The adoption of an ‘underrepresented-first’ approach to its graduate scheme saw Police Now scoop this prestigious award among a strong field. We sum up its achievements and those of the runners up.
WINNER
Police Now
The death of George Floyd and rise of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020 highlighted the need for a policing workforce representative of its community. Although 14% of the UK population comes from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds, only 7.3% of police officers do so.
Police Now faces a double challenge: more than half of people from ethnic minority backgrounds believe the criminal justice system discriminates against them, and the appeal of a career in the police has decreased by 26%. Furthermore, feedback shows that diverse participants can feel alienated when they join their policing teams: 86% of white officers felt welcomed by their colleagues, compared to 74% of officers from ethnic minority backgrounds.
The organisation took an ‘underrepresented first’ approach to its graduate scheme, using data to look at why ethnic minority candidates did not apply to forces, and building a campaign that addressed these issues head on. Targeted campaigns using authentic voices highlighted the positive impacts candidates could make in their communities. Applicants from ethnic minority backgrounds received one-to-one coaching and mentoring.
Feedback for the programme was positive – the average rating for candidate experience in the industry is +24 (out of 100), and the 2020/21 recruitment cycle scored +69 for the application process, +46 for assessment and 55+ for the assessment centre. Around a quarter of this cohort identifies as coming from an ethnic minority background, up from 17% the year before. In addition, 61% identify as female, and 55% were the first in their family to go to university.
RUNNERS-UP
Infinity Works (part of Accenture)
In 2016, Infinity Works launched an academy as a career entry path into the tech sector. The 12-week programme leads to a role as an entry-level software engineer or consultant. Since the launch, 66% of graduates hired have risen to senior consultant level. To meet increased demand for engineers, it decided to enhance the programme in 2020.
Last year the company changed the selection process to focus on candidates’ passion for learning rather than their background. The September 2020 cohort therefore included 13 graduates, two third-year placements and a career changer. The Academy was launched as a sub-brand to help it stand out from other graduate recruitment schemes, hosting guest lectures and offering interview skills training.
During Covid, Infinity Works brought a further 42 people into the business, despite moving to a remote model. Former graduates deliver many of the programmes so new recruits learn from people with recent experience of the role they will move into. The scheme has been recognised by youth employment charity Generation, which has run a version of the scheme for its own service users. A similar programme was also run at Sainsbury’s.
The company was acquired by Accenture in February 2021. Some 81 of the 450 Infinity Works employees came up through the academy, so will play a key role in its future.
MBDA UK
MBDA is a defence engineering company that designs missile systems for the UK armed forces, employing 4,000 people. A large proportion of its demographic is due to retire in the next 10 to 15 years, so a robust talent pipeline is crucial for its succession plans.
Early careers staff make up around 8% of the workforce at MBDA, and there are around 170 graduates on its graduate schemes. These two-year programmes span engineering, operations, business and finance, with four rotational placements across the organisation. Graduates receive on-the-job training from managers and colleagues, and are encouraged to seek professional registration where appropriate.
The graduate scheme sits alongside an apprenticeship programme, and the apprenticeship levy has enabled the company to expand the range of qualifications it offers, including leadership and management qualifications and masters degrees. An intensive residential course develops graduates’ personal skills.
Each year the company takes on around 85 graduates permanently in roles that would otherwise have to be filled externally, at much greater cost. MBDA estimates that it saves around £175,000 a year, and a 68% retention rate of graduates in the business is also a strong success indicator. Since 2008, individual graduates and the programme itself have won or been shortlisted for 121 awards.
Savills UK
At the beginning of 2020, property company Savills UK had recruited its latest cohort of graduates when the pandemic struck. While many employers were closing their graduate schemes, the company decided to shift to a virtual programme. More than 100 graduates took part in a series of online induction events, experienced interactive training over Zoom and listened to virtual speaker events.
As restrictions began to be lifted in summer 2020, the company’s summer placement was adapted so that 68 students could attend work experiences at its offices. To keep graduates engaged, Savills ran virtual catch ups and one-to-ones, introduced a social media challenge where graduates could capture their first month in the business, set up virtual networking events and created a digital learning hub.
From a diversity and inclusion perspective, Savills has introduced blind screening to reduce bias, used a contextual recruitment tool to source people from different educational backgrounds and has become a disability confident employer, hiring its first profoundly deaf graduate. Retention rates for the programme were 87%, and 84% of the last three years’ intakes are still working for the company. This year Savills was listed in the Times Top 100 graduate employers for the 15th year running.
Vets4Pets (part of Pets at Home Group)
Vets4Pets created its graduate development scheme with the aim of developing ‘the whole vet’ – spanning the complexity of clinical practice but also supporting them with their early careers. According to research by the British Veterinary Association and the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, many graduates struggle in their transition to practice life, leading many to leave. Covid compounded this sense of isolation, with some graduates forced to consult with customers in car parks or over the phone.
The Vets4Pets scheme began 10 years ago and now welcomes 80 graduates per year alongside a permanent role in one of its practices. For graduates with less than a year’s qualification experience, there are professional development tools and support. Graduates also receive a support buddy from a previous year, and there is a two-day induction so new joiners can meet each other and network with colleagues from across the business.
During the pandemic, continuous professional development was offered in the form of live-streamed surgery, virtual workshops and webinars. On top of clinical learning, vets spend time working on communication skills, emotional intelligence and how they can reduce the risk of human error. This year, graduates received free access to the Headspace mindfulness app to support their mental health. There are regular check-ins with peers and mentors and grants available for training in other practice areas.
The company’s graduate scheme attracted a Net Promoter Score of +69, and the induction event alone scored +75. It also won an award for best onboarding and induction programme from the Institute of Student Employers. “The programme has helped my transition from university to real life by providing support both in the CPD allowance and by also having check-ups with the regional managers,” said one graduate.
Vodafone (in partnership with Aon’s Assessment Solutions)
Vodafone has redefined the behaviours it wanted to hire against under the banner of ‘Spirit of Vodafone’. This focuses on four core values: creating the future; experimenting and learning fast; earning customer loyalty; and getting it done together. This encompasses an aim to hire early career employees based on potential rather than experience.
In partnership with Aon’s Assessment Solutions, Vodafone developed a graduate scheme that would incorporate transparency about working for the company, diversity and inclusion and help to help it address its ‘Tech 2025’ digital workforce strategy. They developed a method of determining success across 40 measurements including candidate satisfaction and the length assessment centres took to offboard candidates. An online pre-screening platform matched candidates to the necessary tech skills through simulations, case studies, group activities and interviews.
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Vodafone supported candidates with digital mentoring and recruitment support sessions, and also ran its first ever national competition asking students to innovate on the company’s technology. Benefits have included more consistency over candidate assessment, a reduction in university partners but increased investment in finding diverse tech talent, more function-specific assessments and a more user-friendly hiring platform.
Assessment drop-off rates have reduced from 56% last year to 30% this year; the number of female applicants has gone up from 30% to 43%, with 28% of female applications for digital career paths. The scheme attracted an 8.8/10 positivity rating from candidates, with 89% reporting that they enjoyed the assessment centre and the same proportion finding the process fair and relevant.
