Guidance

Ethnic minority employment bulletin: June 2022

Updated 1 December 2022

Welcome to the June Local Employment Partnership (LEP) Bulletin. This edition focuses on youth ethnic minority employment. The Covid-19 pandemic disproportionately affected young ethnic minorities employment and the Government is committed to maximising employment in the economic recovery and improving opportunities for all through work.

This Bulletin covers current DWP programmes and highlights information on best practices in recruitment of young ethnic minorities. Please send your feedback and any ideas you may have for future editions to Robert.Cooper1@dwp.gov.uk

Supporting young ethnic minorities

DWP works in partnership with organisations supporting young ethnic minorities into employment. For example, Youth Employment UK brigade exemplar employers and offer the ‘Youth Friendly Employer Badge’ linking young people to opportunities. Making the Leap has a membership of employers that promote diversity and inclusion within the workplace. Foundervine offers support to young Black men going into self-employment, and Bright Network offers internships for Black students and recent graduates.

DWP are keen to engage with employers and can provide a named employer adviser to work with you to fill your vacancies. If interested, please complete our online enquiry form or call 0800 169 0178.

New CIPD guidance to help employers recruit and retain marginalised young people

The Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD) have developed a series of guidance for employers in partnership with Youth Futures Foundation to help recruit and retain marginalised young people into good work, as part of their One Million Chances Campaign.

The guidance is informed by evidence on ‘what works’ and provides practical recommendations accompanied by tools and techniques employers can use in their recruitment process.

Recommendations to improve recruitment include: invest in understanding specific cohorts of young people, tailoring approaches to reach them where they are (which might be different for different communities); provide clear structure for interviews and guidance for interviewers; use cognitive ability tests that compensate for potential sub-group differences, and; track data to detect bias in recruitment processes.

Recommendations to retain marginalised young people include: focus on key factors that drive employee turnover, gathering evidence through targeted surveys and discussions; use structured processes in assessment for promotion and progression; support managers to foster inclusion through training and raising awareness; provide diversity training aimed at fostering genuine change in the organisation.

Read Recruiting young people facing disadvantage and Retaining disadvantaged young people in work Other guidance can be found at:

The Law Society

Business in the Community

Article by Youth Employment UK: building more diverse organisations

Youth Employment UK work with over 700 employers committed to developing best youth employment practice through the Good Youth Employment Charter. Recognising Talent is a key principle encouraging employers to open-up opportunities to young people who face barriers.

Youth-friendly employers should:

• Check job and person specifications ensuring they are clear, use inclusive language and only essential asks are listed.

• Talk to young people, using insight from the Youth Voice Census and apply this knowledge to attraction and recruitment processes.

• Use blind recruitment, and tools such as BeApplied.

Find out more about the Good Youth Employment Charter for support and information via the YEUK website or email info@youthemployment.org.uk.

Become a mentor and make a difference

Some young people do not have access to social capital, role models or inspiring employer mentors. DWP Mentoring Circles bridge this gap bringing together employers and young people aged 16-24 to share experiences and provide advice.

Employers can build understanding of barriers faced by young people, gain insight into their attraction and recruitment processes, and access a diverse talent pool of jobseekers.

Employers and young people who have participated in Mentoring Circles have had positive experiences with many young people moving into work and employers feeling they had made a real difference.

Employers interested in mentoring are asked to commit to around six hours over three weeks. To find out how to get involved, please contact your local Employment Advisor using the Job Centre Plus local office search.

Other volunteering opportunities can be found at:

Education and Employers