Diversity in Leeds
Stephen Iball
business development director of Diverse Culture.
It is a startling fact that by the year 2010, less than 20% of the UK working population will be white, male, able-bodied and under the age of 45. Helping organisations meet their legal duties to promote equality in the workplace is Leeds-based Diverse Culture, which was formed with the help of West Yorkshire Ventures.
Created by brothers Stephen and David Iball and Martyn Rainford, Diverse Culture provides employers of all sizes with e-learning products that are used to train employees to value and understand diversity and equality across race, disability, age, gender, religion and sexual orientation as well as avoid potentially costly non-compliance with equalities legislation.
Business development director, Stephen Iball said: "Our training programmes use psychology to help people look at things in new ways and change the way they think and behave. Too much traditional training simply tries to tell people what they should and shouldn't do without helping them to understand the benefits to the individual in improving the way they act.
"Business leaders who fail to recognise the business case for diversity, are likely to suffer both commercially and in terms of brand reputation. Companies need to recognise the communities in which they operate. By failing to do so, they are limiting both the talent pool from which they recruit and promote, and the customers they target through their marketing."
There is a duty of care for all public sector organisations to train employees in race and discrimination awareness and a social argument for private companies to ensure the issue of diversity and discrimination within the workplace are addressed. Diverse Culture offers hour long e-learning modules that will raise an individual's awareness of the issues and provide a training benchmark for all employees.
Stephen continued: "We are now in a position to provide bespoke and off-the shelf training e-learning schemes for all organisations thanks to West Yorkshire Ventures. Through funding our business plan, marketing strategy and software licenses we were able to seek the funding we needed from business angels to get the company from an idea to implementation. Not only have they provided practical support but its advisors have provided us with terrific advice and we'll certainly continue to look to them for support as we grow the business."
West Yorkshire Ventures is funded by Regional Development Agency, Yorkshire Forward and is tasked with supporting pre-start-up companies that have the potential to turnover £1 million within three years of commencing trading.
Anne Salisbury, manager of West Yorkshire Ventures, said: "From a business perspective, diversity should be harnessed to gain competitive advantage to explore new markets and customers. Diverse Culture's range of CD ROMs, internet and intranet products enables organisations to respond and understand the UK's changing demographics. Just one example of this change is that ethnic minorities will account for half the growth in the working population by 2009. "
Alex McWhirter, Head of Enterprise at Yorkshire Forward, said: "As in the public sector, diversity in the workplace is a central, strategic issue for UK business. I am delighted that West Yorkshire Ventures is now at the forefront of helping organisations raise standards in this area through offering structured solutions - as provided by Diverse Culture - and supporting them as they help companies focus on genuine culture change."
Stephen concluded: "As well as motivating staff and understanding the needs and aspirations of different employees and customers, there is the additional business case that government suppliers will need a positive diversity training record before a contract is able be awarded."
Diverse Culture is sponsoring 'Muslims in the Workplace' conference at the Round Foundry Media Centre on April 6. For further information log onto
For information about West Yorkshire ventures log onto www.wyventures.co.uk
Ends
For all press enquiries please contact Michelle Horne at RAM PR on 01423 720 001 or email michelleh@rampr.co.uk |
