One of the first things Joel Graham-Blake did when he joined REC in June was sign its diversity pledge.'I believe if you are going to talk the talk, then you have to walk the walk,' says the 26-year-old Brummie, who is managing director of his own recruitment and training company.
Joel's fledgling agency Cultiv8 Recruitment, officially launched in September at an event in Birmingham's Botanical Gardens, aims to help place candidates from all backgrounds, but primarily from Black and Minority
Ethnic (BME) communities.
'My target group is graduates, but I am increasingly looking for employers who have other roles not directly for graduates,' explains Joel, who almost attended university to study accountancy and marketing before deciding he would learn more by getting a job.
'My core sectors have been sales, marketing, IT and finance. These are based around my own background, but also because they are the main sectors that more BMEs have started to study at university, particularly finance and IT.'
Demographic changes mean ethnic minority groups in cities such as Birmingham and Leicester comprise growing proportions of local populations.Joel feels a recruitment service provision gap remains in encouraging and placing candidates from these groups.
He also believes that major opportunities exist for companies seeking skilled workers to find suitable
people in BME communities.
With his West Indian heritage and Birmingham upbringing, Joel feels his strong community links established
through a number of years spent mentoring the development of people of all ages can enable his firm to be a
positive conduit between candidates and client firms.
The inspiration behind Cultiv8 Recruitment was when Joel applied to be a trainee accountant at a major
company but was unsuccessful, despite being confident of doing the job.
'At the time, I put it down to race, plain and simple. I said, it is because I am black that I didn't get the job.'
He started considering getting involved in recruitment to help fellow BMEs finding themselves in similar positions.
But on further reflection, he felt some firms might have always recruited from particular sources and simply not realised the types of skills and abilities offered within BME communities.Other businesses might recognise the potential, but be uncertain how to access it.
He found two main recruiters already operating under the diversity banner in the Birmingham area, although
more have started since.
There followed six months initial research and planning and
advice from his business mentor, a PriceWaterhouseCoopers director, gained through Joel's participation in
the Urban Dreams programme run by Community Education and Training Academy for aspiring inner-city entrepreneurs.
Cultiv8 Recruitment was launched and Joel hopes it will help overcome miscommunications among BME communities and employers.
'Diversity as a whole is very important.
But the most important strand of diversity is race because if businesses don't reflect their workforce, or if people feel their race is going to be an issue then there isn't going to be any form of forward movement.'
Joel feels businesses with a diverse workforce offer many benefits, including widening the talent pool
and gaining productivity increases.
'If a diverse workforce is working for a diverse organisation that values them for who they are, their skills and their ability, they will want to work harder.'
Throughout his life and career, Joel believes he has benefited from the support and guidance of others in
encouraging him to make the most of his talents. He wants his company to do the same.
'Cultiv8's core principle is meeting the needs of the employee and the business through honest dialogue and analysis.'
Helping people in ethnic communities to recognise and use the first time it opened my eyes to the impact you can have in just helping somebody recognise their own skills.'
Nowadays, Joel's time is spent involved with Cultiv8's recruiting, mentoring, coaching, and community services.
He says Cultiv8 Recruitment is already receiving responses from candidates and clients. 'I have a great
influx of quality candidates. It is a matter of seeking quality roles for them.'
Nominated for Birmingham Young Professional of the Year in May 2006, Joel has been asked to offer guidance
and support to young people about entrepreneurship.
His ten-year plan for Cultiv8 Recruitment includes adding an executive headhunting service targeting mainly public sector or higher-level private organisations requiring representation of communities further up management boards.
Joel also aims to continue developing the community services.
'I make no apologies for ensuring my community benefits from what I am trying to do.'
