Gloucester retirement village wins inclusivity award

The ExtraCare Charitable Trust gathered with Gloucestershire’s most inclusive employers on Monday October 17th and took home an award at the third Inclusivity Works Awards event.

ExtraCare was one of 18 organisations to receive the ‘Gloucestershire Inclusive Employer Award’ at the celebration of inclusivity and diversity at Stroud Brewery. Employers were recognised for embracing and creating a culture where diverse groups of people feel valued, confident and able to be themselves.

The awards hosted by Inclusivity Works, launched by the GEM Project, aim to inspire more employers to work in partnership with the campaign and make the most of talented and motivated potential employees who may not have previously been considered.

ExtraCare’s St Oswald’s Retirement Village received the inclusivity award. The village has employed a number of individuals with disabilities and continues to recruit based on ability not disability.

Discussing the village’s inclusive recruitment an example was given of a staff member who commenced employment as a pot washer, developed to become a relief chef whilst continuing his day job, and is now on course to his promotion to second chef.

The submission commented: “We took into consideration this individual’s ability, rather than disability and focused on these areas during recruitment. The process was to work with the individual via his Personal Development Review as an existing member of staff. He has now retrained to become a key part of our catering team. He has a major part to play in both the daily running of the restaurant and in events that take place within the village.”

Jason Dunsford, GEM Project Manager and Head of Employment and Skills at Gloucestershire Gateway Trust, said: “It should go without saying that inclusion is the right thing to do. Every resident of Gloucestershire should be able to be part of the economy and join in and make the best of their lives. Inclusivity Works was created by employers telling us how great for business this was.

In today’s labour market one thing that is essential is including our whole community in the economy, breaking down the barriers to employment and utilising those strengths and skills.”