BIMA HR Peer Network Roundtable | Why Class Matters

Online Only Event.

This is a BIMA member-only session. For more information on becoming a BIMA Member visit the BIMA Site or email web@bima.co.uk

Join our monthly roundtable for HR professionals. This is a great opportunity to learn from each other and offer insight into solutions and the workplace community you and your team are implementing to overcome challenges within your organisation.

Why Class Matters: Supporting Working Class Talent in the Creative Industries

This month, we’re thrilled to be joined by representatives from the Creative Mentor Network, a UK charity supporting class diversity within the creative industries.

The session will shed light on key issues such as:

• People from lower socioeconomic backgrounds earn 12% less a year in the same job than their peers. This is the equivalent of working 1 in 8 days for free.
• Just 16% of people working in the UK creative industries come from a working-class background, despite making up nearly a third of the population.
• You’re twice as likely to get a job in the creative industries if you don’t come from a working-class background.
• 76% of employers admitted discriminating against candidates based on their accents due to class-based assumptions.

The session will begin with a 10-15 minute introduction from the Creative Mentor Network covering:

• Who they are and what they do
• Why they exist
• Context around the class diversity problem
• The benefits and considerations for businesses aiming to foster inclusivity.

We hope you can make it!

Limited to 12 attendees to allow for discussion.Chatham House Rules apply and places are strictly limited to one per organisation.

Speakers:

Katie Thomson Green, CEO, Creative Mentor Network

Katie has been working within the education and charity sector for 15 years. She started in educational publishing before moving into partnerships and sales operations, developing her experience with youth programmes at organisations including The Challenge and Artis Foundation.

About Creative Mentor Network

Creative Mentor Network is a UK charity supporting class diversity within the creative industries. Our dual approach ensures we can support long-term change in the industry, by training professionals to be inclusive leaders and good mentors, whilst providing more immediate impact directly to 16-25-year-olds from lower socioeconomic backgrounds by pairing them with our trained mentors. Our programmes help companies reflect on processes and internal culture and create changes to make the industry more inclusive, whilst giving our community of young people access to professional networks, support, skill development and opportunities they may otherwise not have access to. Since 2014 we’ve supported over 2,000 young people, working with organisations like Sony Music UK, Google, Prime Video, Soho House, Digitas and Guinness World Records.