Ethnic minorities get helping hand on job ladder
An innovative outreach programme by Trust, Hanover & Bield Housing Associations is achieving success in opening the door to new career opportunities for black and ethnic minority (BME) people in Edinburgh & Lothians.
The programme, led by Job Opportunities Development Officer Nasreen Amjad, has already assessed or worked with almost 200 BME people seeking to overcome barriers to both employment and career advancement in housing and the public sector.
Nasreen Amjad said: “We’re helping to equip BME people with the knowledge, skills and contacts they need to get into housing and the public sector. We’re very encouraged by our progress. So far we’ve assessed 191 people and 20 of them have secured jobs.”
The programme, which received funding from Communities Scotland and Capital City Partnership (an Edinburgh-based partnership of agencies committed to overcoming social exclusion), provides individual support and also workshops to build confidence and teach interview techniques.
Rabia Sethi, one of the participants in the Job Opportunities Project, undertook a successful three month placement with Port of Leith Housing Association and went on to secure a permanent job with the association.
Rabia Sethi said: “I love my new job but I wouldn’t have thought of a career like this or known how to get a foot in the door before I took part in the Job Opportunities programme. The support I got helped me have the confidence to go in and win the job.”
The programme has enlisted local public sector employers to provide work placements for BME candidates. These include; Lothian & Borders Police, Stevenson College, the Procurator Fiscal, Trust, Hanover & Bield housing associations and also Melville and Port of Leith Housing associations.
In the case of the Procurator Fiscal service, they became involved in the programme in 2006, providing an initial two month placement for a candidate who helped prepare cases for court. The placement was so successful that the individual was hired for a permanent position.
Bob Comrie, Area Business Manager for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service in Lothian & Borders, said: “The placement has been highly successful for both the organisation and the individual. As an organisation we’re keen to reflect the demographic background of the community and promote a greater understanding of the work we do, this initiative helped with this aim.”
The programme is the latest success for Trust, Hanover & Bield, who jointly fund an award-winning Equal Opportunities team, headed by Housing Equal Opportunities Manager Rohini Sharma-Joshi, a specialist on racial diversity issues in Scotland.
Rohini Sharma Joshi commented: “People from BME backgrounds are under-represented in housing and public sector employment which accounts for 24% of all employment in Scotland. That is a waste of talent and a missed opportunity for everyone. Our programme is making inroads in tackling this important issue.”
She added: “We are actively recruiting more housing and public sector organisations to the programme and we would urge employers interested in taking part in this innovative scheme to get in touch with us to find out how they can benefit.”
Rohini expressed the view that as Scotland’s demographic picture changes, building better links between employers and people from black and ethnic minority backgrounds will become more important as the population ages and the labour market tightens.
According to the 2001 Census, the population of Scotland is declining, but the ethnic minority population is rising. However, there is evidence that Scotland’s businesses are not making the most of the existing workforce as unemployment among ethnic minorities in Scotland is higher than for white Scots.
“Our programme is about helping BME people gain equal access to job opportunities and understanding specific barriers they might encounter. We can deliver a win-win scenario both for BME people seeking jobs and public sector employers seeking talented recruits,” said Rohini.