Aspire in Partnership is a new service designed to help businesses attract and retain best-in-class talent from a diverse range of backgrounds – creating a productive workforce and opportunities for all.
In addition to our competitive recruitment service, we engage with a wide talent pool to help you access the right candidates for your roles. Not only does this help you to diversify your workforce, it also shows that you are committed to social value.
We are on a mission to change the status quo in terms of how traditional recruitment services operate. We reach under-represented groups, so you don’t miss out on candidates who have a great work ethic.
Recruitment challenges:
- Are you struggling to find candidates with the right skills and attitude?
- Is the current climate making it more difficult for you to fill vacancies?
- Are the recruitment approaches you would normally take no longer effective?
The solution:
If you answered ‘yes’ to any of the questions above, then looking at diverse and inclusive recruitment strategies could be the way forward.
- Hiring dedicated, hard-working talent from underrepresented talent groups can help to bridge skills gaps in your business
- Promoting vacancies in new and innovative ways can open you up to a wider pool of talent – meaning you’ve got a better chance of finding the ideal candidate
- Changing your assessment process and attitude to hiring will give you more options when it comes to finding the right person, with the right skills and personal qualities for the job
Boost diversity within your workforce with Aspire in Partnership
Our comprehensive recruitment solution covers temp, temp-to-perm and permanent recruitment, across a wide range of roles and sectors.
What you can expect from us:
- We will help you to make positive changes to your recruitment processes
- We will target individuals from underrepresented backgrounds, including LQBTQ+, people with disabilities and health conditions, minority ethnic communities and gender networks
- We will review all candidates before they are submitted to you, so you can be confident all candidates that you select for interview are prepared and are of a suitable standard
- We can also pre-train candidates in the key skills you’re looking for – this allows them to hit the ground running, saving you time on induction
- We can advise on best practice when it comes to onboarding your new starters, so they feel like part of the team straight away
- We will help you to take fresh approaches to induction, training and progression planning, so your new hires develop with your business – this helps with staff retention, satisfaction and productivity
Why work with Aspire in Partnership?
There are so many benefits to adopting inclusive talent attraction strategies in terms of boosting your bottom line and achieving wider business objectives. These include:
- Increasing your reputation as a good employer by mirroring the make-up of your local community
- Enhancing customer loyalty by reflecting the demographic of your target audience
- Improving your chance of being successful when bidding for work by aligning with commissioners
- Delivering social value by showing your commitment to creating a workforce where everyone can be their authentic selves
Proven track record
The Growth Company has worked with the University of Manchester to break down the barriers that prevent candidates from a variety of different backgrounds from finding work. This partnership has proved that putting Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at the heart of recruitment really works, as we have supported more than 4,000 local residents into roles at the university over the last 10 years.
Dr Julian Skyrme, Director of Social Responsibility at The University of Manchester, says: “We believe that by combatting these barriers to entry for candidates of all backgrounds, we can help improve the quality of applications and preparedness for work from local candidates, which supports individuals, families and businesses to thrive.
“While progress is being made in supporting more inclusive recruitment across our region there’s still plenty more to be done - and services such as Aspire in Partnership are making a real difference for employers across all sectors of our economy.”
To read more about our current news to date, read our reports below:
Aspire in Partnership Newsletter July 2023
Aspire in Partnership Newsletter September 2023
Aspire in Partnership Newsletter December 2023
Aspire in Partnership Newsletter April 2024
The importance of a diverse workforce
If you still weren’t convinced about the benefits of diversifying your workforce, take a look at these stats:
- Research from Cloverpop revealed that decisions made by diverse teams are better 87% of the time, with improved results 60% of the time
- According to global management consultancy McKinsey, companies in the top quartile for racial and ethnic diversity are 35 percent more likely to have financial returns above their respective national industry medians
- 1 in 5 working-age people in the UK are classed as having a disability – which means you could be missing out on fantastic talent by not prioritising inclusivity
Read our Aspire in Partnership Privacy Policy
How we can help you
We support everyone from all walks of life to improve their career prospects, by providing a recruitment service that also draws on our partners to support individuals with career guidance and training.
We work with a number of employers, in Greater Manchester who champion our ethos of making a difference in local communities. We also work closely with Jobcentre Plus, local charities and community support groups who can refer you to us.
You can access our services directly by completing an enquiry form, or by calling us on 0161 245 4942.
Adrian Bird
Head of Employer Engagement
Specialisms: Anchor Organisations and large employers
Adrian has over 10 years’ experience working in youth employment, apprenticeships and NEET to EET programmes supporting young people from under-represented backgrounds to gain employment and start their careers.
“I gain immense satisfaction from supporting and guiding organisations and individuals to thrive and reach their full potential.”
Michael Clewlow
EDI Regional Account Manager (Preston/Liverpool)
Specialisms: Employability and Skills, Commercial & Funded Recruitment (Sales, Customer Service, Manufacturing, Administration, Hospitality & Care)
“Equality, Diversity & Inclusion has never been more prevalent, and I get real job satisfaction when placing a candidate that would normally be overlooked.
I am a strong believer that it’s the right person for the job, whatever their background. I help employers understand that there is a large pool of untapped talent available from groups with protected characteristics. I also offer advice and guidance on how to become an Employer of Choice, how to become a Disability Confident employer and how companies can deliver greater social value in the communities in which they are based.”
Stephy Liu
EDI Regional Account Manager
Specialisms: Employability and Skills, Commercial Recruitment (Sales, Customer Service, PA, Administration, HR and Finance)
"I am passionate about creating the right match between my candidates and clients. I love to support businesses to attract talent from a diverse candidate pool, and to retain individuals to reach their full potential in the workplace"
Tally Panesar
Regional Account Manager
Specialisms: Employability & Skills, Education, Commercial
“Coming from a training and development background, I am passionate about seeing people thrive and progress. I have over 5 years of experience within varying areas of recruitment - this includes both temporary and permanent placements as well as targeted headhunting. I also have varied experience in helping people back into work who have been long-term unemployed.”