St George West ward.
Bristol is a wonderfully diverse city, one we should all be proud of, where we all do our bit to make sure no-one is left behind. However, we need to ensure that local organisations truly reflect the diversity of the people we serve. So, together with our city partners, we put race equality firmly on the agenda with ‘Race and the City’. This annual programme aims to break down many of the current barriers facing our racially minoritised communities in key aspects of local life such as employment, criminal justice and health.
Now in its third year, we have organised a great programme of events to take place between September and May next year, all led by the multi-agency Bristol Race Equality Strategic Leaders’ Group (BRESLG). This group looks at ways we can all work together as one city, to tackle some of the challenges we face and find ways to improve opportunities and experiences for our racially minoritised communities. BRESLG works closely with a range of sectors and includes representatives from local public sector organisations as well community groups and the voluntary sector.
These latest events kick off with a large citywide recruitment event called ‘Our City, Your Jobs’ on Thursday 28 September from 4 to 7pm. Register for this free event on Eventbrite, it is taking place in central Bristol at City Hall and everyone is welcome to attend. We would especially like to encourage members of racially minoritised communities who are often under-represented within many city employers to come along and see the vast range of career opportunities that will be showcased. I am looking forward to meeting lots of people at the event so feel free to share the event as widely as possible among your friends, and networks.
Those who join us on the day will be able to speak to over 30 major Bristol employers and access a wealth of information about jobs, education and progressing in your chosen career. Attendees can:
- find out about hundreds of live jobs and vacancies
- learn about courses and other exciting opportunities that might be of interest
- speak to experts about careers with the opportunity to ask interview related questions
- get help and support with completing application forms if needed
- discuss career goals and how we can match opportunities for you
- see a variety of full time, part time and flexible working paid roles at a range of career levels
- get information on available internships, apprenticeships and volunteering as well as other Board Member and School Governance opportunities
The event has been purposefully planned to coincide with National Inclusion Week, where we encourage more employers to ‘take action and make an impact’ so we can see more inclusive workplaces in the city and encourage more minoritised applicants to apply for a range of roles.
Following Our City, Your Jobs, we will be hosting other citywide events, which will be advertised shortly, to focus on areas such as criminal justice and health inequality.
We have received such strong support for our previous events, and we hope to see this continue as we all get ready for Race and the City 3 and build on the important work and progress made from the previous two years.
As a result of events such as this and other associated race focused partnership initiatives we have seen a continuous increase in the representation of racially minoritised communities in the workforce of Bristol’s major public sector organisations.
During the previous Race and the City 1 and 2, we saw attendance from over 900 people from communities, sectors and organisations right across Bristol at our citywide recruitment events. Last year, 65 percent of attendees were from minoritised communities and 87 per cent of all attendees said the experience was either four or five stars (out of five). Feedback afterwards also indicated that people were able to identify opportunities at the event, make connections and find out new information including insights into career paths.
Other events focusing on a range of Bristol’s most significant race equality challenges also saw excellent attendance and engagement from the city. Developing and delivering Race and the City in partnership with sectors and partners across Bristol has been a key factor in its success and engagement.
