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Key Takeaways from the ISE EDI conference

27 November 2023

If you missed the brilliant one day ISE EDI conference on the 7th November then fear not as our Early Careers Strategist Jayne Cullen took some notes and is happy to share more insights over a coffee anytime… she loves a cappuccino and a chat..!!!

 

Access isn’t the same as inclusion – if people have to assimilate when they join your business, you’ve missed the point!

 

Quiet quitting – this generation are the opposite of the work hard mentality with salary and career longevity being deprioritised with only 45% saying they “go above and beyond at work.” And a huge 3 quarters saying they would only do the work they get paid for. And they are taking drastic steps to counter feeling under-valued by opting for freelance or entrepreneurial career options. Organisations should embrace entrepreneurialism; not be scared of it.

(Alexis Curtis-Harris and Ndubuisi Uchea)

 

Give students options of support
Don’t ask candidates what adjustments they need; this is too daunting to answer, instead, show you understand by giving them options. This will give people confidence to be honest (a fab panel of Neurodivergent placement students hosted by Ellie Long at Rolls Royce).

 

Levelling the playing field means valuing the key skills gained though all life’s experiences, and not just via the access to ‘professional’ experiences and knowledge.

 

Are today’s markers for social mobility appropriate for both employers and students?! Suppliers are disagreeing about the true measures of social mobility. There was a call out for an industry wide definition. If organisations can connect Social mobility with customer success then this can create the compelling reason for change. If we can measure the gender pay gap then why should we not treat social mobility in the same way?

(Lauren McCaffertyEllie LongJane Eccles)

 

The importance of networks – Harminder Dhillon shared some great insight about the work HSBC have been doing with Zero Gravity to support students from LSEB to build networks, in particular connecting their current graduates to future talent to through mentoring opportunities.

 

Thinking holistically about outreach & pathways – Stephanie Bishop and Claire Flannery shared how they have been collaborating with Springpod and Young Professionals to reach and engage young people around careers and employability, to meet both their recruitment and CSR objectives – plus super interesting to hear how they are disrupting their approach to sourcing apprentice talent through their Ignite Programme.

 

Will the rising demand for green skills support the social mobility agenda? – National Grid & Will Akerman discussed the importance of building sustainable talent pipelines to support the green economy – and with 50% of 18-34’s wanting a job in the green economy according to PwCs recent research, it’s a career path that’s certainly appealing to early talent.

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