Publish date: 4 October 2021

Public sector organisations unite to support BAME people and disabled people into new careers

A portrait of a male wearing scrubs.

NHS organisations and local authorities in the North East are hosting a recruitment event to help Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic people, and disabled people, start new careers.

Virtual careers sessions will be held between October 11-16, introducing attendees to opportunities with Newcastle, Gateshead, South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS trusts; Northumbria Healthcare; North East Ambulance Service; Health Education England; Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne & Wear Mental Health Trust; Newcastle City Council and Northumberland County Council.

All employers attending are committed to ensuring they have inclusive workplaces which are representative of the communities they serve, and have come together to make sure opportunities within their organisations are promoted to a variety of people.

Helen Ray, Chief Executive Officer at North East Ambulance Service, said: “As an inclusive organisation we want people to be able to come to work and be their authentic self.

“We want to give everyone the opportunity to develop and grow in an environment that recognises and embraces who they are, and the valuable contributions they all bring to the Trust.

“To recruit the best people, we need to attract people from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences, events such as this are extremely important to help us to do this.

“We are fully committed to any activity that helps us to reach out into communities to promote ourselves as an inclusive employer in the region and look forward to working with partners and prospective employees to help people into work.”

Sir James Mackey, chief executive of Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, added: “As part of our ongoing efforts to provide the best possible care for patients, we are fully committed to recruiting the very best people from a wide range of backgrounds in order to reflect the communities we serve. We recognise that some may not be fully aware of the range of opportunities we have on offer or how to access available posts in our organisation, so we are delighted to support this event focused on disabled and BAME communities and my team look forward to meeting you on the day.”

A range of workshops throughout the week will provide participants with an insight into working for the different organisations involved, help people identify which roles may suit their skills, offer support with interviews and applications, and much more.