An employer event focussed on new ways of recruiting and retaining staff has won praise for being “inspirational”.
More than 60 people attended the event which we hosted with Devon & Plymouth Chamber of Commerce, and participants all benefited from the information, expertise and experience on hand on the day.
With around 15,000 unique jobs vacancies currently being advertised per day across Devon, but a reduction in those available in the labour market, the message to employers is that it’s vital that they explore new ways of embracing all those able to work.
A number of insightful presentations were delivered by key speakers. Among them was Mike Adams OBE, the CEO and founder of Purple Tuesday, a movement dedicated to improving the customer experience for disabled people and their families.
Mike described disability and diversity as a “value opportunity” during the recruitment process and shared his own experience of being a disabled consumer and business owner.
Dr Daniel Derbyshire, a behavioural economics researcher from the University of Exeter Medical School, talked about the importance of disability representation in the workplace and how our own biases can influence how and who we recruit.
Jennifer Pulsford, from LiveWest, spoke about inclusive board recruitment and how this can better support diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
A variety of discussion groups were held on a range of topics including: workplace culture, ‘Access to Work’ grant funding, neurodiversity, mental health and inclusive recruitment.
The conference also heard about the Devon & Somerset Local Skills Improvement Plan from Helen Hart, of the Devon & Plymouth Chamber. The Plan, which is being jointly led by Devon & Plymouth Chamber of Commerce and Somerset Chamber of Commerce, aims to work with employers and education providers to ensure the region has a skilled workforce better matched to the needs of business and equipped for the future.
Helen said: “Given the recruitment crisis that is currently impacting on all businesses in all sectors across Devon it’s vital that we look at alternatives to the traditional recruitment routes. Strengthening teams with a more diverse workforce can reap huge benefits, not just to make up employee numbers but for the wider knock-on effects. This conference was a great vehicle for getting that message across to employers.”
Keri Denton, Devon County Council’s Head of Economy, Enterprise and Skills, said: “It’s great to see that this event was so well-received. It provided people with some extremely valuable insight, and hopefully it has encouraged local businesses and organisations to think about their recruitment and how they can maybe do things differently. We need to harness the potential of a wider pool of talent available right across the county and this is the first step toward achieving that.”
Feedback about the event from attendees was also overwhelmingly positive.
Alice McColl, from the National Development Team for Inclusion (NDTi), said: “The event was very successful and there was a real buzz in the room. I certainly got a lot from the speakers and workshops and made some useful new contacts too.”
Claire Coulston, from the HotSW Digital Skills Partnership, said: “Thank you for the inspiring conference – I really took a lot away from it.”
For more information about the event contact economy-mailbox@devon.gov.uk