First disability confident RPO announced

Guidant Group, which is part of Impellam, has become the first recruitment process outsourcer (RPO) to be recognised as a Disability Confident Partner by the government’s Department for Work and Pensions.

The partnership is a result of the organisation’s demonstrable commitment to increasing the inclusion of disabled talent in the workplace.    

The company has taken significant steps to ensure that its employees are disability confident when it comes to attracting and working with disabled candidates. Every employee at Guidant Group has been trained on disability awareness and the organisation’s own disclosed disabled employee rate currently sits at 7%. Its position in the recruitment supply chain means that it is well positioned to share best-practice throughout the business community, assisting leading clients and the wider recruitment profession with specific queries regarding disability and associated reasonable adjustments.  

In addition, the company is a long-time partner of not-for-profit organisation, The Recruitment Industry Disability Initiative (RIDI), where CEO, Melanie Forbes, sits on the executive board. Guidant Group has sponsored The RIDI Awards, which celebrate best-practice towards managing disability in the recruitment supply chain, for three consecutive years. In 2014 it also won the ‘Inclusive Partnership’ category for its disability awareness work with law firm, Eversheds. Its graduate programme this year will incorporate disabled talent through a partnership with charity Leonard Cheshire Disability.

Speaking of the accolade, Melanie Forbes, CEO of Guidant, commented: “According to government figures, over half of workplaces are missing out because they are excluding disabled talent. With this in mind, I am incredibly proud that we have been recognised by the government for our commitment to improving the prospects of disabled job-seekers.

“As demonstrated by our involvement with RIDI, and the Clear Assured status which we achieved last year, we strive to take the lead and drive awareness around this issue to instigate change within the recruitment profession and beyond. Success lies in our ability to collaborate, which is why we work with a wide network of industry contacts, including trade bodies APSCo and the REC to share the benefits of becoming more inclusive to disabled talent.”

Justin Tomlinson, Minister for Disabled People, said: “Supporting disabled people into work and halving the disability employment gap are our top priorities. That’s why it’s great to see businesses like Guidant Group and RIDI committing to programmes like Disability Confident – an important first step in removing barriers, increasing understanding and creating more opportunities for disabled people.”