Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) commendation

Embedding DEI into the DNA of the business

Banking, insurance and finance | 1000+ employees | London

Ardonagh Advisory is committed to developing talent internally through a wide range of programmes. The learning and development team launched an apprenticeship programme with the aim of attracting, recruiting, developing, and retaining young and diverse talent who would not have considered the insurance industry as a career.

This organisation has recognised the commercial benefits of exploring talent pools across the entire spectrum of society and there are numerous ‘D&I Communities’ in the business which are encouraged to challenge ways of working. The Executive Board have shown their commitment by not only sponsoring DEI groups but enabling them to make real changes in the business. Inclusion extends beyond protected characteristics and covers groups such as returning mothers and retirees. These are not merely statements of intent, Ardonagh Advisory is embedding DEI into the DNA of the business.

Challenging the status quo by recruiting apprentices to remove barriers

Culture, entertainment and events | 250-999 employees | London

The National Theatre launched its apprenticeship programme to address areas of concern identified across the wider sector which include the lack of diversity in the workforce and skills shortages in backstage roles, particularly in technical and craft areas.

Traditional entry routes into the arts relied predominately upon unpaid internships, which excluded many people and resulted in a lack of diversity in the sector. Therefore, recruiting inexperienced and unskilled individuals as apprentices was identified as a way of lowering barriers to entry into the sector whilst simultaneously raising awareness of the types of roles available in theatre.

86% of apprentice recruits complete their apprenticeship and of those, 90% have gone directly into paid professional work in the area of their training. Gender (52% female), ethnicity (41% Global Majority) and disability (10.5%) balance compares favourably with industry norms.

The National Theatre is actively seeking to make both its staff and its audience more representative of the UK population.

Learning from lived experience to create a supportive culture

Pharmaceuticals and healthcare | 250-999 employees | Stratford-upon-Avon

Unique Senior Care has demonstrated a comprehensive and thoughtful approach to DEI, highlighting its dedication to creating a diverse, inclusive, and supportive workplace and professional development opportunities for all staff members.

It has taken a proactive step in promoting gender diversity and combating unconscious bias within the organisation by collaborating with Skills for Care to integrate the LGBTQ+ framework into its training to ensure that the care environment is welcoming and supportive for LGBTQ+ individuals. It is delivering workshops on gender diversity and unconscious bias to managers which is helping to cultivate a more inclusive and understanding leadership team and the inclusion of videos made with a non-binary employee and another employee who has faced discrimination underpins the organisation’s commitment to learning from lived experiences and fostering an inclusive culture.

Ensuring training is inclusive for all

Pharmaceuticals and healthcare | 1000+ employees | London

Acacium built DEI considerations into their Better Together programme from the start, with mandatory training for all managers to explore the fundamentals of DEI, bias and inclusive leadership. Six DEI support networks are present in their “Better Together Everyday Inclusion Hub”.

Upskilling women into leadership roles

Construction and engineering | 1000+ employees | London

Amey PLC has committed to achieve 33% female representation in its workforce by 2025 and 40% by 2030. It created a W@A network in 2016 and its role is to promote gender inclusion in the business, through attracting, developing and supporting women at Amey at all stages of their career. Since the programme launched in 2017, 58 women have attended and the organisation has seen an increase of 5% female representation from 25% to 30%. There has been a 4% increase in women in senior leadership roles from 14% to 18%.

Providing life-changing opportunities for marginalised people

Professional services | <50 employees | Thrapston

Rockleigh Ltd has made significant efforts to support trainees and staff who were previously unemployed and those with learning disabilities. The business has accommodated dyslexia and ADHD and tailored learning and support accordingly. The business is highly inclusive e.g., it has employed an ex-addict to give him another chance and has been rewarded with a valued employee. Trainees often have no qualifications and are supported to be able to achieve the necessary qualifications to become fully fledged arborists.

Upskilling staff across the social care and criminal justice sectors

Education and training | <50 employees + 53 consultants | York

Taye Training delivers training to front-line staff in the social care and criminal justice areas endeavours to recruit facilitators who ‘reflect the diversity of the communities we work with.’ Evidence showed that 10% of the 53 participants trained to date were from the LGBTQI community, 23% were from a BAME background, 12 delegates were neurodivergent and 20 were disabled. The Director herself was once homeless.

Enhancing social mobility through apprenticeships

Hospitality | 39,000 employees | Bury St Edmunds

Greene King’s apprenticeship programme is designed to make career opportunities accessible to all employees, with a focus on ‘hard-to-reach’ individuals and communities. 27% of employees who have achieved their apprenticeship live in the most deprived areas. The company is also committed to recruiting and training 300 prison leavers, supporting a further 100 people with special educational needs and piloting an apprenticeship for prison leavers.

Creating a diverse workforce

Technology | 1000+ employees | London

IBM demonstrated a commitment to enhancing inclusion through increasingly diverse routes to entry within their early professionals’ skills development programme. The subsequent improvement in the diversity of EPs is impressive, with an overall male/female ratio of 50/50 against a tech sector norm of 18% female, and 25% of apprentices now Black, Asian or minority ethnic. IBM’s EP communities include Black, Asian and minority ethnic, LBGT+ and DiversAbility, creating a totally inclusive working environment which enables everyone to perform to their full potential.

Developing female leadership

Pharmaceuticals and healthcare | 1000+ employees | Maidenhead

Having identified a lack of women in leadership roles, despite making up 60% of the workforce, Labcorp focused on addressing gender imbalances. Through a bespoke interactive and practical virtual classroom programme completed by 22 women to date, the company has witnessed more leadership roles and promotions amongst participants, as well as lower attrition rates, a decreased gender pay gap and increased confidence.

Providing inclusive training for the local community

Charities and not-for-profit | <50 employees | Sheerness

This health and well-being charity provides unique opportunities for disadvantaged individuals with physical and mental health issues to deliver quality broadcasting to its 10,000 listeners. Delivering training to 30 adult and 300 youth volunteers per year, the inclusive culture is embedded across all areas of this organisation.

Actively supporting females into the tech industry

Technology | 1000+ employees | Manchester

The BJSS Academy was created to promote IT and STEM career options for everyone regardless of their background. Passion, drive and talent for technology are prioritised over formal qualifications for entry. Since 2017, over 250 recruits have started at the Academy with a retention rate of 91.9% and its last intake comprised of 34% females, in an industry where women typically represent less than 20% of the workforce.

Providing opportunities for all

Education and training | <50 employees | Luton

Diverse FM Community Media actively targets people in areas of social deprivation to train in radio broadcasting, simultaneously addressing social isolation, building positive relationships and helping learners to overcome challenges. It welcomes people who are disadvantaged, at risk of offending or not in education, employment or training. Over 75 people now work as volunteers, enabling 24/7 broadcasting and the long-term sustainability of the station.

Initiating change through educating about FGM

Education and training | <50 employees | Nottingham

Mojatu Foundation’s transformational work within the community has led to raised awareness about Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), and a programme which has trained 44 Ambassadors to help engage and educate communities about the consequences and dangers of FGM. The programme’s success has led to replica programmes in other regions.

Encouraging the tech sector to be more diverse

Education and training | 250-999 employees | London

Sparta Global identified an organisational need for language training, establishing a programme which has impacted behaviours, policy and practice and led to increased recruitment of females and those from disadvantaged backgrounds. It is also proactively sharing its training with its client group as part of a wider strategy to encourage the technology sector to be more diverse and reflective of society.

Increasing production efficiency through apprenticeships

Food and beverages | 250-999 employees | Pontefract

Dovecote Park introduced a new apprenticeship programme which exceeded its targets to raise the number of female butchers and increase the levels of English for all staff. Training non-native speakers in English has enhanced employee cohesion and improved staff morale through more effective communication. Staff retention levels have subsequently increased.

Upskilling the unemployed and hard-to-reach

Media and publishing | <50 employees | Basildon

This community radio station and not-for-profit organisation created an in-house media course to provide long-term unemployed and hard-to-reach individuals with transferable skills. The hugely inclusive programme has helped over 500 people to gain the accreditation, enabling young people and adults to progress to education or employment who might otherwise have failed and had nowhere else to go.

Demonstrating dedication to apprentice well-being

Construction | 50-249 employees | Ammanford

Cyfle Building Skills provides a unique collaborative apprenticeship training model within construction, whilst remaining committed to the well-being of its apprentices. With suicide amongst the under-40s being the largest killer in construction, Cyfle is proactive in its mental health support, providing ongoing monitoring and support mechanisms and a dedicated counsellor to help apprentices with health concerns.

Enhancing opportunities for the unemployed

Travel, Transport & Logistics | 1000+ employees | Gateshead

Go North East developed a training programme to improve the efficiency, effectiveness and inclusiveness of its recruitment process. Focused on targeting the unemployed, the programme sought to provide essential skills to enhance opportunities to become bus drivers. Equality and diversity are the essence of the programme and are fully integrated throughout.

Promoting inclusion through tailored training

Telecoms | 50-249 employees | East Lothian

East Coast FM began working with New Beginnings, a community-based organisation for disabled adults, to create a 2-hour weekly live radio show produced and presented by people with Additional Support Needs (ASN) and their carers. Through tailored training for each participant, the resulting ‘Happy Talk’ show has been broadcast every Friday since July 2017 with a regular and increasing number of listeners and contributors.

Fostering female leadership opportunities

Pharmaceuticals and healthcare | 1000+ employees | Brentford

After recognising the low level and slower rate of leadership roles being achieved by female colleagues, GSK introduced a programme to accelerate high-performing female staff members into leadership and senior leadership roles. Since 2013, 49% of programme participants have been promoted compared to 29% of men and 31% of all women, and 88% of participants have remained at the company.

Encouraging a culture of inclusion

Telecoms | 0-49 employees | East Lothian

East Coast FM’s ‘School Bell’ training programme provides a true cascade model where participants become the trainers once technically competent. The wholly inclusive nature of the organisation is extremely powerful, coupled with a willingness to support any volunteer whatever their circumstances. This hard work is now paying dividends with the organisation seeing many of its volunteers taking up careers in the BBC and other media organisations.

Empowering women into leadership

Pharmaceuticals and healthcare | 1000+ employees | Bolton

Through the development of a programme designed to facilitate women’s access to leadership positions, North West Ambulance Service has achieved a transformation in the nature and style of leadership across the Trust. The launch of a Talent Academy has driven staff development, women’s empowerment and succession planning and multiple measures have been adopted to support and encourage staff from different demographics, including BME and LGBT staff.