This document provides tips for recruiting a diverse range of apprentices, including underrepresented groups. It recommends widely advertising vacancies, using images of a diverse workforce, and engaging with influencers in minority communities. Employers should address unconscious bias in recruitment by anonymizing CVs and focusing interviews on collecting information rather than making immediate decisions. The document also stresses the importance of workplace mentors and staff training to improve retention of a diverse apprentice pool.

1. Recruiting Diverse Apprentices
#asianappawards

2. Introduction
This presentation includes some of the most
common hints and tips from researchers,
employers and BAME people.
Many of them are just as relevant to
recruiting other kinds of employees.

3. Promote vacancies
• Advertise as widely as possible , including
using Find an Apprenticeship
• Include a note in adverts welcoming
applications from under-represented groups
• Engage with BAME influencers
• Use images of a diverse workforce in your
promotional materials
• Make recruitment criteria specific and
essential to the role
• Use a diverse interview team

4. Use outreach
• The Institute for Employment Studies suggests:
• Appoint outreach workers with established community
networks
• Work in schools (eg those with high proportions of ethnic
minority students) and through 14-19 partnerships to
promote apprenticeships
• Engage with radio shows on community radio stations,
with ethnic minority employers and apprentices sharing
experiences and advertising vacancies
• Use established events and campaigns to promote
apprenticeships, e.g. ‘melas’ and Black History Month
• Raise awareness among BAME-owned businesses

5. Address unconscious bias in
recruitment
• The Chartered Institute for Professional
Development used behavioural science to
recommend 18 tips for better recruitment
practice, for example:
• Group and anonymise CVs when
reviewing them
• If discussing unconscious bias, emphasise
the desired behaviour of assessors, rather
than the problem
• Focus interviews on collecting
information, not making the decision

6. On the apprenticeship
• Offer support via workplace mentors to
improve retention and progression
• Offer staff training in issues around
discrimination and harassment

7. Monitoring
• Business In The Community recommends
the use of monitoring to:
• Identify ‘bottle necks’ in the talent
pipeline and where to target action and
resources
• Assess how employment policies and
processes are working and identify areas
where these appear to be impacting
disproportionally on certain groups of
staff

8. Asian Apprenticeship Awards
The Asian Apprenticeship Awards will take
place on 10th November in Birmingham
City Centre at the newly refurbished
Holiday Inn. 450 people will attend to
recognise and celebrate the talent and
diversity among apprentices within the
BME Asian community, and the employers
and learning providers who are reaching
out to them.

9. Credit
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/s
ystem/uploads/attachment_data/file/5436
78/Apprenticeship_Diversity_Champions_N
etwork_-_Communications_Toolkit.pdf