60 second interview — Dr Jane Lewis, Course Leader and Senior Lecturer in Sociology and Principle Investigator on the Islington BAME Employment Project.
Interview with Dr Jane Lewis, Course Leader and Senior Lecturer in Sociology and Principle Investigator on the Islington BAME Employment Project. The research team included Dr Qicheng Yu and Patrick Mulrenan at London Met and Dionne Gay and Jimmy Flynn from LB Islington.
1. Why is Inclusion and Diversity important to London Met?
At London Met addressing racial and social justice sits at the heart of our mission. There is no other sector better placed than higher education to address complex social problems and for too long equalities rhetoric has not been matched with real action within universities.
London Met had a total of 12,525 UK-based higher education students in 2020 – 21, 82% of whom were mature students, 64% identified as female, 55% were from a minoritised background and 13% had a known disability. Overall, 143 distinct nationalities were represented among our students. It is important for the University to reflect this diversity and for the voices of our diverse students to be heard.
2. What are some of the key things London Met is doing in this space?
London Met’s Race Equity Strategy 2020/21 – 2024/25, has been developed in consultation with black and minoritised staff and students, and reflects our commitment to ensure that we deliver real change across the University. The full scale of our activities is not captured in the plan because our approach is truly holistic; every individual in every department of the University is part of the solution to create the systems and environment where everyone is respected and valued.
3. Why did London Met undertake the Islington BAME Employment Project?
The Islington BAME Employment Project was conducted by London Met in partnership with the London Borough of Islington as part of London Met Lab’s Empowering London initiative, which aims to engage the University with the local community and its community partners. The aim of the research; to identify the levels of unemployment and barriers to accessing employment experienced by different ethnic groups in the Borough, reflects London Mets’ concern with race equity and social justice at the local, community level.
4. What are the key findings?
The aim of the Islington BAME Employment Project was to identify which specific ethnic groups suffer especially high unemployment and experience particular barriers to accessing jobs and employment support services. The research showed that African, Caribbean, Turkish and Bangladeshi residents (along with the category ‘unknown’) accounted for 90% of BAME unemployment in Islington.
Poor physical and mental health emerged as perhaps the single most significant barrier especially for the older (40 plus) Bangladeshi and Algerian unemployed residents interviewed, with older Somali, Algerian and Bangladeshi residents also facing significant barriers with a lack of digital literacy and digital poverty as well as with language. Childcare and the need to find work in school hours was a major factor for most women interviewed.
There was very little awareness amongst the different ethnic minority groups interviewed of employment support services, aside from the Job Centre and here feelings of fear and mistrust predominated.
5. Could your project help deliver a more inclusive approach to employment services in Islington and how do you think this could be achieved? Why is this important?
The Islington BAME Employment project made a series of recommendations including targets for supporting BAME groups into employment. Islington is committed to supporting 1,500 unemployed residents into work during 2022/23, 80% of them African, Caribbean, Turkish, Bangladeshi and other Black residents as a consequence of the research findings. In addition, recommendations were made for a new employment support community outreach strategy with employment support and adult training to be based in trusted public and community spaces used by the ethnic minority residents suffering the highest levels of unemployment.
6. Could other London boroughs, or UK regions, learn anything from your findings?
There is much here for other London boroughs and areas throughout the UK to learn, particularly the need for a more granular approach, recognising the different experiences, barriers and needs of different minoritised ethnic communities.
7. What are you future plans?
The partnership between London Met and the London Borough of Islington has been very successful. The partnership is now moving on to a second project, looking at the experiences of – and barriers to employment for — the large numbers of unemployed residents in the Borough who have disabilities and long-term health conditions.
London Borough of Haringey are also working in partnership with London Met to examine a number of similar issues in the borough.