How diverse is your workforce?

Employers cannot afford to ignore diversity and need to actively engage in recruitment practices that will ensure they can tap into the rich source of potential employees from all walks of life, or they will be in danger of missing out on the best candidates to fill vacancies. There are thousands of older workers, returners to work, ex-offenders, and workers new to the UK who can bring huge benefits to a business if the recruitment and training programme is structured accordingly and the workplace environment is geared to cope with a diverse mix of gender, ethnicity, age and disability.

To highlight what a diverse workforce means in reality and to offer practical solutions and discussion, Springboard is holding two conferences on Diversity sponsored by Jobcentre Plus and supported by ESF, I-Work and EQUAL, during Festival 2005. A national conference entitled ëEmploying Diversityí will be held on Thursday 10th March at No. 4 Hamilton Place, London - the home of The Royal Aeronautical Society, and the other at the City of Manchester Stadium on Tuesday 8th March. The half-day London conference, chaired by Mike Freeney of Access Matters and an Associate Member of the Employers Forum on Disability, will help to shed light on what a diverse workforce means in reality.

The Employing Diversity conference will spotlight the benefits of a diverse workforce and demonstrate practical and successful solutions to achieve this aim. The conference will cover issues of minority ethnic workers, employing ex-offenders, older and disabled workers, the long term unemployed and a Q&A section.

The Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, David Anderson, commented:

We are delighted to be working with Springboard and sponsoring the Diversity Day. The Springboard Festival is the biggest ever nationwide week-long campaign to promote careers in hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism, which represent very important recruitment sectors for our job seekers.

îThrough our Diversity Day, we will be highlighting the benefits of a diverse workforce and advising HR professionals and Directors of the best practice relating to ethnicity, gender, age and disability.

Speakers include John Lee, Director Specialist Services, Jobcentre Plus; Gerry Fernandez, President, Multicultural Foodservice & Hospitality Alliance USA, speaking on minority ethnic workers; Roma Hooper, Hooper Walker & Brook Hayes, talking about employing ex-offenders, Alastair Kelly, Reward and Policy Manager, Hilton UK and Ireland, discussing the companyís award-winning initiatives in this sector and Charlene Hallal, from Springboardís Workplace Co-ordinator Project, describing one of Springboardís most successful initiatives; working to help unemployed and disadvantaged people back into work through a supported pre and post employment programme.

The Manchester conference will be introduced by Eamonn Holme from Granada TV and is aimed at informing and enlightening HR professional in the area of the issues inherent in a more diverse workforce. Key local employers and Jobcentre Plus staff will take part in the conference to demonstrate how to implement diversity in the workforce in a practical way.

For further information or to secure a place at the conference contact Shelley Wilson T: 020 74972466 or email shelleyw@springboarduk.org.uk