Local Businesses Sharing the value of DE&I & Social Enterprises
The value of corporate Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) initiatives and local action to promote community-level inclusion was the focus of a Business in the Community Ireland (BITCI) network event held today. The event, hosted in conjunction with Limerick City and County Council, brought together BITCI members based in Limerick and other businesses and social stakeholders.
It was an opportunity to learn, share and be inspired by the experience and commitment of Limerick-based businesses and social enterprises to tackling educational and employment barriers. Recent trends in the US may be leading some organisations to adjust the language they use for DE&I, but there is evidently continued support for targeted, practical initiatives to promote social inclusion and embrace diversity.
Creating authentic business partnerships through collaborating with local DEIS schools and social enterprises, providing tailored mentoring and coaching to jobseekers, challenging unconscious biases, and the importance of visible support from senior business leaders were themes raised at the event through the variety of speakers.
The audience heard about BITCI’s Elevate, The Inclusive Workplace Pledge, which has over 60 large companies as signatories with a combined workforce of over 160,000 employees. Construction company John Sisk & Son, an Elevate signatory, highlighted their tangible actions to create an inclusive culture for current and prospective staff. A spotlight was put on the experiences of supporting integration and inclusion by Limerick City and County Council. Finally, a new Social Business Directory was launched by the PAUL Partnership, highlighting opportunities for business to collaborate with social enterprises in and around Limerick City.
Laura Morrison, BITCI, Munster Network Lead said “These annual meetings in Limerick are going from strength to strength. The ethos of these events is to connect bigger businesses with different voices and sources of expertise, and to inspire new collaborations. Having the support of Limerick Council has helped us to bring together such a diverse and accomplished mix of speakers and attendees to discuss multiple aspects of DE&I. Everybody will have taken something positive away, from strategic insights for corporate leaders to very practical ways that business can support local social enterprises.”
Iurii Chupryna, Limerick City and County Council’s Local Authority Integration Team (LAIT) commented “Limerick is seen as an example of best practice when it comes to our long standing approach to integration. Today’s event was an opportunity for LAIT to highlight some of that work undertaken in collaboration with our stakeholders and migrant communities. It is through the hosting of events such as this that we can promote the work of LAIT and encourage new collaborations and conversations to take place between bigger businesses and new communities across Limerick.”
Check out www.bitc.ie for more information about how BITCI works with its members to advance DE&I both individually and collectively.
