A NOT-FOR-PROFIT company has announced an inclusive project to help businesses attract talented black, minority and ethnic (BME) women into the Scottish workforce.

Diversity Works, the new project from Adopt an Intern (AAI) has been backed by the Scottish Government’s Workplace Equality Fund and is set to launch in Glasgow on November 26 before going nationwide.

The launch will see potential employers, policymakers, community leaders and BME women come together to highlight the need for inclusive hiring and work processes in Scotland.

In 2014, a Scottish Government survey recorded the employment rate of BME workers as 13% lower than their white counterparts, with a higher gap (20%) for BME women than men (8%) – Joy Lewis, chief executive of Adopt an Intern, has plans to change that.

“With talent engagement becoming more difficult due to increasing uncertainty around Brexit and its impact on the make-up of the UK workforce, breaking down barriers to marginalised groups and exploring more inclusive hiring practices is more important than ever.

“Last year we witnessed a wealth of talent and enthusiasm that many employers were missing out on.

“This highlighted a desperate need to break down perceived barriers between women in the BME community and our wider business network in Scotland.”

She continued: “Diversity Works is a formalised programme to give employers the tools and the knowledge to meet many unseen challenges whilst giving them access to incredible talent pools that they may not yet be effectively reaching to create truly inclusive workforces.”

Jamie Hepburn, Scotland’s Business and Fair Work Minister added: “I am delighted that as part of our £750,000 Workplace Equality Fund we will be funding another 13 projects to address long standing barriers in the labour market faced by women, older workers, ethnic minority and disabled people.”

He continued: “These new projects involve working with organisations and employers across Scotland and from a wide range of sectors including hospitality, technology, transport, finance, construction, creative industries, child care and IT.”

Diversity Works follows AAI’s series of events throughout Scotland in 2017, which focussed on helping ethnic minority women to return to work. These events were fronted by supermodel Eunice Olumide MBE.