The Multicultural Apprenticeship Alliance and The 5% Club join forces to help enable equity in Apprenticeships

Partnership for Multiculturalism in Apprenticeships

The Multicultural Apprenticeship Alliance and The 5% Club are pleased to announce a new “Partnership for Inclusive Apprenticeships” which will see them working more closely and collaborating to inspire employers to positively act to enhance the equity within, and the inclusivity of their Apprenticeship Schemes for the benefit of all current and future apprentices agnostic of their individual characteristics or social background.

This new partnership will shape and focus employer collaborations and interventions that support minority or disadvantaged groups into an apprenticeship, with their existing or a new employer, encouraging and promoting the adoption and investment in inclusive workplaces, practice, and apprenticeship schemes. This will include a range of initiatives and events that aim to help employers support a diversity of apprentices as they develop the life skills that are so essential in the modern workplace, and especially for those in their early careers. It will also shape and encourage positive employer action to maximise the presented opportunities and remove unnecessary or unseen barriers to quality skills development opportunities for every member of the workforce, across all career stages and levels.

At a time when there is an unprecedented demand for skills across the country and throughout all sectors of the economy, the partners are keen to help employers maximise the potential in every talent pool, especially those where the barriers to participation are the greatest. Additionally, the partners are keen to challenge the established or out-dated norms within apprenticeship schemes and ensure the wealth of talent in all areas of our society is maximised in full, to the benefit of engaged employers and the wider economy.

The partners are well fitted for this collaboration and have already shared the stage at a range of event and functions, most recently during the “Elevate Equity” event held by The Open University; such engagements underlining their shared purpose, common values and desire to make the opportunities within the workplace accessible and inclusive to all, especially those presented by apprenticeships and the wider “earn and learn” schemes.  

Jagdeep Soor, Head of Strategic Partnerships for The Multicultural Apprenticeship Alliance said

“I am extremely excited about our partnership with The 5% Club. This partnership will have a positive impact in promoting diversity, inclusion, equity and social mobility to a wider range of organisations. By bringing together the goals of both our organisations we will be able to create more opportunities for people from multicultural backgrounds.

Safaraz Ali, CEO of the Pathway Group and founder of The Multicultural Apprenticeship Alliance Trust said,

“The partnership with the Multicultural Apprenticeship Alliance (powered by Pathway Group) and The 5% Club will lead to an increased awareness and support for the vision and missions of both organisations. The potential for collaboration, sharing expertise and the best practice between each other and with the organisations we both work with, will contribute to better prospects for marginalised communities and individuals.”

Mark Cameron OBE, CEO of The 5% Club said,

“This new partnership builds on The 5% Club purpose and provides a crucial lens through which we can focus our activity for the benefit every worker but especially those who face the greatest challenge in accessing apprenticeship schemes, by dint of their individual characteristics or social background. This is especially relevant in the current climate of near full employment, where employers need to think and act differently to access the employees they need, now and into the future …”

He adds, “The 5% Club is well placed for this challenge, with our membership now numbering over 890 Employers, representing 1.6m workers and nearly 100,000 staff members on earn & learn schemes. We have a record of inspiring our members to create opportunities using workplace learning, and it is clear there is a need to redouble efforts in support of minority or disadvantaged groups in particular.”