Bristol-based social enterprise Represent has launched a recruitment division as part of its mission to improve inclusion, diversity and equality in the region’s creative sector.
Spearheading the division is Liz Gadd, Represent director and co-founder, who has 25 years’ experience in creative sector recruitment.
She offers an extensive database of candidates and creative businesses and companies in the area looking to recruit staff for creative roles from media, creative arts and digital to advertising, public relations, and film and TV production.
Represent has access to a wide range of candidates from experienced, freelancers and contractors to those with board level and management experience as well as entry level candidates looking to break into the sector.
Represent Recruitment will accept recruitment briefs from any business looking to employ creative talent. As part of the package they will also have access to a range of training services and support packages, designed to promote inclusive workplaces to attract and retain a more diverse workforce.
Working with Liz will be David McLeod, an education consultant with Represent since it launched in October 2014. David’s experience includes working in the private and public sectors and he has managed several education programmes designed to promote attainment in Bristol schools.
Liz said: “Represent’s mission is to improve diversity and, while a lack of diversity means that often, certainly at mid and senior management level, applicants are not representative of our region we are working hard to address this as a social enterprise.
“Our work in education, alongside our outreach and partnership programmes, means that we are proactively working to raise awareness of creative careers and supporting people who want to break into the sector by helping break down barriers to long-term, sustained employment.”
The creative sector in Bristol employs 15,900 people and is vital to the prosperity of the city. Yet despite being a very culturally diverse city, Bristol’s creative businesses are not reflective of their location.
With British cultural diversity changing at a rapid pace, the creative sector needs to maintain relevance by being proactive in raising awareness and promoting opportunities for people from a range of backgrounds, ethnicities, sexuality, gender, age and religion.
Represent is enlisting support and participation from creative businesses across the city as well as targeting schools, colleges, charities and community organisations to raise awareness of careers in the creative sectors.
Represent has already gained the support of the city’s key media organisations including Bristol Business News, Ujima Radio, Bristol 24/7, Bristol Media as well as the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).
To get involved contact at joanna@representnetwork.co.uk / liz@representnetwork.co.uk or 07980 057651/0117 239 1037
For more information on Represent, go to http://www.representnetwork.co.uk
Pictured, from left: Represent co-founder Joanna Randall and Liz Gadd with David McLeod
