BITC partners with Youth Futures Foundation to support employment of ethnically diverse young people
Almost half of ethnically diverse young people have experienced discrimination as they start their career.
Business in the Community (BITC) has today launched its Pioneer programme in collaboration with Youth Futures Foundation, the national What Works Centre for Youth Employment. The Pioneer programme will support a diverse range of employers to understand, develop and implement effective recruitment and retention strategies for ethnically diverse young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET). The programme will help employers to identify and tackle barriers facing ethnically diverse young people when trying to access employment, create supportive pathways and establish best practice for adoption across the wider workforce.
The programme was developed as data shows that almost half of ethnically diverse young people have experienced discrimination or prejudice as they try to enter the world of work.[1] In addition, three in 10 ethnically diverse young people cite discrimination as the biggest barrier keeping them out of work.[2] Young people from some ethnic backgrounds are more likely to struggle with unemployment – a quarter of Black Caribbean young people are NEET, while only one in 10 White British young people are NEET.[3]
The programme is part of a three-year partnership between Youth Futures Foundation and BITC called Talent Unlocked, aiming to turn evidence into action by supporting businesses to inspire, hire and support ethnically diverse young people to thrive at work.
Nishi Mayor, Director of Employer Engagement and Partnerships at Youth Futures Foundation, said:
“We are delighted to be working with BITC through the Pioneer programme which will help us to support ethnically diverse young people who are not in education, employment or training to secure and thrive in good work. The insights and best practice established through this programme will be integral to understanding what works in breaking down the barriers these young people face when accessing employment. I am optimistic that we will be able to scale the evidence generated through the Pioneer programme into practices that can be used UK-wide to foster inclusivity and equity across the UK workforce, unlocking a generation of talent.”
Shannon Rivers, Head of Inclusion and Wellbeing Advisory at Business in the Community, said:
“Every young person deserves a clear pathway into employment. Our work with Youth Futures Foundation as part of our three-year partnership has been vital to gather insight into the barriers that many ethnically diverse young people face when accessing employment. We look forward to working alongside Youth Futures Foundation and with organisations across the UK to collect strategy and best practice and come up with solutions to tackle these barriers and ensure that they are removed once and for all.”
ENDS
Notes to editor
1. Youth Futures Foundation: Discrimination and work: breaking down the barriers faced by ethnically minoritised young people – Youth Futures Foundation.
2. Youth Futures Foundation: Discrimination and work: breaking down the barriers faced by ethnically minoritised young people – Youth Futures Foundation.
3. Youth Futures Foundation: Youth Employment 2024 Outlook – Youth Futures Foundation.
4. Find out more about BITC and Youth Futures Foundation’s Talent Unlocked partnership here.
For further information, please contact Polly Dacam, Press Officer, on 020 7566 6638.