Bristol24/7 Presents: How can we make Bristol's boardrooms more diverse? / diversity
How we can tackle Bristol’s disability employment gap
In a free virtual event held on November 18, Bristol24/7 will be asking experts about the importance of a diverse boardroom – and how we can make sure that our workforces prioritise a high level of diversity.
One strand of this conversation will be looking at what Bristol is doing to get more disabled people into the workplace. Looking at the current statistics, this is something that desperately needs addressing.
The information available highlights how 75.4 per cent of disabled people aged 16 and over are economically inactive. This is compared to 24.9 per cent of their non-disabled counterparts.
is needed now More than ever
The data also shows that disabled people are less likely to be employed in managerial or professional occupations (19.8 per cent) than those not disabled (34.7 per cent) – making it much less likely for a Disabled person to be taking up space in one of our boardrooms.
Providing more information on this information, where we need to be heading and how we can get there, is Sam Sherlock from Leonard Cheshire.
With over 10 years of experience in the disability sector, Sam has provided support to individuals and organisations via employment and training programmes with Leonard Cheshire that ultimately aim to close the disability employment gap.
Sam Sherlock is leading the delivery of IDEA for SMEs (Inclusion, Disability, Equality and Action). Photo courtesy of Sam Sherlock.
Sam is currently focused on a programme that is helping businesses to become more inclusive and aiming to tackle the disability employment gap.
In partnership with the West of England Combined Authority (WECA), the programme works directly with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to provide training around social, physical and organisational barriers.
“Around 20 per cent of the UK population is disabled therefore you may reasonably expect 20 per cent of workforces to be disabled too. As this is not the case, then there are clearly some barriers to disabled people in gaining employment,” said Sam.
“Diverse businesses report higher revenues, so there is clearly a business case for diversity. They also benefit from a wider diversity of thought and experience, helping businesses to respond more innovatively to their challenges. Employees also benefit from working for a company where diversity is valued.”
To find out more about the programme, you can visit Workforce for the Future.
If you are interested in diversity in Bristol’s workforce and boardrooms, you can sign up for the Bristol24/7 Presents: How can we make Bristol’s boardrooms more diverse?
Sponsored by TLT, the free panel event featuring experts – including Sam – from across Bristol will take place on November 18 at 2pm.
Main photo: West of England Combined Authority
Read more: How diverse are Bristol’s boardrooms?
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