Employers’ Masterclass: Outreach and social mobility

---

Our May masterclass will cover how employers can use outreach to build an inclusive recruitment pipeline from the ground up, reaching and attracting a wide pool of talent.

Engaging with candidates from a low socio-economic background through outreach enables you to:

• raise awareness of your organisation and industry to a wider reach of prospective employees
• reach students at an early stage to encourage them to think about the range of career and training options available to them
• redress the balance of ‘unlimited potential, limited opportunity’    
• build a pipeline of diverse talent that reflects the communities you serve
• shape the future success of your business

In our SMC employer consultation at the end of 2022, we found that almost all employers who responded participated in outreach, and they scored this activity as having higher than average impact on their inclusion efforts.  Those that found it resource intensive said it was helped through engaging with partners to support the delivery of this activity. 

Whilst some reported the benefits of moving to online events, first made possible in response to the pandemic, there is a concern that this should not entirely replace in-person engagement, with all the positive impact that can have on a young person.  

We plan to address all of these issues during our masterclass.  We’ll be joined by Career Ready, a national social mobility charity supporting employers and educators to kickstart a rewarding future for young people.  We’ll also be joined by healthcare provider Bupa, and Be-It, a small recruitment business operating in Glasgow. Both have built outreach into their early talent strategy. 

About our speakers

Tokunbo Ajasa-Oluwa, CEO, Career Ready

Tokunbo Ajasa-Oluwa is a seasoned social entrepreneur and senior leader with a track record of executing innovative social impact concepts, particularly within the media and youth development sectors.

Tokunbo is the current Chief Executive of Career Ready, a UK wide social mobility charity that links employers with schools and colleges to open up the world of work for young people.  He is a Fellow of the School for Social Entrepreneurs and was a Cabinet Office appointed Social Enterprise Ambassador for three years. 

In addition, in 1999 Tokunbo was co-founder of the ORIGIN rites of passage programme for young men of African Caribbean descent. In 2020 he founded the Black Unity Bike Ride, which saw 2000 riders cycle across London with the aim of increasing diversity within cycling and also celebrating Black empowerment.

He joined Career Ready in January 2020, following his role as CEO of the Foyer Federation, and was highly commended at the 2021 Third Sector Awards as a ‘Rising Chief Executive’ and shortlisted for CEO of the Year at the 2022 Charity Times Awards.

Tokunbo embodies the ethos of Career Ready and their mission to boost social mobility. He grew up in a single-parent family in Leyton, East London and went on to study journalism at University of the Arts, London. Prior to working in the third sector, he enjoyed a successful career in journalism.

Career Ready believe that every young person should have the skills, confidence and opportunity to enjoy the rewarding future their talent deserves.  They work across the UK to connect young, undiscovered talent with employers through a range of programmes. By providing young people with key employability skills, new-found confidence and workplace experiences, they help unlock talent, add value to employers, and level the playing field.

Anna Russell, Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability Director, Bupa Global & UK and Bupa Foundation Director

Before taking on responsibility for Bupa Global & UK’s ESG agenda, Anna led their employee communications and engagement. Anna is passionate about helping build workplaces that prioritise conscious inclusion and diversity, and sits on Bupa’s Apprenticeship Board and mentors colleagues internally and externally.

Personally and professionally committed to ensuring there is no stigma attached to mental health, Anna is proud to be a wellbeing coach and has coached hundreds of teachers as part of the Bupa Foundation’s Wellbeing for Educators programme.

Bupa’s purpose is helping people live longer, healthier, happier lives and making a better world. Bupa is an international healthcare company serving over 43 million customers worldwide. With no shareholders, it reinvests profits into providing more and better healthcare for the benefit of current and future customers.

Nikola Kelly, Managing Director, Be-It 

Nikola has over 17 years experience delivering top talent internationally in the technology, digital and business change sector. Joining Be-It in 2017, she was appointed Managing Director a year later. Nikola and Be-It have supported Career Ready for many years, from mentoring, paid placements and fundraising.  Nikola became a member of their Glasgow advisory board in 2017.

Be-It are specialists in tech recruitment – from IT and digital to change management and executive leadership. Based in Glasgow, they help shape careers and support employers, helping thousands of tech professionals make the right move.