Hiring and Skills Working Group Overall goalSupport ‘good work’ and make our workforces representative of London’s communities at all levels of our organisations Key deliverablesHelp more Londoners from underrepresented backgrounds into ‘good work’ paying at least the London Living Wage Make progress in closing our gender, ethnicity and disability pay gaps Work programme highlightsAdopting more inclusive recruitment processes including more proactive outreach to underrepresented communities Offering more supported internships Creating more inclusive workplaces with a particular focus on retention and progression of disabled staffAchieving London Living Wage accreditation (where not already in place) Achieving the Mayor’s Good Work Standard accreditation (where not already in place) Driving up apprenticeship creation, including through transfer of unspent apprenticeship levy Progress measuresNo. of apprenticeships paid at least the London Living Wage in the last financial year No. of supported internships in the last financial year No. of people from target populations recruited in the last financial year Amount in £x of Apprenticeship Levy pledged in the last financial year Gender pay gap narrowed over the past financial year OR published for the first time Ethnicity pay gap narrowed over the past financial year OR published for the first time Disability pay gap narrowed over the past financial year OR published for the first time Achievement of Disability Confident or the next level of the scheme Achievement of London Living Wage accreditation (and no. of staff whose pay is uplifted as a result) Achievement of Good Work Standard accreditation Working Group Members Co-Chairs:Karima Khandker, Head of Skills, Emerging Talent and EDI, Thames Water - karima.khandker@thameswater.co.ukJanet Gardner, Principal and CEO, Waltham Forest College - jgardner@waltham.ac.ukMembers:Alison May, Assistant Director, Skills and Employment, London Borough of Lambeth - AMay@lambeth.gov.ukBabak Jani, Head of Skills, Film London - babak.jani@filmlondon.org.ukClaire Rae, Deputy Director, HR, University of Londonclaire.rae@london.ac.ukDarren de Souza, Senior Policy and Projects Officer, London Higher - darren.desouza@londonhigher.ac.ukDavid Steeds, Group Partnership Manager for London and Essex, Department for Work and Pensions - david.steeds@dwp.gov.ukDianna Neal, Strategic Lead: Enterprise, Economy and Skills, London Councils - Dianna.Neal@londoncouncils.gov.ukEvelyn Isaiah, Project Manager, Primary Care Anchor Networks, NHS North East London - evelyn.odeyemi@nhs.netGemma Cook, Human Resources Business Partner, London City Airport - Gemma.Cook@londoncityairport.comJackie Chapman, Managing Director, Capital City College Training,jackie.chapman@capitalcct.ac.ukJames Lloyd, Skills and Employment Strategy Manager, Transport for London - JamesLloyd@tfl.gov.ukJames Watkins, Head of Policy and Public Impact, London Chamber of Commerce & Industry - jwatkins@londonchamber.co.ukJohn Soper, Director of Inclusion and Wellbeing, Middlesex University London - j.soper@mdx.ac.ukMark Hilton, Executive Director, People, BusinessLDN - Mark.Hilton@businessldn.co.ukMark Stangroom, Resourcing and EVP Specialist, Greater London Authority - Mark.Stangroom@london.gov.ukMary Vine-Morris, Area Director (London), Association of Colleges - mary.vine-morris@aoc.co.ukPaul Deemer, Head of Diversity and Inclusion, NHS Employers - Paul.Deemer@nhsemployers.orgRosemary Oduntan-Oke, Resourcing Manager, London Borough of Barking and Dagenham - Rosemary.Oduntan-Oke@lbbd.gov.ukSara Martin, Head of HR Operations, London Fire Brigade, sarah.martin@london-fire.gov.ukSophie Cloutterbuck, Chair of London Higher Civic Network, London Metropolitan University - s.cloutterbuck@londonmet.ac.ukPlease contact Shehreen Najam, Senior Policy Officer, GLA, Shehreen.Najam@london.gov.uk for more information about this working group. Recent meeting notes Recent meeting notes from the hiring and skills working group are below:15 January 2024: notes can be downloaded hereConference breakout, 08 February 2024: notes can be downloaded here23 April, 2024: notes can be downloaded hereFor archived notes please contact the LAIN Core Team - Anchors@london.gov.uk Resources Good workSlide deck: Case study on achieving the Mayor’s Good Work Standard: Achieving the Good Work Standard - Waltham Forest - case study (1).pdfGeneralCase study: Supporting prison leavers into good jobsDisability and health in the workplaceSlide deck: Becoming Disability Smart by the Business Disability ForumSlide deck: Becoming Disability Smart by the Business Disability Forum ( 8 February 2024, Conference Session)Slide Deck: Disability Resource - Project Search introduction to Supported InternshipsPaper: LAIN Hiring and Skills working group paper - disability in the workforce.pdfGuide: Employer guide to providing meaningful employment for autistic peopleGuide: Disability Confident: Recruiting, managing and developing people with a disability or health conditionSlide deck: Mental health in the workplaceRace and ethnicity in the workplaceSlide deck: Recruitment and Retention with an Ethnicity Focus by The Equal GroupWorksheet: Inclusive Recruitment by The Equal GroupWorksheet: Race Conversations by The Equal GroupSupporting retention and progressionSlide deck: Leadership programmes at Imperial College London for disabled and BAME staffSlide deck: Leadership programmes at University of WestminsterSlide deck: Supporting progression of underrepresented colleagues at the GLAAbout LAIN and the Hiring and Skills Working GroupWelcome Pack: LAIN Welcome Pack.pdfSlide Deck: Introducing LAIN - Stakeholder presentation for members.pptxPaper: LAIN Hiring and Skills Ways of Working.docx Meeting Dates 2024/25 2-4pm, Tuesday 23 April 20242-4pm, Tuesday 02 July 20242-4pm, Tuesday 08 October 202412-2pm, Wednesday 22 January 202512-2pm, Wednesday 30 April 202512-2pm, Wednesday 2 July, 202512-2pm, Tuesday 21 October, 2025 ← Return to Member Hub
Hiring and Skills Working Group
Overall goal
Key deliverables
Help more Londoners from underrepresented backgrounds into ‘good work’ paying at least the London Living Wage
Make progress in closing our gender, ethnicity and disability pay gaps
Work programme highlights
Adopting more inclusive recruitment processes including more proactive outreach to underrepresented communities
Offering more supported internships
Creating more inclusive workplaces with a particular focus on retention and progression of disabled staff
Achieving London Living Wage accreditation (where not already in place)
Achieving the Mayor’s Good Work Standard accreditation (where not already in place)
Driving up apprenticeship creation, including through transfer of unspent apprenticeship levy
Progress measures
No. of apprenticeships paid at least the London Living Wage in the last financial year
No. of supported internships in the last financial year
No. of people from target populations recruited in the last financial year
Amount in £x of Apprenticeship Levy pledged in the last financial year
Gender pay gap narrowed over the past financial year OR published for the first time
Ethnicity pay gap narrowed over the past financial year OR published for the first time
Disability pay gap narrowed over the past financial year OR published for the first time
Achievement of Disability Confident or the next level of the scheme
Achievement of London Living Wage accreditation (and no. of staff whose pay is uplifted as a result)
Achievement of Good Work Standard accreditation
Co-Chairs:
Karima Khandker, Head of Skills, Emerging Talent and EDI, Thames Water - karima.khandker@thameswater.co.uk
Janet Gardner, Principal and CEO, Waltham Forest College - jgardner@waltham.ac.uk
Members:
Alison May, Assistant Director, Skills and Employment, London Borough of Lambeth - AMay@lambeth.gov.uk
Babak Jani, Head of Skills, Film London - babak.jani@filmlondon.org.uk
Claire Rae, Deputy Director, HR, University of Londonclaire.rae@london.ac.uk
Darren de Souza, Senior Policy and Projects Officer, London Higher - darren.desouza@londonhigher.ac.uk
David Steeds, Group Partnership Manager for London and Essex, Department for Work and Pensions - david.steeds@dwp.gov.uk
Dianna Neal, Strategic Lead: Enterprise, Economy and Skills, London Councils - Dianna.Neal@londoncouncils.gov.uk
Evelyn Isaiah, Project Manager, Primary Care Anchor Networks, NHS North East London - evelyn.odeyemi@nhs.net
Gemma Cook, Human Resources Business Partner, London City Airport - Gemma.Cook@londoncityairport.com
Jackie Chapman, Managing Director, Capital City College Training,jackie.chapman@capitalcct.ac.uk
James Lloyd, Skills and Employment Strategy Manager, Transport for London - JamesLloyd@tfl.gov.uk
James Watkins, Head of Policy and Public Impact, London Chamber of Commerce & Industry - jwatkins@londonchamber.co.uk
John Soper, Director of Inclusion and Wellbeing, Middlesex University London - j.soper@mdx.ac.uk
Mark Hilton, Executive Director, People, BusinessLDN - Mark.Hilton@businessldn.co.uk
Mark Stangroom, Resourcing and EVP Specialist, Greater London Authority - Mark.Stangroom@london.gov.uk
Mary Vine-Morris, Area Director (London), Association of Colleges - mary.vine-morris@aoc.co.uk
Paul Deemer, Head of Diversity and Inclusion, NHS Employers - Paul.Deemer@nhsemployers.org
Rosemary Oduntan-Oke, Resourcing Manager, London Borough of Barking and Dagenham - Rosemary.Oduntan-Oke@lbbd.gov.uk
Sara Martin, Head of HR Operations, London Fire Brigade, sarah.martin@london-fire.gov.uk
Sophie Cloutterbuck, Chair of London Higher Civic Network, London Metropolitan University - s.cloutterbuck@londonmet.ac.uk
Please contact Shehreen Najam, Senior Policy Officer, GLA, Shehreen.Najam@london.gov.uk for more information about this working group.
Recent meeting notes from the hiring and skills working group are below:
15 January 2024: notes can be downloaded here
Conference breakout, 08 February 2024: notes can be downloaded here
23 April, 2024: notes can be downloaded here
For archived notes please contact the LAIN Core Team - Anchors@london.gov.uk
Good work
Slide deck: Case study on achieving the Mayor’s Good Work Standard: Achieving the Good Work Standard - Waltham Forest - case study (1).pdf
General
Case study: Supporting prison leavers into good jobs
Disability and health in the workplace
Slide deck: Becoming Disability Smart by the Business Disability Forum
Slide deck: Becoming Disability Smart by the Business Disability Forum ( 8 February 2024, Conference Session)
Slide Deck: Disability Resource - Project Search introduction to Supported Internships
Paper: LAIN Hiring and Skills working group paper - disability in the workforce.pdf
Guide: Employer guide to providing meaningful employment for autistic people
Guide: Disability Confident: Recruiting, managing and developing people with a disability or health condition
Slide deck: Mental health in the workplace
Race and ethnicity in the workplace
Slide deck: Recruitment and Retention with an Ethnicity Focus by The Equal Group
Worksheet: Inclusive Recruitment by The Equal Group
Worksheet: Race Conversations by The Equal Group
Supporting retention and progression
Slide deck: Leadership programmes at Imperial College London for disabled and BAME staff
Slide deck: Leadership programmes at University of Westminster
Slide deck: Supporting progression of underrepresented colleagues at the GLA
About LAIN and the Hiring and Skills Working Group
Welcome Pack: LAIN Welcome Pack.pdf
Slide Deck: Introducing LAIN - Stakeholder presentation for members.pptx
Paper: LAIN Hiring and Skills Ways of Working.docx
2-4pm, Tuesday 23 April 2024
2-4pm, Tuesday 02 July 2024
2-4pm, Tuesday 08 October 2024
12-2pm, Wednesday 22 January 2025
12-2pm, Wednesday 30 April 2025
12-2pm, Wednesday 2 July, 2025
12-2pm, Tuesday 21 October, 2025