Access to Work

Widening Access to Quality Work –
What are we seeking to achieve?

Using data to understand local demographics and opportunities.
Where possible aiming to employ a staff mix that is drawn from, and broadly representative of, the local population it serves, including areas of deprivation, race, ethnicity etc.
Employing locally by targeting positions for local people and recognising and supporting people to overcome barriers to work.
Actively engaging with communities to identify jobs and services required within a place to meet local needs.

Engaging young people and supporting career development.
Creating pre-employment programmes, work placements and voluntary experience to help people acquire the skills needed for specific jobs.
Working with local Academies/ Schools, Further Education Colleges and Higher Education Institutions to offer apprenticeship programmes and develop these programmes effectively to ensure local jobs for local people and retain a workforce.

Supporting fair pay and conditions of employment including paying a living wage and providing stable employment.
Remunerating staff fairly, measuring and addressing the ethnic and gender pay gaps.
Offering fair working conditions whilst promoting a work life balance.
Supporting professional development and career progression to staff at all levels.
Supporting the health and wellbeing of staff, for example offering workplace wellness schemes that are accessible to all.
Ensuring and measuring the uptake of staff support programmes by different staff groups and population characteristics (including grade / seniority, gender and ethnicity etc.) and taking action to reduce any identified inequalities.
Improving staff wellbeing by creating good working cultures, including ensuring equality and diversity, implementing new innovative ways of working, and growing the future workforce. Additionally, it is recommended that each of these key aspects are to be explored through strong partnership working.