Housing associations help BME people gain access job opportunities

Diigo

Trust, Hanover and Bield housing associations launch outreach programme to help improve access to employment and training for BME people within housing and the public sector.

Three of Scotland's biggest housing associations Trust, Hanover (Scotland) and Bield have appointed Nasreen Amjad as their first Job Opportunities Development Officer.  Nasreen will work as part of the Equal Opportunities team under the guidance of the Housing Equal Opportunities Manager. 

The new post was established as a result of a grant award of £108,000, following a successful funding application to Communities Scotland and Capital City Partnership - an Edinburgh based partnership of statutory and community agencies committed to overcoming social exclusion.

The role of the Job Opportunities Development Officer is to head up an outreach programme, providing a liaison between BME communities and employers in housing organisations and across the public sector, including the housing association movement.

Says Rohini Sharma, Housing Equal Opportunities Manager for Trust, Hanover (Scotland) and Bield: "Nasreen's post is an important step in our efforts not only to help BME people in Edinburgh & Lothians overcome barriers to employment and career advancement, but it will also help employers by improving their ability to access more candidates from BME communities.

Nasreen will work in tandem with existing community initiatives to promote access to jobs and training opportunities for BME people, as well as working in partnership with other agencies."

Nasreen, who is multi-lingual, previously worked for a local College, where she provided support for learners and lecturers and managed community outreach projects. Through her involvement with the college's careers advice function and job fairs, has direct experience of the difficulties BME people face in securing employment reflecting their qualifications, experience and potential.

Says Nasreen: "I am thrilled to be appointed to the Job Opportunities project and I am looking forward to developing and working across a variety of routes to employment, such as work placements, youth and older person training, retraining and volunteering.  I will also be developing and working with a network of employers from the public and housing association sector, to help them identify ways in which they can recruit more effectively from BME communities."

The aim of the three Associations' Job Opportunities Project, over a three year period, is to guide and support up to 300 individual people from BME communities.

Nasreen is happy to talk directly to other housing organisations who might be interested in improving their access to potential employees from local BME communities.

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