Liverpool: Building racial justice through employment
LJMU showed its credentials as an ‘anchor institution’ in racial equality by hosting a novel event for City-Region employers seeking to diversify their workforce.
The first Round Table Discussion on Race Equality in the Workplace, staged at the Student Life Building, was enthusiastically attended by dozens of organisations who are committed to recruiting more people from Black and Asian ethnic minorities but, in the words of several attendees “unsure how to go about it.”
Around 60 people came along from organisations like Everton FC, NHS University Hospitals Liverpool, Merseyside Police and Wirral Borough Council.
Danielle Anderson, Head of Careers and Employability within Student Futures at LJMU, co-hosted the event with Justine Jenkins, Strategic Employability and Partnership Manager at Liverpool City Region (LCR) Combined Authority Race Equality Hub and Paul Amann, LCR’s policy officer for skills and employment was also in attendance.
Both organisations have pioneered a series of positive action programmes to recruit Black and Asian people into jobs and cooperated on a highly-successful Reciprocal Mentoring Scheme, matching Black and Asian leaders to senior executives in the university to enhance mutual understanding.
LJMU has also run a programme to recruit Black lecturers with no previous university experience and another where recruits were given training for two years which resulted in 75% becoming full-time employed at LJMU.
“While people avoid that conversation about race, we will struggle to make progress" - Justine Jenkins, Race Equality Hub, Liverpool City Region
Danielle, who said the event was “the start of a conversation”, told employers: “LJMU recognises the importance of working in partnership with you to support the development of diverse, equitable, and inclusive recruitment practices and working environments.”
“The more we work with employers, the better together we can help graduates from minority groups to overcome barrier to achievement.”
She described the forum as the first in a series of safe spaces where employers can raise issues around race, employment and the attainment gap. Future partnership opportunities profiled included mentoring, targeted internships and networking events for LJMU students from diverse backgrounds.
Justine at the REH, the first unit in UK local government dedicated to racial justice, said it was imperative to co-create and consult on any initiative or programme, and urged people to talk more about race.
“While people avoid that conversation about race, we will struggle to make progress."
Mark Arnold, Head of Practice placements and Employability in the Faculty of Health, said: “It’s not just about getting graduates into placements and jobs, it’s about knowing they are in safe hands in places they can thrive.”
Read more about LJMU@s approaches to Diversity and Inclusion on our web pages.
IMAGE: Head of Careers at LJMU, Danielle Anderson opens the Round Table event.
