All our Learning & Development developers are made aware of the issues of diversity (including disability) and the implications for product development. In developing materials accessibility is a key consideration. Products are developed in small bite size learning packages which facilitate access for a wide range of delegates. Modular training is also made available in alternative formats so that the learning can be accessed in the workplace. The development of e-learning further supports accessibility.

External providers are asked, as part of the bidding process, to explain their diversity practices and activities. Start-up meetings are held with external learning providers where disability is discussed as is the issue of accessibility to learning by the customer group. Providers are made aware of Jobcentre Plus policy on accessibility of learning. Contract managers monitor to ensure that learning is developed in a way that facilitates take up by people with disabilities, including alternative formats where required.

JobcentrePlus

A Central Resourcing team has been set up and has developed new standards for working with recruitment agencies, which include disability equality. The Resourcing team have been involved in ensuring that our preferred supplier list for strategic recruitment partners is tasked with increasing the diversity of short listed candidates, including disabled people.

Additionally, all suppliers will be reminded of their responsibilities in a revised procurement procedure. We have held supplier workshops which included a session on diversity and inclusion and discussion around disability. We are carrying out a review of all supplier led agreements and are encouraging all our suppliers to work with Jobcentre Plus. We are supporting the Employers' Forum project to develop detailed guidance for procurement departments when outsourcing recruitment.

Centrica

At the British Council we use Adecco to fill our temporary staff vacancies. We have built a commitment to diversity - with specific reference to disability, ethnicity, gender and age - into their brief. We ask for quarterly reports that show the profile of all staff sent to us and annual analysis of this data is undertaken by an external EO monitoring specialist. On finding out that we were using Jobcentre Plus and their Disability Advisers to advertise British Council permanent external vacancies, Adecco have now developed a relationship with the Disability Advisers at Jobcentre Plus to explore ways to widen their pool of recruits. Like the British Council, Adecco are members of the Employers' Forum on Disability and monitor the diversity of their own workforce as well as their clients'.

Jobs are now being advertised to a much wider pool which not only raises our profile in the UK but means we can potentially draw on a much more diverse pool of people.

British Council

“Supplier diversity ensures equal opportunities for all businesses to bid for contracts, irrespective of their owner's ethnicity, gender or disability. Supplier diversity builds relationships with under-represented suppliers and encourages the use of these businesses where opportunities exist. It also plays an important role in increasing the visibility of economic participation and growth of under-represented business communities”

Goldman Sachs believes that by broadening its supplier base it will gain access to new ideas, increase competition and receive better value for money. It is also mindful that companies that have supplier diversity programmes may gain competitive advantage in bidding for public contracts should legislation governing public procurement be widened in the near future to achieve social objectives.

In January 2005, Goldman Sachs joined a group of multinational corporations to form the European Supplier Diversity Business Forum. As a member of the forum it will engage in some or all of the following activities:

• Develop an effective framework to promote supplier diversity
• Take action where possible to remove/ minimise any barriers within the organisations that may prevent under-represented supplying goods and services
• Develop programmes to encourage and empower under-represented businesses
• Monitor and evaluate its programme on a continuing basis to assess its impact
• Develop internal and external databases of under-represented businesses
• From the experience gained, construct and build up the business case for supplier diversity
• Communicate and benchmark progress

Goldman Sachs has issued a questionnaire to all its suppliers in order to understand how diverse they are, and has customised an e-sourcing tool to allow suppliers who are bidding for contracts to explain their approach to diversity. Annabel Smith points out that it is all too easy for large organisations just to go to a recognised large supplier, and a database of diverse suppliers would be useful.

The bank would also like its suppliers to demonstrate their support for initiatives such as placements for disabled people by encouraging similar initiatives in their own workplaces. Smith accordingly met with Goldman Sach's head of general services to discuss how the bank could persuade its suppliers to start up such initiatives. One if its suppliers, Pitney Bowes, has just started a partnership with Citigroup.”

Goldman Sachs