Britain’s got untapped talent

Having a reputation of being pale, stale and male is a burden that no employer wants to add to its list of recruitment challenges, particularly when a quarter of new graduate entrants come from a minority ethnic background. But, says Sarah Churchman, director of diversity and inclusion at PricewaterhouseCoopers, it’s a myth that remains entrenched when it comes to professional services firms. Other industries that claim to be representative of society at large, at least in terms of their graduate intake, say the same.

As for the argument “there’s no smoke without fire,” Churchman is the first to admit the sector has a less than ideal history. But, she says, PwC – and other similar firms – have long been tackling the problem. “The PwC award-winning student recruitment campaign, ‘One For All’, was specifically created to emphasise the fact that the firm is keen to attract candidates from the widest possible pool of talent – and our records show that it does what it says.”

They have by no means stopped there, she says. In fact, like many employers whose reputations around diversity lag behind the reality, PwC is no longer simply focusing on recruitment (although it still does–for example, by targeting specific student societies like Asian societies), but on retention too. “Critically, the work we are doing at PwC to ensure that we not only attract diverse talent but also develop and retain that talent, is really beginning to pay dividends. On 1 July this year, 14 per cent of our newly admitted partners were from a minority ethnic background.”

Related articles

• Comment: Diversity
• My story: diversity in the work space
• Diversity: some good news

Sandra Kerr, national director of Race for Opportunity – a network of private and public sector organisations working to promote the business case for diversity – reports that this emphasis on retention of ethnic minorities is common throughout many sectors. “I think what’s happened is that many employers are realising it’s not just the ‘Come and join us’ message that is important with graduates, but connecting them with the business aims once they’re in through programmes like mentoring and coaching. It’s about ensuring that talent isn’t lost.”

So fearful are many employers of missing out on ethnic minority graduate talent that they’re pooling together to get the message out there that they really do prioritise diversity both at recruitment and retention stage. “By far the biggest trend we’ve found this year is that sectors such as professional services, investment banks and law firms are acting as consortiums,” says Kerr. “They believe, and I think they’re right, that it sends out amore powerful message about the commitment to diversity of the whole sector.”

These consortiums – which include “Pure Potential” and “Target Chances” – are doing things such as running skills workshops and hosting sampler days where there’s a chance to meet ethnic minority leaders. “What’s great about these programmes is that there is absolute recognition by the sector that they can’t rest on their laurels and have to continue chipping away,” says Kerr.

IBM has raised its bar by aspiring to become the most diverse and inclusive place to work in the UK. “I think we would accept that IBM could be seen as a white, male sector, even though within the graduate programme we’ve seen significant changes within the last few years,” says Jenny Taylor, UK head of graduate recruitment.

The trick is, she believes, to keep promoting this, while at the same time keeping a focus internally. For example, IBM sponsors the Asian Business Women awards and it has also recently launched Blue Talent – a top talent scheme to foster high achievers particularly within its ethnic minority population.

Other efforts around ethnic diversity include IBM working closely with the London-based Stepladder Foundation– an organisation that supports ethnic minority children who are top performers at their schools by supplying them with mentors and bringing them in to meet IBM role models.

Other organisations are also realising that in order to truly tackle the issue, they have to reach students while they’re still at school. “Research indicates that students of all backgrounds make HE/FE choices by the age of 14 and correspondingly shut down many career paths at a very early age,” points out Elly Hobson, widening participation manager at the London School of Economics. This has particular impact for minority ethnic students, she says. “Research, for example, shows that black students at schools are more likely to be labelled as disruptive or having behavioural problems are rarely feature on gifted and talented registers – something which must be attributed to our education system, not the students themselves.”

Kamel Hothi, head of Asian markets at Lloyds TSB Corporate Markets – who joined the firm in 1979 “when hardly any ethnic minorities worked in the bank” – believes there is a real need for role models from various backgrounds to get involved at school stage. “We need them to go and speak, so youngsters, especially those in deprived areas, get inspired and influenced to dream they too can do it.”

Back within the organisation, Hothi is a big fan of ethnic minority networks. “This bank has taken some positive steps in allowing for the formation of networks for women, ethnic minorities, those with disabilities and most recently one for gay and lesbians. These networks provide a support structure and ability to network and find suitable mentors. As well as these, the bank commissioned some career development courses designed for women and ethnic minorities. For the past seven years, since the networks were established, numbers of women have doubled in management, as have ethnic minorities,” she says, adding, “There is still a long way to go, however.”

Atkins, which admits the construction industry also has some way to go, has been placing its focus in universities, having recently partnered with the University of Greenwich – which has a diverse student population – to help attract and retain more ethnic talent. “Links have been made with the school of architecture and construction and various initiatives are under way in relation to civil engineering, architecture and surveying,” says Sue Cooper, UK HR director.

Among those sectors perhaps most deserving of their reputation as pale, stale and male is the fire and rescue service. With ethnic minority staff making up just 3.2 per cent of the workforce – and women 3.1 per cent – the FRS still has great deal to prove. Part of the problem, they claim, is that unlike the police and prison service, they haven’t had a long-standing graduate recruitment scheme or big-bucks advertising campaigns.

Charlie Hendry, vice-president of the Chief Fire Officers Association, adds that in other organisations, where average attrition rates are around 20 per cent or more, change happens fairly naturally. “In the fire service, where the average fire fighter stays for 30 years, we simply can’t expect change to be quick.”

Nonetheless, he adds, they remain committed to the cause – many services are already developing or operating accelerated development programmes for high potential candidates and there have been new policies and training around zero tolerance of belittling of minorities, which has made the service a much happier place for everyone.

But graduates shouldn’t be put off, even in sectors where they will form the smallest minority, insists Nike Folayan, chairperson of the Association for Black Engineers.

“I work in a team of 15 people and I’m the only female and the only black person, but that doesn’t change my ability to do my job and influence change. I really don’t think people should be put off by their environment. And I think it’s fair to say that most employers now recognise the argument for diversity.”

Rupal Morarji, who works at HSBC as a mortgage manager, agrees. “I don’t think people should be afraid of joining an industry that has been traditionally associated with a certain demographic.

I’m very proud of my role and working for HSBC. It has a really good reputation and I really do look forward to coming in to work every day,” she says. “That is what people should be aiming for when they look for work, not having to worry about where they fit in. Companies are making more of an effort to widen their recruitment base. An open-minded approach from both recruiters and job seekers is important as well as the strength to do what they feel is right.”