REC News Updates - Diversity Pilot Schemes
The Recruitment and Employment Confederation, the representative body for the recruitment industry, is piloting an auditing scheme for diversity for members. This is a new service for members that will enable them to bid for contracts that require a level of diversity expertise.Marcia Roberts, Acting CEO of REC commenting on the scheme says: "The REC has been leading the way in promoting the diversity agenda with members. Following the joint launch of the Diversity Pledge for agencies with Job Centre Plus in December 2005, we are delighted to be taking this service one step further.
“The completed pilots have been very successful and will lead to a scheme which will allow recruitment agencies to differentiate themselves as leaders in diversity in the market. This is a win-win situation for recruitment businesses and the ever more diverse labour market.”
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For more information about the REC, contact Alison Henderson, Press Manager, the REC, 020 7009 2157.
NOTES TO EDITORS:
Marcia Roberts sits on the stakeholder group that feeds into the Department of Work and Pension’s Ethnic Minority Employment Advisory Group.
The preliminary results of REC’s quarterly industry tracking survey show that 24% of placements through recruitment agencies are filled by candidates of ethnic minority origin. The results of the first two quarters of this survey will be published in September.
The REC is the association for the £24.5 billion private recruitment and staffing industry in the UK, with over 8,000 recruitment agencies and over 5,500 recruitment consultants in membership. All members must abide by a Code of Professional Practice.
There are 1.2 million temporary workers registered with UK agencies, and up to 1 million temps are deployed in industry, commerce and the public services every day. Temps, from professionally qualified and highly skilled workers to first time market entrants and returners, are a valuable and flexible component of the UK labour market.
The REC is able to speak on all aspects of the labour market, from employment legislation and workplace issues, to skills shortages, implications for the economy of changes in employment levels and the benefits of temporary work.
About REC's Diversity work
The Diversity Pledge was launched by REC and JobCentre Plus in December 2005. Since then over 500 recruitment agencies have adopted the pledge.
In addition to the Pledge an online diagnostic tool was created for small businesses to quickly and easily identify their strengths and weaknesses in their recruitment procedures from a diversity perspective.
The REC's ground breaking work on diversity was recognised by our peers when it was awarded the Trade Association Forum's Social Initiative of the Year award in July 2006.
For further information on REC's award winning diversity work see www.rec.uk.com/diversity
August 25 2006
www.rec.uk.com, 08.04.06
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