- Enhanced programme in 2022 following a successful pilot in 2021 with over 7,500 attendees across 60 of the top employers in asset management companies.
- The Skills Workshop series of free online events helps any student to gain insight, knowledge, and direction to help start their career in the investment and savings industry.
- In addition to helping students from ethnic minority backgrounds, this year the workshop is broadening its focus to include people from socially, economically, and disadvantaged backgrounds.
- The Skills Workshop runs in partnership with CFA Society UK, EnCircle, Clu, Amplify and the Diversity Project.
- More than 31 major, industry-leading investment and savings organisations committed to the 2022 programme already, with more signing up.
#TalkAbout Black launch the second Skills Workshop, an ambitious free programme of virtual workshops aimed at all students (from pre-university to postgraduates and mature students) looking to kickstart a career in the investment and savings industry.
The highly tailored events run in partnership with CFA Society UK, EnCircle and the Diversity Project, as well as Clu and Amplify which are new programme partners for 2022.
Currently 31 influential companies spread across the investment and savings industry to help equip future talent with the insight, knowledge, and skills needed to succeed.
The virtual programme, which launches on 6 June and runs for five months until October, is open to all students, with a particular focus on encouraging uptake from ethnic minority students and those from socially and economically underprivileged backgrounds.
The aim is to increase the diversity of candidates looking to enter the industry and tackle the continuous challenge of underrepresentation.
The Skills Workshop focuses on hard skills training, with sessions on understanding the industry and the roles available, to how to write a CV and cover letter and how to handle competency interviews.
The workshops are complemented with soft skills training that focuses on wellbeing, authenticity and imposter syndrome, resilience, and career ownership.
There will also be a virtual careers fair, featuring organisations that will provide an insight into their firms and roles available.
The Skills Workshop team commented: “#TalkAboutBlack is passionate about creating a more representative industry, where everyone can fulfil their potential, regardless of ethnicity or socioeconomic status. Feedback from last year’s workshops show that it is not enough to create job opportunities.
“Diverse candidates need help to learn basic skills which those from a more privileged background often take for granted. Addressing skills shortages is fundamental to build momentum for applicants, tackling stigmas, and getting more diverse people into financial services. We are very proud to be running the Skills Workshop for the second year running and are aiming to attract more than 16,000 students to our events.”
Baroness Helena Morrissey, Chair of the Diversity Project comments: “Education offers a critical experience for students as they pursue their career ambitions, and so we are delighted to be providing another year of dedicated training to them. Diversity and inclusion in the investment and savings industry has come a long way and I’m hugely proud of all that the Diversity Project has achieved alongside this ground-breaking work with #TalkAboutBlack.
“The scale of participation and level of commitment from Diversity Project members already leaves me feeling optimistic about the future. However, there is still so much more to be done, which is why we are focusing this year also on social mobility.
“By attending this workshop, students will be given an accurate insight into the variety of roles available and will be connected to firms open to diversity and current employees within the industry that look like them, and who have shared their experiences. Together, we can, and we will continue to make progress.”
