Ethnic minorities need a credible path into senior roles, says APNI
APNI President Edima Inyang, Daniella Atidigah and Andrew Monu LinkedIn Senior director of Marketing EMEA LATAM & Global Clients Program (Talent Solutions) at the APNI Career Day 2024 with LinkedIn, which took place at LinkedIn's EMEA & LATAM HQ in Dublin. Photo: Julien Behel
Inclusive paid internships, unconscious bias training for line managers and standardised job interview processes can help make Irish workplaces more open to diversity, says Edima Inyang, president of the African Professional Network of Ireland (APNI).
The third annual APNI Career Day 2024 with LinkedIn took place recently at LinkedIn’s EMEA & LATAM HQ in Dublin.
In all, 21 companies — including Google, Bank of Ireland, Vodafone, Irish LIfe, MSD, Bus Eireann, IDA Ireland, Medtronic, Enterprise Mobility, Zurich, DocuSign, J.P. Morgan, Aviva, Fragomen, Grant Thornton, and LinkedIn — showcased job opportunities currently available at their companies.
The event was timed to mark Black History Month, which is October in Ireland, the UK and Europe, and February in the USA.
APNI is a volunteer-run group of over 3,000 active members from the Afro-Irish and African diaspora community across Ireland. The 1,200 people at the APNI Career Day 2024 completed a survey in which 80% of members highlighted the lack of visible senior business executives from diverse ethnic backgrounds in Ireland.
“Ireland is gradually changing in its attitudes towards skin colour,” said Edima Inyang. “It is important for companies to have programmes that encourage greater opportunities for black people and more people from ethnic minority backgrounds.
“Inclusive internships and other programmes have an important role to play in giving people a credible path into careers that offer greater opportunities.”
Edima says the APNI has hosted successful programmes with LinkedIn and Bank of Ireland and has great engagements with Fragomen, IDA Ireland, Grant Thornton and many other companies affiliated to the APNI.
“We have seen a lot of initiatives in Ireland that have sought to close the gender gap at executive level,” said Edima. “We now to see similar efforts to support a pathway into executive level roles for people from minority backgrounds.”
The APNI survey found that 82% of members said that employers think that hiring someone who needs a visa is a hassle; 44.9% believe it is one of the main barriers for people of diverse ethnic backgrounds in reaching their career potential in Ireland.
The 80% of APNI members frustrated by the lack of visible senior business executives from diverse ethnic backgrounds is a major challenge for Irish businesses. What actions can companies take to get a better result?
Edima said: “We believe that mentorship and sponsorship play a big role in diversity and inclusion. If you don't see it, you can't be it. But when you see it, it motivates and shows the younger generation what’s possible especially for people from diverse ethnic backgrounds in Ireland.
“Companies should invest in long-term inclusive leadership development to ensure bias is actively countered at every level.
“Companies should have targeted leadership and sponsorship programmes where their employees from ethnic minority backgrounds and black professionals can avail of and these programs should be a credible pathway to having a seat at the table.”
APNI offers companies career accelerator programmes based on professional levels; junior, mid-level and senior/director level programs where companies can provide training and resources to upskill individuals and provide pathways to promotion to executive level or progression in their respective careers.
The APNI is also of the view that unconscious bias training improves workplace culture and increases awareness. It helps line managers and those in leadership positions to recognise and become aware of the subtle biases they might not have been conscious of.
“This awareness can lead to more thoughtful decision-making when hiring or promoting, potentially reducing instances of biassed judgments that favour certain groups over others,” said Edima.
“Training can encourage the use of more structured and standardised interview processes, where criteria are clear and uniform. This reduces the likelihood of making decisions based on unconscious biases, such as affinity bias (favouring people similar to ourselves), that often negatively impact racial and gender diversity.
“Beyond unconscious bias training, companies should move beyond training to taking actions that positively impact their recruitment practices, with clear accountability measures for diversity and inclusion in recruitment and promotion.”
This year’s APNI Career Day & Fair brought together over 900 black and African professionals, leaders and recruiters.
“For the past three years, LinkedIn has stood side by side with APNI, black and Afro-Irish professional community as our headline partner, putting its brand, team, resources and scale behind our vision and mission, exemplifying true allyship backed with actions,” said Edima.
Other sponsors and partners include UCD Professional Academy, Fragomen, Black Therapists Ireland, Bank of Ireland, Aviva, MSD, J.P. Morgan, Zurich Ireland, Docusign, Vodafone, IDA Ireland, Irish Life, Grant Thornton Ireland, Google, Bus Éireann, Enterprise Mobility, Medtronic, Slalom, Jackson Square Aviation and Kellanova.
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