We thought it might be helpful to do a quick round-up of some of the main providers of diversity and inclusion schemes in the UK. This list focuses primarily on some of the opportunities available for BAME students and those with disabilities, but is by no means intended to be a definitive list of everything. There’s hundreds of events, networking opportunities and schemes out there, you’ve just got to find them! Try a google search with the sectors and industries you’re interested in, and the group(s) you belong to, and see what comes up.
What do we mean by Diversity & Inclusion?
Put bluntly, many organisations and industries still fail to reflect the diversity of society as a whole. Not only is this unfair, but there’s numerous studies that show that it can have a negative effect for both individual organisations and the wider economy. To take just one example, this report from Trailhead earlier in the year suggested that:
- A diverse workforce drives economic growth
- Diversity in the boardroom is needed to leverage a company’s full potential
- A diverse and inclusive workforce helps businesses avoid employee turnover costs
The need to address this is where Diversity and Inclusion schemes come in. It’s safe to say that they’re not universally popular, with some arguing that they are themselves discriminatory. We’d argue strongly that this isn’t the case – rather than discriminating against anyone, they’re designed simply to remove some of the natural disadvantages faced by different groups and level the playing field. This is known as Positive Action, and is legal under the Equality Act 2010. There’s lots of material out there arguing the case more articulately than I just have, but a piece on our blog from Farah Chowdhury last year about diversity in the creative industries is as good a place as anywhere to start.
Opportunities for BAME students
Creative Access
https://creativeaccess.org.uk
Industry: Creative
What they offer: facilitate paid 3-12 month-long internships and host an opportunities board for organisations to list their roles.
Sectors: Book Publishing; Film; Museums & Galleries; Music; Newspaper & Magazine Publishing; PR, Advertising & Marketing; Radio; Television; Talent; Theatre.
Aspiring Solicitors
www.aspiringsolicitors.co.uk
Industry: Legal
What they offer: Events and legal work experience in firms and in-house
King’s Careers Diversity Guide: People of Colour
http://libguides.kcl.ac.uk/ld.php?content_id=19729506
One of over a hundred titles hosted on our Career Kit, this guide features more opportunities and schemes aimed at BAME students, along with tailored advice for application and interview.
Opportunities for students with disabilities
BBC, Shape and PACT
http://www.bbc.co.uk/careers
http://www.shapearts.org.uk/
http://diversity.pact.co.uk
Industry: Creative
Schemes:
BBC – Extend Hub
Shape Arts for Artists
Pact – TV careers for diverse groups
What they offer:
BBC: You will be able to see on the job advert whether the Extend Hub is available for that particular role. Applications open at different times but start in September.
Shape: Annual programme of opportunities for artists.
PACT: Opportunities in television, film, digital, children’s and animation media companies.
Change 100 Internship by Leonard Cheshire
https://leonardcheshire.org
Industry: Varied
What they offer: 3 month internship, partnering with over 90 employers across the UK to host interns including Barclays, the BBC, Skanska, Lloyds and Taylor Wimpey. Look out for a dedicated blog post on this scheme next week!
King’s Internships: Advance
www.kcl.ac.uk/internships
Industry: Varied
What they offer: to enable disabled students at King’s to undertake paid internships within London businesses over summer 2019. Opportunities will be advertised on King’s CareerConnect in the Spring term.
King’s Careers Diversity Guide: Students with Disabilities
http://libguides.kcl.ac.uk/ld.php?content_id=19729091
One of over a hundred titles hosted on our Career Kit, this guide features advice on disclosure, your rights, reasonable adjustments and lists various organisations that can assist you.
Opportunities for both
Civil Service Summer Diversity Internship Programme
https://www.faststream.gov.uk/summer-diversity-internship-programme/
Industry: Civil Service, Government
What the offer: 6-9 week internships across different departments for students who are BAME, socially or economically disadvantaged or who have a disability