Inclusive Employment | Business in the Community Northern Ireland

Helping people, especially the most disadvantaged, develop skills for work and providing employment opportunities for some of the is one of the most significant ways that business contributes to the livelihoods of individuals and communities. Meaningful employment is for many the only sustainable route out of poverty and chance for a better life.

Breaking down barriers to entering work for people from disadvantaged groups, adopting new approaches to recruitment and offering quality experience of work, can benefit business by tackling skills shortages, building new talent pipelines, creating a more diverse team and achieving higher productivity.

Our Employment Agenda

Ban the Box: Giving people with convictions a chance

More than 11 million people in the UK have criminal conviction. The biggest influencing factor in reducing re-offending is employment. Ban the Box aims to give people with convictions a fairer chance at securing employment, by encouraging companies to ask the conviction question at a later point in the application process. This reduces the risk of unfair discrimination and overlooking talent.

Click here to find out more about Ban the Box or contact Sara Neilson for more information.

Future Proof: Attracting, Retaining & Developing Young Talent

Watch this space for an exciting campaign due to launch later this year that will explore the future of work and support employers to assess how youth friendly they are. Employers will be supported to develop a more strategic approach to their youth outreach, recruitment and development work. This campaign will include a focus on helping some of our most disadvantaged young people access experiences of work and improve their job readiness.

Future Proof NI will build on the previous success of a similar campaign in England, delivered by Business in the Community and endorsed by City and Guilds.

Future Proof is being supported by the Department for the Economy. We’re currently recruiting additional sponsors/champions to spearhead this campaign. To find out more please contact Claire Gordon.