Diversity & Inclusion

‘I’m studying medicine at TCD, thanks to my mentor’

Elaine O’Neill talks to Mia O’Connor about how our Student Mentoring programme gave her the confidence to get into Medicine at Trinity College Dublin. Listen to the lessons she’s learnt from her mentor Ciara O’Donoghue through Cornmarket’s partnership with Mount Carmel Secondary School in Dublin. Find out how to get involved with the Student Mentoring programme , part of our many


Shaping the future of work

Shaping the Future of Work

New publication by the Leaders Group on Sustainability Worker of the Future sub-group As we emerge from the Covid-19 lockdown, business decisions are being made about new ways of working that could have lasting impact and, perhaps, unintended consequences. While many conversations are taking place, along with advice on the re-opening of the Irish economy,


New Women@Work programme launched

In the run up to International Women’s Day, we are delighted to launch our new employment programme for women. Women@Work is for those who wish to return to the workforce or enter it for the first time by connecting with businesses. As part of our Inclusive Employer Blueprint, we run a number of innovative programmes


The untapped talent pool-how businesses are supporting social inclusion

Business in the Community Ireland (BITCI) celebrated the latest participants to engage with their diversity and inclusion programmes at a special event hosted by Workday in Dublin. BITCI are the leading advisers on sustainability and CSR in the country and work with some of Ireland’s largest companies. Earlier this year, BITCI launched the ‘Inclusive Employer’


Employers urged to see Ability not Disability

State Street and Social Innovation Fund Ireland join forces to empower more people with a disability to gain employment New €1.5 million Ability to Work Fund aims to reach 500 people with disabilities across Ireland Employers across Ireland were urged to “see ability not disability” and to create more opportunities in the workplace for people


Show garden created in collaboration with people impacted by mental illness unveiled at Bloom in the Park 2019

 Grounded’ sponsored by Janssen in association with Aware and See Change, aims to grow the conversation around mental illness   With the mission of starting a national conversation around mental illness, Janssen in partnership with leading mental health organisations Aware and See Change, are presenting a one-of-a-kind garden at Bloom in the Park 2019. The garden


Inclusive employment

Work placements offer alternative recruitment channels and support inclusion

Last month KBC Bank hosted the first Inclusive Employer meeting in Cork.  At the session Munster based companies described their schemes to support apprenticeships and work placements which in the majority of cases provide candidates that they can recruit and progress through the organisation. According to Louise Murray our Senior CSR Adviser, the logic stacks


Inclusive employment

Improving Customer Service through Inclusive Employment

In 2018, eir made the strategic decision to move all customer facing employees back in-house. This decision was driven by the belief that for high quality customer service to be delivered, every person dealing with a customer should be an eir employee. In keeping with eir’s commitment to its national footprint, a significant number of


Inclusive employment

Accenture Ireland Mental Health Ally Programme

Following the recent publication of the Inclusive Employer blueprint , this is the first in a regular series of articles containing business tips and examples of Inclusion in Action. In 2018 Accenture Ireland developed a Mental Health Ally programme as part of a wider commitment to becoming a truly inclusive organisation.  Through this initiative, Accenture are fostering a


New episode of the CEO as Activist Series

Welcome to a new episode of the CEO As Activist series from The BITCI Podcast. Last week the Leaders’ Group on Sustainability, powered by Business in the Community Ireland, hit another milestone by launching the #InclusiveEmployer blueprint, a practical guide to create inclusive workplaces and reduce social inequality in Ireland. After the event we sat down


In Conversation with Aoife Mulqueen

For this month of our In Conversation with series we are delighted to get to know more about Aoife Mulqueen, Talent Specialist in Vodafone Ireland. Aoife participated in the panel session at the Inclusive Employer launch last week sharing her experiences in creating an inclusive workplace at Vodafone Ireland.   Please describe your role and responsibilities and


EPIC Programme celebrates 10 years of helping marginalised immigrants including refugees find jobs in Ireland

The EPIC programme (Employment for People from Immigrant Communities) is a ground-breaking initiative which leverages the support of business to help marginalised immigrants find employment. Run by Business in the Community Ireland, the national network for sustainability, it celebrated its 10 years of success at a special event last night hosted by Bank of Ireland


Ireland is the first country in Europe to adopt the P-TECH school model

16th November marked an important moment for Ireland’s education system, and for the community in Dublin’s north east inner city, as Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, announced pilots of the  P-TECH  model in three local schools. Ireland is the first country in Europe to adopt the P-TECH school model. First established by IBM and local educators in Brooklyn, New


I Wish, DCU, Accenture and BITCI highlight the challenges and opportunities facing STEM education in Ireland

Minister of State for Higher Education, Mary Mitchell O’Connor TD, today launched two important initiatives for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) education in Ireland. These are the fifth annual Wish showcases, which takes place across four days in Dublin and Cork next February, and DCU’s ‘A World of Opportunities’; a landmark STEM careers guide for


New Communities Partnership and BITCI host a Migrant Expo and Job Fair for more than 700 migrant job seekers living in Dublin

David Stanton T.D., Minister of State for Justice with special responsibility for Equality, Immigration and Integration opens event


16th October Workday VIBE: value inclusion, belonging and equity for all

Diversity is an ongoing challenge opportunity we all face – what action can we take to make the necessary changes? With a growing climate of inclusion in Ireland over the past few years, many organisations see diversity as a key strategic priority – but diverse talent is still largely underrepresented at all levels. Join Workday


14 companies come together with government to promote greater inclusion and diversity in the workplace

Thursday, September 27, 2018: 14 private sector companies have come together as founders of The Open Doors Initiative, which will assist some of the most marginalised groups in society to gain access to workplaces through training and employment experience. An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar formally launched the initiative at Accenture’s The Dock in


Women’s Business Network at Fujitsu

Fujitsu is Japan’s leading information and communication technology company and has a proud history working with Irish customers for over 50 years, providing a full range of technology products, solutions and services.  One of Fujitsu’s key corporate goals is ‘human-centric innovation’ where technology can enable smarter, sustainable societies. This influences all that we do and


Top tips for getting maximum benefit from Employee Networks

Many businesses support employees to set up employee networks. While the name may vary (diversity network groups, employee resource groups etc), the purpose is typically to foster inclusion in the workplace. The networks provide a forum for cohorts of employees who share a common interest or challenge at work. The most common themes are Women


4th October Migrant Expo and Job Fair in Dublin

Business in the Community Ireland is collaborating with New Communities Partnership in the first edition of Migrant Expo and Job Fair, a space created to bring together migrants with businesses, recruiters and other organisations. This is an opportunity for leading Irish businesses to meet with multilingual skilled professionals from different backgrounds and introduce more diversity


KPMG impacting diversity and social inclusion through a Mentoring Programme for immigrant job seekers

KPMG has finished the seventh term of the Financial Services Mentoring Programme run in cooperation with the EPIC Programme in Business in the Community Ireland. Since 2011, a total of 25 KPMG staff have volunteered to support 30 immigrants through one-to-one mentoring meetings. The sessions have helped participants to develop knowledge of the Irish financial sector and


Accenture’s Skills to Succeed Academy Goes Nationwide

This Summer, an Irish Business and a Community Organisation Have Come Together to Build Employability Skills in Local Communities as the Skills to Succeed Academy Goes Nationwide. It seems fitting to write about the Skills to Succeed Academy in this publication as BITC’s mission is to “harness the power of Irish business to maximise its


Abbott & SciFest celebrate the 10th year of stem partnership

This year Abbott is marking the tenth year of supporting SciFest, which aims to encourage a love of science, technology and maths. This is done through active, collaborative, inquiry-based learning and also provides a forum for students at local, regional and national level to present and display their scientific investigations.


Diageo’s Learning for Life graduation ceremony

Storm Hector did nothing to dampen the enthusiastic spirit at Diageo’s Learning for Life graduation ceremony on the 14th June. Twenty two graduates, along with their families, Diageo employees, and other members of the community attended this celebratory event. While the Learning for Life programme has been providing education and support for the long term


PM Group becomes 200th supporter of 30% Club Ireland

The 30% Club is a voluntary movement of international companies which are committed to better gender balance at all levels of business. Comprising of CEOs and Chairs, the Group aims to achieve 30% female representation in senior management by 2020 through collaborative, business-led effort. Research shows that while 48% of junior management roles in Ireland


Minister of State Stanton congratulates BITCI on being selected as emblematic project for 30th Anniversary of Cohesion Policy in Europe

The Minister of State for Equality, Immigration and Integration at the Department of Justice and Equality, Mr. David Stanton T.D., today congratulated Business in the Community Ireland (BITCI) on their achievement in being chosen as an emblematic project as a recipient of funding from the European Social Fund, one of the Cohesion Policy funds.


Bank of Ireland commits to achieving 50:50 gender ratio in management and leadership appointments by 2021

Bank of Ireland has launched its fourth Responsible Business Report which provides a comprehensive picture of the Group’s 2017 activities under three main pillars – customers, colleagues and communities. Included in the 2017 Responsible Business Report is a commitment to building greater gender balance within management and leadership teams. At the launch of the Responsible


Bold Girls – Bringing strong women to life in children’s literature

BOLD GIRLS, a Children’s Books Ireland initiative, supported by KPMG, aims to break down societal barriers and to instil confidence in girls and young women by showcasing strong female characters in children’s books. The campaign includes twenty female Irish authors and illustrators with stories from Ireland and around the globe, featuring pirates, politicians, ponies, polar


Engineers Week Blasts Off with Abbott

On Sunday 25th February, schoolchildren from across Sligo were present for a special event to mark the start of Abbott’s participation in Engineers Week 2018. Hosted by Abbott’s diagnostics team in Sligo, children of Abbott employees had the opportunity to meet leading Irish engineer Norah Patten, who is bidding to become Ireland’s first-ever astronaut. Norah,


Diversity in Action: Employing more people with disability

One of our Senior CSR Advisers Elaine Stephen recently attended the WorkABLE Future 2018 conference in Croke Park which was supported by Irish Wheelchair Association, Employer Disability Information and Hays.