancies and training their workforces to address industry skills gaps.

The Department for Education (DfE) wants more people from disadvantaged or underrepresented backgrounds to benefit from Apprenticeships. It provides additional funding to employers and training providers who take on young apprentices, including those with learning difficulties, disabilities, and care leavers. DfE runs the Apprenticeship Diversity Champions Network (ADCN) to champion Apprenticeships and diversity amongst employers. The Department also raises awareness of Apprenticeships in schools through the Apprenticeships Support and Knowledge programme.

More information is available for employers and providers interested in the Apprenticeships programme. Additionally, employers can access case studies and hints and tips on improving diversity in Apprenticeships through the ADCN’s annual report: Apprenticeship Diversity Champions Network.

This builds on the Skills Minister earlier letter to apprenticeship providers which set out the Government’s actions to improve apprenticeships and how apprentice providers can get involved.

Gender Pay Gap wider for Ethnic Minority Women

The Government is taking action to address the issue of the gender pay gap, a particular issue for Ethnic Minority as highlighted by the ONS data.

DWP are appointing 37 new specialist Progression Champions to deliver specialist support to Jobcentres and develop tailored progression plans to support working claimants to climb the career ladder.

Help for households to earn more money

Around 114,000 working people on Universal Credit will be supported to boost their wages, helping families improve their prospects and pay.

Make Race Equality in the Workplace a Priority.

Businesses can improve equality of opportunity in the workplace by committing to the principles and signing up to the Business in the Community (BITC) Race at Work Charter or adopting the guidance in the Greater London Authority Inclusive Employer Toolkit.

The Still Rigged report, which surveyed 1,750 employed or previously employed Ethnic Minority workers earlier this year, found that more than half (52 per cent) of those aged 25 to 34 years old had experienced racism, rising to three in five (58 per cent) for those aged between 18 and 24.

Taking action to address equality in the workplace has business benefits as the linked studies below show.

The potential benefit to the UK economy from full representation of ethnic minority individuals across the labour market, through participation and progression, is estimated to be £24 billion a year. Read the Race in the workplace: The McGregor-Smith Review - GOV.UK.

Companies in the top quartile of racial/ethnic diversity were 35 per cent more likely to have financial returns above their national industry median. See Why diversity matters - McKinsey.