BAME Apprentice Network – why we exist? Safaraz Ali, Founder/CEO, BAME Apprenticeship Awards / BAME Apprentice Network & Pathway Group This session will discuss closing the diversity gap in apprenticeships; what’s working well and what we can do to champion further change within the sector. We need change, we all say it but how is the move from intention to execution working, what are the missing links and how celebrating difference matters and how do we champion a culture of authenticity?

1. Morning all
AoC Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Conference
2022
30th March 2022
Safaraz Ali
(Saf)

2. Someone once said to me;
being the dumbest person in
the room is the smartest thing
you can do.

4. BAME Apprentice
Network & Awards
Why we exist?
The difference we make and the journey we are on.

5. Some of the hats I wear....

6. 6

8. My journey
22 years!
• ESOL Provider
• Adult Community Learning
• Train2Gain
• Adult Education Budget
• Youth Contract
• Work Programme
• Troubled Families
• Innovation Fund
• Skills Support for Workforce,
Unemployed & Redundancy
Now delivery Advanced Learner
Loans, AEB Devolved,
Apprenticeships, Traineeships and
Restart Scheme

9. Where it all began…

10. BME 2020 Vision
“More must be done to ensure BME workers
get more job opportunities”
BME 2020 vision amongst other to focus on:
• Increase the proportion of apprenticeships
taken up by BME backgrounds by 20%
• Increase the number of BME students
going to University
Sajid Javid, then Business Secretary
March 2016

11. Race in the workplace:
The McGregor-Smith Review
Every person, regardless of their ethnicity or
background, should be able to fulfil their
potential at work.
That is the business case as well as the
moral case. Diverse organisations that
attract and develop individuals from the
widest pool of talent consistently perform
better.

12. English Apprenticeships: Our 2020 Vision
Supporting diversity in apprenticeships and
access for all
• We are committed to increasing the
proportion of apprentices from BAME
backgrounds by 20%
English Apprenticeships: Our 2020 Vision
Dec 2015

13. Asian Apprenticeship Awards
Celebrating and showcasing the best of British Asian Apprentices and the
people that employ and train them.

14. BAME Apprenticeship Awards
Celebrating talent & Diversity in Apprenticeships. Recognising the British
BAME Apprentices, their employers and learning providers.

15. Endorsements
ANNE MILTON - FORMER MINISTER OF STATE FOR
SKILLS & APPRENTICESHIPS
•I was delighted to read about the continued success of the BAME
Apprenticeship Awards since their launch in 2016, and to read about the
background to the project and your achievements in 2017. I applaud your
commitment to recognising, highlighting and celebrating apprenticeship
successes, and in addressing the challenge of encouraging British Asian
communities to participate in apprenticeship schemes. Celebrating the best
of BAME apprentices, as well as their employers and trainers, will inspire
others and raise the profile of apprenticeships, which in turn will help
achieve an increase in Black, Asian and ethnic minority apprentices.
RT HON JUSTINE GREENING MP – FORMER
SECRETARY OF STATE FOR EDUCATION
•I was delighted to learn about the awards – it is great that you are bringing
together BAME apprentices, businesses and providers to celebrate their
successes.

16. Endorsements
SIR MARTIN SORRELL - EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN OF
S4 CAPITAL
•Diversity and inclusion are fundamental to stimulate the growth of any
successful company. Apprenticeships are a very valuable entry point for
fresh, young, diverse talent and a good tool for improving social mobility.
Apprenticeships can create career paths, as we saw with the WPP
Fellowship programme, and strengthen the talent pipeline from Apprentice
to the top levels of any company. These (BAME Apprenticeship Awards)
identify strong role models in the industry and showcase great talent from
all backgrounds. Congratulations to all the finalists and winners.
JAMES CAAN - FOUNDER OF RECRUITMENT GUIDE
•Apprenticeships have become more and more important to our economy.
The need to rapidly upskill the next generation of industry leaders has
proven to be a success delivering not only for the apprentices but for
businesses and the economy. In the BAME Community sadly, there is a
stigma attached to apprenticeships and it is seen as something lesser than
a degree or getting into employment straight away.
ANDY STREET - METRO MAYOR FOR WEST
MIDLANDS
•We are keen to increase the number of high-quality apprenticeships
available across the West Midlands and ensure that all our communities
are aware of, and have access to, the fantastic opportunities available.
Across the West Midlands, we want more degree and higher level
apprenticeships and more apprenticeships in key growth sectors like
engineering, design and digital.

17. The DfE’s blanket BAME strategy is
cloth-eared
This blanket approach is flawed by design.
By lumping all the non-white ethnicities
together under one target, we miss the
differences in existing patterns and future
needs for specific groups.
The proportion of BAME apprentices varies
around the country, but low apprenticeship
take-up is more significant among British
Asians than in other BAME communities,
where take-up is nearer the representative
population.

18. The cornerstone of our belief is…
“The best person to promote and sell
apprenticeship programmes are apprentices
themselves, this is where we will add additional
focus, we will strive practically at all levels and this
is where we need your support.”
Safaraz Ali

19. BAME Apprentice Network
Closing The Diversity Gap in Apprenticeships - aiming to change
apprenticeships’ landscape, empowering apprentices to develop personally
and professionally, as well as championing change within the sector.

20. Protect student choice: do not
withdraw funding for BTEC
qualifications
The BAME Apprenticeship Network
supports the #protectstudentchoice
campaign.
The #ProtectStudentChoice campaign
coalition of 29 organisations that represent
and support staff and students in schools,
colleges and universities is deeply
concerned about this plan.

21. Scrapping BTECs is bad for levelling
up and for BAME students
Less than half of all enrolments for
qualifications likely to be removed come from
the least deprived students.
As a stark comparison, the students who will
be impacted consist of:
• 46 per cent for Asian students
• 47 per cent for SEN students
• 50 per cent for those receiving free school
meals
• 47 per cent for the most deprived students
BTECs offer more than just a qualification,
they are a route of continued engagement, a
vital step in our aim for genuine lifelong
learning and for many, a stepping stone into
higher education and entering the workforce.

22. DEI Pledge
Our Diversity Pledge aims to support
employers in making a difference in the lives
of individuals of Black, Asian, and Minority
Ethnic backgrounds in starting sustainable
careers.

23. 100 BAME Apprentices Report
Key Insights on Culture & Diversity in Apprenticeships
BAME apprentices are facing numerous challenges,
influencing their engagement with apprenticeships, as
well as their experiences once in an apprentice role.
They wish to be part of support networks to improve
their experiences.
Employers also require support to recruit more
apprentices from BAME backgrounds.

24. Our campaigns
Dispelling Dyslexia
Inclusion in
Apprenticeships
Free Leadership
Training For Young
Apprentices
Formula 1 Tackling
Diversity Issues to
Make Motorsport
More Inclusive
National
Apprenticeship
Week
Pride in
Apprenticeship
Mental Health
Awareness
How to support
your Muslim
employees during
Ramadhan

25. Festival of Apprenticeships
Showcasing Opportunities to Future Talent - Roadshow exhibition promoting
and celebrating all things apprenticeships. More than just a careers fair or
conference, the event is a one-stop shop for anyone looking to find out more
about apprenticeships.

26. National Apprenticeship Week Campaign
30 Impactful
webinars
5,000 people
engaged
Attended by 300
Schools &
Colleges
Supported by over
100 Employers,
Learning Providers
& Universities

27. Where are we going to?
Where are we heading?
What has worked well and what do we need
to do?

28. Partnership working
What’s working well?
Enabling external networking opportunities
Motivating members and apprentices to connect and engage at the events and workshops
Support, guide and advice apprentice who require further assistance
Access to Cognassist Digital Cognitive Assessments
Empower LGBTQ+ people to be themselves in these environments
Help apprentices gain confidence to start their careers
Provide information of LGBTQ+ youth groups, rights in the workplace and self-advocacy

29. What we can do to champion further
change?
• Increase visibility of positive BAME
apprentice role models and leaders
• Create a network to support BAME
apprentices with personal and
professional development
• Carry out more research into the
disparities between different ethnicities
Support employers to:
• Engage with BAME communities
• Market more career opportunities to
potential BAME apprentices
• Create more progression opportunities for
BAME apprentices
• Develop a more diverse, inclusive and
equal workplace for all

30. Current conversations

31. UK government to scrap ‘BAME’ in
response to race inquiry
Ministers will drop the term black, Asian and
minority ethnic (BAME), beef up local
scrutiny of police stop and search and draft
a model history curriculum to teach Britain’s
“complex” past in response to the Sewell
report on racial disparities.
Inclusive Britain recommends dropping the
term BAME across government, as it is too
much of a catch-all, and gathering more
fine-grained data to inform future
policymaking.

32. BAME representation in UK's top jobs
has barely risen in past three years
The proportion of black, Asian and minority
ethnic people in some of the 1,100 most
powerful jobs in the UK has barely moved
over the past three years, according to a
study that highlights the lack of non-white
representation across key roles.
Only 51 out of the 1,097 most powerful roles
in the country are filled by non-white
individuals, an increase of only 1.2%, or 15
people, since 2017, the Colour of Power
survey by consultants Green Park and not-
for-profit organisation Operation Black Vote
said.

33. BAME representation in leadership roles
Embracing diversity
It’s a shocking but sadly true fact that the
care sector has a diversity problem.
It’s not that people from black, Asian and
minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds are
underrepresented in the adult social care
workforce – they make up 21% of all jobs,
which is more diverse than the overall
population of England.
However, this representation grinds to a halt
when it comes to senior roles.
Analysis, conducted by Grosvenor, of the 36
biggest care home and home care providers
who provide information on their board
members shows that only 5.4% come from
a BAME background.

34. Disadvantaged students ‘effectively
penalised’ for not studying A-levels,
research finds
The gap in grades between poorer sixth
form students and their better off peers
widened in 2020, Education Policy Institute
research has found.
Researchers said the gap was a result of A-
level students gaining a whole grade more
from teacher assessments than those who
studied qualifications such as BTECs.

35. DfE’s ‘bizarre’ BAME apprenticeships
strategy
“The Department for Education will
strengthen ethnic minority representation in
campaign imagery and make use of
“influencers” to tackle low numbers of
diverse young people taking
apprenticeships.
But experts have warned the action does
not go far enough, with one group saying it
is “simply bizarre” to think that racism and
inequality will be fixed by just running a
better advertising campaign.“

36. “Why I’m fighting to ditch the term ‘diversity’ – and
how we can actually become more inclusive
without it”
Influencer, creative consultant and writer
Arooj Aftab is done with the term ‘diversity’
and is pushing for real change in the fashion
and beauty industries – here’s why that
shouldn’t include the term ‘diversity’…

37. Please, don't call me BAME or BME! -
Zamila Bunglawala,
“The acronym BAME and the initialism BME
are, I feel, a good case in point. ‘BAME’
stands for ‘Black, Asian and minority ethnic’
and ‘BME’ stands for Black and Minority
Ethnic’. The terms are widely used by
government departments, public bodies, the
media and others when referring to ethnic
minority groups. Yet during research we
carried out with nearly 300 people across the
UK, we found that only a couple recognised
the acronyms and only one knew vaguely
what they actually stood for!
There is also a problem in that the terms
‘BAME’ and ‘BME’ aren’t always associated
with White ethnic minorities such as Gypsy,
Roma and Traveller of Irish Heritage groups,
which we know are among some of our most
marginalised and disadvantaged communities.
To leave these communities out of the very
language we use is to marginalise them even
further.”

38. A few thoughts…
38

39. Writing about ethnicity
BAME and BME
We do not use the terms BAME (black,
Asian and minority ethnic) and BME (black
and minority ethnic) because they
emphasise certain ethnic minority groups
(Asian and black) and exclude others
(mixed, other and white ethnic minority
groups).
The terms can also mask disparities
between different ethnic groups and create
misleading interpretations of data.
In March 2021, the Commission on Race
and Ethnic Disparities recommended that
the government stop using the term BAME.
One of the recommendations in the final
report on COVID-19 disparities, published in
December 2021, was to refer to ethnic
minority groups individually, rather than as a
single group.
This was supported by research
commissioned by the Race Disparity Unit
(RDU), which found that people from ethnic
minorities were 3 times more likely to agree
than disagree that the term ‘BAME’ was
unhelpful.

40. What is often said about how we go
about
creating highly valued apprenticeships?
• Employers, awarding organisations, providers, government
working together!!!
• Ensure traineeship provision produces learners ready to
progress to a full apprenticeship – is that happening? Kickstart
Scheme impact?
• Ensure that apprenticeships lead to sustainable careers – hit &
miss?
• Engage learners and find out their views – easy to say…
• Focus on quality, and the numbers will follow – doesn’t always
happen
40

41. How do we know how we’re doing?
• Number apprenticeship completions
• Number of levels achieved
• Number of apprentices in sustained employment
• Wage during and after apprenticeship
• Increase in productivity
41

42. Workplace push - pull factors
• Labour shortages and significant vacancies unfulfilled
• Skills gap: knowledge, skills and behaviours
• 72% of employers don’t train managers – results in 4 in 5 managers
being accidental
• 2m managers needed by 2024 (UKCES), potentially a lot more, it’s
the middle that’s being squeezed
• Mid career hopping and being head hunted
• Wage inflation and pressure, rising pay
• Cross industry and sector migration
• Productivity gap issues prevalent

43. Other areas of focus
• Map the Learning and Development to the funding opportunities
and the qualifications including apprenticeship standards
• The Leadership team and senior managers need to sales savvy
and give the right message across the business and to
employers
• Investment in Business Development and Tendering
• Customer service and account management
• Data in your business and in the correct context

44. Some opportunities
• New forms of Partnership and “sub-contracting”
• Learning and Development at the boardroom table
• Contract sizes for employers dwarf the contracts from the ESFA
• National Skills Fund
• Advanced Learner Loans
• Traineeships
• Engaging with Restart Scheme providers

45. What does our future look like
us?

46. We’re evolving…

47. How do we on an individual and collective
basis actively engage and change the
mindset to ensure we have a skilled diverse
workforce for future economic growth and to
ensure a fully integrated society?

48. Let’s
connect…
safaraz@pathwaygroup.co.uk
30th March 2022
linkedin.com/in/safaraz/
@SafarazAli
@Safaraz_Ali