More employers are realising the benefits of having a diverse workforce. You can read more about the business case for diversity in the Diversity wins: How inclusion matters report by McKinsey. If you are looking to target employers who actively nurture and support this, you could research the following with prospective employers:
- Do they have diversity information on their websites that go beyond ‘we are an equal opportunities employer’?
- Have they set up Internal diversity networks for their employees?
- Do they have a Diversity/Inclusivity Champion within their recruitment teams?
There are many policies and legislative measures in place to ensure that equality and diversity is duly considered by employers during the recruitment process, and in the workplace. See the below tabs for areas that we are frequently asked about in relation to employment.
E&D Tabs
- Age UK - formed when Age Concern and Help The Aged merged
- Help and support for older workers - a government website that provides guidance about employing older workers and working past 50
- EFA (Employers Forum on Age) - the EFA is an independent network of leading employers who recognise the value of an age diverse workforce. In addition to supporting employers, the EFA influences Government, business and trade unions
- TAEN - The Age and Employment Network is an independent not-for-profit organisation. Its goal is to help remove age barriers to employment
The Careers Service offers detailed information and advice in relation to employment for disabled and neurodivergent students and those with long-term health conditions. Take a look at the Careers and disability webpage for information on:
- Your legal rights
- Our services for disabled students
- Inclusive Employers
- Talking about disability with employers
- Adjustments
- Autism
- Mental Health Conditions
- Useful links
- 10000 Interns Foundation work with employers to offer internships across a range of sectors to under-represented talent.
- Activate Student Mentoring Programme - connects students with a member of staff, alumni or PhD student who has insights and understanding of the educational experience of BAME students, and the challenges faced within education and College life.
- Black in Data work to elevate people of colour through learning and development to flourish within the data industry.
- Black Pharma is a social enterprise aiming for greater representation of black professionals across the Pharmaceutical industry.
- Bright Network – regularly run events aimed at ethnic minorities, such as the Black Heritage Future Leaders networking event.
- Coding Black Females - provide opportunities for Black female developers to develop themselves, meet familiar faces, network, receive support and build relationships.
- Diverse is a Job board connecting black & ethnic minority students and graduates with inclusive employers
- Equality and Human Rights Commission - news and advice on equality issues, including race.
- Imperial stories - read more about the career journeys of our black staff and students.
- Moving On [pdf] - a guide to employability for black, asian and minority ethnic (BAME) students and graduates
- SEO London assist students from underserved and underrepresented backgrounds for career success in a range of industries.
- Shifting the Lens is a series celebrating staff and students from minority ethnic backgrounds at Imperial. The campaign was created by a project team on the 2019 IMPACT talent development programme and continues to celebrate and promote our cultural diversity.
- TargetEvents - often targeted at ethnic minorities, TargetEvents offer unique experiences for students interested in a wide and growing range of sectors, including consulting, engineering, fund management, investment banking, law, professional services, public sector, real estate, retail and technology.
- Windsor Fellowship - the Windsor Fellowship provides highly desirable internships with top companies in the UK for black and minority ethnic students.
- Athena Forum - the project's aims are the advancement and promotion of the careers of women in science, engineering and technology (SET) in higher education and research to achieve a significant increase in the number of women recruited to top posts
- The Athena Swan Charter is a framework used across the world to support and transform gender equality within higher education (HE). The Charter was originally established in 2005 - Imperial was a founder member - to encourage and recognise commitment to advancing the careers of women in science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine (STEMM) employment. The Charter is now used to address gender equality more broadly. The Charter is run by Advance HE.
- Daphne Jackson Trust - the Daphne Jackson Trust enables scientists, engineers and IT specialists to return to work after career breaks
- Coding Black Females - provide opportunities for Black female developers to develop themselves, meet familiar faces, network, receive support and build relationships.
- Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowships - The Royal Society invites, in particular, female candidates to apply for an opportunity that is designed to help successful candidates to progress to permanent academic positions in the UK
- STEM Women - Since this initial assignment STEM Women has assisted over 100 graduate employers, helping companies attract female applicants to their graduate scheme, internship and placement opportunities
- Women in Technology - information portal for women working in technology
- Women's Engineering Society - the Women's Engineering Society is a professional, not for profit network of women engineers, scientists and technologists offering inspiration, support and professional development
- Women into Science, Engineering & Construction (WISE) - the WISE campaign collaborates with industry and education to encourage more UK females into STEM or construction related courses and careers
Whether or not you decide to be openly out at work is entirely up to you. However, you should always feel comfortable at work to be yourself without any negative impact on your daily life or career progression. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer/questioning, asexual and non-binary (LGBTQ+) students may be drawn to open, inclusive and innovative work environments. Although your gender/sexual identity shouldn't determine the sector you chose to work in, it may influence the organisations you target within that sector with those championing LGBTQ+ groups, and equality and diversity recruitment initiatives being more attractive.
To help you find LGBTQ+ inclusive employers you can start with Stonewall's Proud Employers or the Stonewall TOP 100 Employers (2022). We've also curated a range of resources below and we'd be happy to speak with you about your career plans and particular circumstance in a confidential careers appointment.
College life and community:
- Meet with LGBTQ+ students at Imperial through IQ (Imperial College LGBTQ+), the student society for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and/or questioning (LGBTQ+) students. Postgraduate students can also join Imperial 600, the LGBTQ+ network for staff and postgraduates.
- Explore LGBTQ+ Equality at Imperial for a selection of resources to help create a culture where LGBTQ+ people feel welcome, included, and fully able to be themselves.
- Acts of bullying and harassment will not be tollerated at Imperial College London. Should you be witness to, or subject of, unwelcome behaviour we'd encourage you to use the Report and Support tool and get appropriate help.
- We host annual LGBTQ+ career events to provide unique opportunities for students who identify as LGBTQ+ to meet with LGBTQ+ professionals.
See details of our 2024 events to be held on the evening of Tuesday 13 February 2024 and Monday 19 February 2024, and previous events:
Career resources:
- Stonewall TOP 100 Employers (2022) is the definitive guide to the most inclusive employers in Britain.
- Use Stonewall's Proud Employers to search for jobs with LGBTQ+ inclusive employers and browse LGBTQ+ inclusive career resources.
- Find the latest information from Stonewall on sexuality discrimination issues in the workplace along with frequently asked question by employers and employees.
- Understand your rights and the law with the Diversity Matters - Sexual Orientation information from TARGET Jobs.
- Checkout the Bright Network's article Launching your career as an LGBT graduate.
- Access LGBT+Jobs who help talented LGBT+ candidates and inclusive employers find each other.
- Checkout National Student Pride (in February each year) and attend the UK's largest LGBTQ+ careers fair, Proud Careers.
- Explore InterEngineering who connect, inform and empower LGBTQ+ engineers and their supports to foster greater inclusion in engineering.
- Checkout events around LGBTQ+STEM Day on 18 November each year.
- Out In Tech is the world’s largest non-profit community of LGBTQ+ tech leaders. They create opportunities for their 40,000 members to advance their careers, grow their networks, and leverage tech for social change.
- Circa-Club is an online social and business gay network for gay professional men is free to join and includes lists of gay businesses.
- Career Accelerator's LGBT+ mentoring programme supports LGBT+ young people to work with LGBT+ professionals and strong allies at top firms to help them prepare for and secure top jobs.