Black History Month: Spotlight on Education

“Our company is made up of a diverse workforce, coming from all walks of life. Celebration should therefore be reflected in the workplace, to empower employees – showing support and solidarity. Black History Month is a very significant time for black employees, celebrating it helps to create an inclusive culture and allow individuals to feel more comfortable within themselves. I believe representation is very important. Younger people need to see someone that looks like them or represents an aspect of their life. When people see someone that represents them, they have a stronger connection and they are more relatable. Thinking back to when I was younger, I would always look up to people that grew up in Newham or were Caribbean and successful because if they could do it – so could I.”

“I think it helps to acknowledge and recognise the contributions from members of the African and Caribbean communities to the development of this country and especially now, to educate all employees on the issues around the Black Lives Matter movement. I think it helps with awareness of each other, recognising and celebrating our differences and the strength of a diverse office environment.”

“We’re committed to building a global workplace that works for everyone. This year, the company set up a global business resource group called RISE to support underrepresented racial and ethnic groups. We don’t think the recognition of Black History should be relegated to only one month in the year but Black History Month does give us an opportunity to really focus our attention on the depth and richness of the contributions black people have made throughout history. It is vital that students see professionals who have similar cultural backgrounds to them and to hear from a diverse group of people to help broaden their view. It’s about increasing visibility – “you can’t be what you can’t see”. There are a lot of young people in east London who might not consider certain job opportunities because they don’t think they would be accepted, so it’s really about creating awareness and helping develop confidence and self-belief.”

“The programmes ensure that students are given access to worlds and careers that can sometimes feel distant, or even locked away from them. This career insight can be the turning point in somebody’s vision, or dream of their future. Seeing the success of people on their doorstep encourages them to work harder and aim higher in their own outlook and pathways. Students have the opportunity to speak directly to people from a wide range of industries and ask questions about their career journey, which they would never normally have the opportunity to do. Young people’s future pathways and careers seem particularly challenging and obstacle-ridden at the moment, so providing real world experiences enables them to re-engage with what is possible. It allows them to centre their own aspirations and see that people like them really can achieve great success.”

“I have mentored many young people from outside the black community. I have always found this to be a very rewarding experience but as a black youngster growing up in London, I had very few role models with jobs like mine. It was important that I could fill that gap for someone else by being that black role model I wish I had. Most of our conversations were very easy. Even those about subjects that could be uncomfortable such as working in an industry with very few black people. I had a lot in common with my mentee which meant he felt comfortable asking me questions he would probably not have asked another mentor.  It warmed my heart to see first-hand, the wonderful black talent pipeline that is being produced because of all the additional support being given these days. All young people deserve to feel they can achieve anything they want by seeing someone else just like them achieving the same.”