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Birmingham
Partnership Autumn 2001 Volume 1, Issue 8 Releasing
Change! Contents Briefing: Education News:
Employment News:
Board Profile: Why Business Coaching? BPC looks forward to a year in which the challenge of addressing race diversity issue is high on the agenda for all public, private or voluntary organisations. The outcome of the Stephen Lawrence enquiry has contributed twoards shifting the euqality debate. Its identification of the existence of institutional racism and recommendations of how best organisations might go about addressing the issue has repercussions which extent far outside the world of public institutions. further reinforcement to countering racism is also to be found in the amendments to the Race Relations Act, extending the remit of the Act. What all this means for BPC is that there is greater urgency to enter into dialogue with statutory agencies, employers and schools about their equality strategy. No longer can equality matters be seen as "add-ons" to mainstream service delivery. Rather they must increasingly be considered as an integral part of service delivery. All employers will be faced with a greater obligation to develop an equality strategy and ensure that an appropriate member of staff has responsibility for overseeing, monitoring and reviewing it. BPC will continue to endeavour to assist organisations working to capture and release the potential of the African and Caribbean community. There has however, always existed a peculiar backdrop to this mission in that it has been driven by the existence of stark differential rates in attainment in schools and employment-differential rates which are clearly related to ethnicity and not ability. As we continue to work to ensure that all pupils and employees gain an equal opportunity to fulfil their potential, regardless of their ethnicity, the New Year offers much! Eric
McKenzie Education News Raising Expectations and Achievement in Literacy (REAL) The REAL Project will be run jointly by Birmingham Partnership for Change and the National Literacy Association. The proposal is to focus on three Birmingham primary schools: St John's (Ladywood), St Francis RC JI (Aston) and Nelson School (Ladywood). It will involve close on 130 children aged 9 to 10 in the first year. REAL will use a high level of Information and Communications Technology including a hand-held portable computer for each child together with more traditional methods. The project will work with children, their teachers, parents and other carers to make achievement in literacy a priority at school and in the home by using a combination of technological and traditional approaches. These will include:
The enormous effort expended to secure funds for the implementation of this initiative has resulted in the current total of £96,000. In kind contributions and support have helped to move the project closer to its commencement. Planning meetings have commenced with various key partners to discuss and finalise the REAL action plan. Agreement has been reached around joint management responsibility in this partnership. A co-ordinator will be appointed by February 2002 with responsibility for the day to day management of the project. REAL will be an intervention strategy that will be used as a good practice model to be adopted by the LEA and DFES for wider dissemination. Additionally, REAL will be one of the projects evaluating portables for Birmingham. Following the successful supplementary school teacher training events in April and May 2001, additional training needs were identified. Discussions have commenced with a number of key partners including the DfES funded Supplementary Schools Support Service, Birmingham City Council and the Mentoring Access Point in Birmingham to ensure access to training is a major priority for African Caribbean supplementary schools in Birmingham. Additionally, supplementary schools have been encouraged to access a number of training workshops to improve their capacity to raise standards in Birmingham. Those initiatives include:
As part of its objective to facilitate linkages between supplementary schools and mainstream schools, Birmingham Partnership for Change has commenced negotiations with Birmingham Advisory and Support Service (BASS), on the issue of training provision for supplementary school teachers being embedded in training organised for mainstream schools. Birmingham
Partnership for Change would like to see consistency and sustainability
in any measures implemented to impact on achievement to produce an upward
trend in achievement for the African Caribbean community. Parents are
vital in supporting achievement and the Chief Inspector of Schools recently
reinforced this important issue1.
BPC would like to see further provisions made to improve this key support
element for the African Caribbean community. _________________
African Caribbean School Governors One of
the Education Officer's key strategies has been to increase the number
of African Caribbean governors in Birmingham schools. As a result of
a series of governor recruitment fairs conducted in November 2000, BPC
has achieved its milestone for 2001/2002 of a 10% increase in African
Caribbean governors appointed to primary and secondary schools in Birmingham.
A report has been produced discussing the findings from the governor
recruitment campaign 2000. This will be used to support the development
of an Action Plan on governor recruitment to produce quantifiable objectives
required over the life of our strategic plan. Graduate Professional Programme "GET ON UP" The Education
Officer met with Cheron Byfield, Head of Careers and Enterprise Department,
at the Wolverhampton University) about the University's use of the "Get
on Up" pack to support the career management and skill building
for Black undergraduates and graduates. The pack will be used as part
of their Positive Action programme designed to enhance the employment
prospects of students who are at a disadvantage in the graduate labour
market including ethnic minority students. University of Birmingham - Widening Participation The
Education Officer recently met Dr Robert Bushaway, Director of Research
Support and Business Development, and Dr Kevin Whitston, Director of
the Widening Participation Unit, University of Birmingham, to discuss
how we might work in partnership on various aspects of BPC's strategy.
Birmingham University currently operate an 'Access to Birmingham' scheme,
a key initiative aimed at countering educational disadvantage and opening
educational opportunities for able students from groups currently under-represented
at Birmingham University. Students who are interested should contact
Dr Kevin Whitston on 0121 414 7169. The
Education Officer attended an Enterprising Schools event on 9th October
2001, at Thinktank, Birmingham. A number of schools were represented
including primary, secondary and special schools. Schools and businesses
came together to share their achievements. Speakers included Ivan Lewis,
MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Young People and Learning
at the Department for Education and Skills, David Cragg MBE, executive
Director, Birmingham and Solihull Learning & Skills Council and
Karl George, Managing Director, George Leedham Chartered Certified Accountants.
Karl delivered a motivational address, specifically to children in the
audience, about his route to success. He re-iterated that success can
be 'picked'. Karl epitomises the strong, positive Black role model,
a dedicated and determined young entrepreneur who is influential in
raising achievement for young African Caribbeans in Birmingham. 100 Black Men - Mentoring in Birmingham BPC
supported this annual fund raising gala of
Employment News Interactive
Workshops on Recruitment Birmingham Partnership for Change continues its work to achieve Diversity in the Workplace through its work with Race for Opportunity employers, one of which is the BBC, West Midlands. In June 2001, Heloise Shervington, the Employment Development Officer (EDO) initiated meetings with the BBC West Midlands to discuss what the company is doing to engage with and improve its recruitment of African and Caribbean people. The EDO's contact with the BBC was very timely as diversity is one of five key themes that 'forms the framework for (the BBC's) community vision ....over the next four years'. In addition to this, Iona Jones was appointed as the BBC's Diversity Advisor to 'revise and implement the diversity action plan.....in the workforce'. Initial meetings between Iona and her colleague Alison Marsh, Work Experience Co-ordinator and me focussed on agreeing an event that would forge links between the BBC and Birmingham's African and Caribbean community. Other BBC staff were consulted and it was agreed that that an 'open day' event, with workshops would meet several objectives:
The BBC/BPC 'Interactive Workshop on Recruitment for African and Caribbean Organisations was held at the Pebble Mill Studios on Wednesday 31 October 2001. Representatives from organisations that support African and Caribbean people into employment (community, voluntary and statutory) were invited and were accompanied by two African and Caribbean service users. BPC used
its links with African and Caribbean organisations and statutory, voluntary
and community agencies that support African and Caribbean people into
employment to bring the BBC into contact with them. The day was organised to give participants as broad a view as possible of the BBC and its many departments. Workshops covered the Newsroom, Outside Broadcasts, Network TV, BBC WM and Network Graphics, which were all very interactive. The Press/PR and Online ER workshop gave participants the opportunity to raise the issues and discuss the reasons why the BBC has so few African and Caribbean staff. Issues that were also discussed during the question and answer session. Many important and forward-looking ideas were suggested attended by the participants throughout the course of the day. Keynote speakers were Elonka Soros, Diversity Editor spoke about her role to ensure that BBC programmes are as inclusive as possible and that they reflect the diversity if the listeners in the West Midlands. Pat Younge, who is, at present, the only black Senior Executive for the BBC spoke about his varied career as a journalist and TV producer with the BBC, LWT and Channel 4. He is now Head of Programmes and Planning, BBC Sport. Pat's message to the audience was that 'the BBC needs more black and Asian people working inside and more pressure applied from outside'. Pat ended his presentation with words of encouragement for the audience 'I hope to see some of you in the future as I walk around the corridors of the BBC'. Andy Griffee, Controller, BBC English Regions stated that the days events 'had highlighted to him many of the problems birmingham african caribbean community that face the BBC and its equal opportunities programme'. The event ended on a very positive note with the announcement, by Andy, that funding of £125,000 will be made available to improve the BBCs recruitment of African and Caribbean and other ethnic minority people in Birmingham and the West Midlands. A follow-up meeting was held at the Wallace Lawler Centre on Thursday 22 Novembers 2001, with representatives from the BBC, Birmingham Partnership for Change, African and Caribbean organisations and statutory agencies. As a result of the meeting, actions were agreed, which include:
PatYoung addresses the conference Whilst
the BBC faces many challenges in achieving true diversity within its
workforce, the Interactive Workshop on Recruitment, the meeting with
the community organisations and the actions to be taken are an indication
of the BBC's commitment to employing 'an increasingly diverse workforce.' Update - Careers in the Professional World It was reported in the Winter 2001 edition of Releasing Change that an African and Caribbean professional services sector conference would take place in March 2001. The second event was called 'the Careers in the Professional World Seminar and was held at The Drum. As in the previous year, African and Caribbean pupils from Birmingham schools participated in workshops, facilitated by black professional people. In addition to the seminar, work experience and job-shadowing opportunities were arranged with professional services and financial sector companies. Fourteen Year 10 African and Caribbean pupils from Archbishop Isley Catholic School, St Albans Church of England School and Bartley Green Technology College expressed an interest in work experience with companies within the professional services and financial sectors. To ensure that all the young people were offered a placement, companies within the sector were contacted and asked to participate in the activity. To date, 12 pupils have completed work experience in this activity. Companies that offered the placements were: Lee Crowder
- Solicitors Demographic Forecasts for Birmingham indicate that by 2010:
These are just some of the facts that were revealed at the Employment Growth and Skills Gap Seminar on Monday 3 December 2001, here at the offices of Birmingham Partnership for Change. Speaker Earl Pinnock, of Birmingham & Solihull Learning and Skills Council, shared this information and much more with invited guests on the changing demographics of Birmingham, which included employment growth areas and skill shortages. Birmingham has seen an increase in employment opportunities that, it is predicted, will increase to 50% by 2010. Despite the strength of Birmingham's economy, employment levels of African and Caribbean people were lower in 1999 than they were in 1994. Comparisons between the population profile of Birmingham and its employment rates indicate that African and Caribbean residents are under-represented in Birmingham's resident employment base. The presentation generated a great deal of discussion on the issues, barriers and challenges facing African and Caribbean people in accessing education, training and employment. Post-code and other discriminatory practices were sited some of the barriers. Despite
the seriousness of the discussion, participants were keen to work collaboratively
with Birmingham Partnership for Change to address the issues identified.
Further meetings will be held in early 2002. Karl Thompson, Paper Merchant, Millstock Trading Ltd - BPC Board Member KARL THOMPSON
was born in 1968 in Birmingham into a family of 5 brothers and 4 sisters.
Having been educated at Queensbridge Comprehensive school in Kings Heath,
Birmingham he left school with O'Levels in Maths and English, and a
place at a local technical college in Hall Green. Why Business Coaching? Tiger Team Business
Coaching has emerged as a critical activity to support individuals and
team development and provide new directions in productivity and overall
organisational effectiveness. It is a professional service for organisations
wishing to improve the performance of their most valuable asset, their
people. Recently Birmingham Partnership for Change hired in the Tiger
Team, a professional Business Coaching Company. Tiger Team worked with
key employees on assertiveness, confidence building, communication and
presentation skills and the benefits of adopting a coaching approach
to their individual and team tasks. Phil Beardwell, Director of The
Tiger Team quotes "The skill level at BPC was already at a high
standard, working with Individuals on a one to one basis was to increase
their skills further by coaching them on relevant skills and competencies
within their job role which would give them the biggest payback."
Group sessions focused more on how communication and motivation works
enabling the delegates to see change as a challenge, improve their work
performance and work more congruently as a team. If you would like to
know how Business Coaching could help move your business forward call
The Tiger Team on 01676 523211 or alternatively E.mail PhilBeardwell@tigerteam.fsbusiness.co.uk
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