This is the write up of the key discussions and recommendations from the breakout group discussions at the 11 July 2024 YU conference: ‘Overcoming employer challenges and championing graduates across Yorkshire’.
The Yorkshire Universities (YU) Inclusive Recruitment Guide for Employers was launched at the YU Conference on 11 July 2024. It is designed to provide practical advice on inclusive recruitment, focusing on underrepresented groups and international graduates. Key additions to the latest edition include a glossary and sections addressing inclusive recruitment strategies for these target groups.
Key questions:
- How does this guide help you in your role?
- What are the challenges / success you’ve had?
- What’s working well in delivering impact?
Overall, the guide and discussions emphasize the importance of proactive, tailored approaches to inclusive recruitment, continuous support for employers, and ongoing learning and collaboration among institutions.
Key insights include:
1. Collaborative effort: The guide is the result of contributions from multiple YU member institutions, incorporating case studies and examples.
2. Supportive, evolving tool: The guide is meant to spark conversations and offer advice on equitable recruitment practices. It is a “living document” that will adapt to include updated practices.
4. SME flexibility vs. large firms: SMEs can implement changes to become more inclusive more quickly than larger firms, which may rely on blanket EDI (Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion) statements that don’t always translate into practice.
5. Challenges with international student recruitment: There were discussions about the difficulties of engaging employers in hiring international students and sharing strategies to overcome this issue.
Examples and case studies:
- University of Leeds: They ensure transparency by providing students with all necessary recruitment information and focus on equitable access by aiming for a balanced mix of WP (widening participation) and non-WP students in their programs.
- University of Bradford: An example was shared of a local not-for-profit employer improving workforce diversity by successfully recruiting students through collaboration with the university. This involved information sessions, employer-student meetings, and support through the hiring process.
Session leads:
- Ayesha Akram, Higher Level Skills Manager, Go Higher West Yorkshire
- Helen Bradley, Career Consultant (International), University of Bradford
- Joseph Foley Corah, Work Based Learning & Partnerships Manager, University of Leeds
- Orla Foster, University of Sheffield
Related resources:
- Inclusive Recruitment Guide for Employers
- International Higher Education: A Statement by Yorkshire Universities
Follow up: Colleagues expressed interest in additional sessions about the guide to continue fostering discussions on inclusive recruitment practices across institutions.
