Our vision for inclusive public services in Greater Manchester

By Caroline Simpson, Group CEO

I believe that it’s our duty in public service to strive for workforces that are representative and appropriately reflect the diverse and vibrant communities we serve.

The services we provide, how we recruit and support staff and how we spend our budgets impacts the outcomes for our valued residents.

Day-to-day, I lead three organisations making up a ‘group’. They are: Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) and Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM).

Each organisation is different and complex with varying workforce needs, but I am determined to have open and honest conversations so we can create inclusive spaces where everybody feels empowered to be themselves.

That’s why since joining the group last year, I’ve been striving to further embed Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) into everything we do.

We’re making progress but we’re by no means at the top of our game and there is still much to learn.

To make sure we’re continuing in the right direction, I want to listen and champion opportunities for colleagues across the group to share the issues important to them.

I also want to tackle the barriers some people face when it comes to joining our organisations or developing within them. It’s important we prioritise representative recruitment practices and offer a clear line of sight to careers in our organisations, particularly for the city-region's young people.

Some of this I've been exploring already thanks to conversations with our fantastic staff networks, who offer unparalleled support to our minoritised colleagues and provide valuable insights to leadership, which shape our corporate messaging and decisions.

They are doing such important work to raise awareness, educate peers and support a welcoming environment through the webinars they host, the events they run and the personal stories they share. All of this is on top of their day-jobs, which?motivates me even more to support them in galvanising our workforce and keeping EDI at the top of our corporate agenda.

What we’re doing?

One of my priorities when I joined the group last summer was building the talent of our people and I’m pleased to say that we’re already doing lots of good things.

We have a high-quality learning and development offer across the group including inclusion training, we have increased our entry-level placements in terms of apprenticeships and T-Levels and diversity is increasing year on year group-wide, but we cannot be complacent.?

I am always looking at ways we can do more, taking into account the feedback we receive directly from our people through frequent surveys and engagement.

Last year, we launched Greater Manchester’s first People Inclusion Standards and Race Equity Framework – two pieces of work showcasing our commitment in the city-region's public sector to creating more inclusive workplaces.

Both were developed in collaboration with key partners and stakeholders with the aim of fostering accountability by encouraging us to challenge our existing practices.

And, building on the knowledge that our senior positions should be better representative of our diverse communities, soon we’ll launch GM Elevate – a new, bespoke GMCA leadership development programme ringfenced for colleagues across our group and 10 local authorities who are racially diverse or have disabilities.

2025 commitments?

Looking even further ahead, our pending devolution trailblazer deal will give us leverage to scale up career pathways for our young people and those from minoritised communities.

At our most recent colleague briefing where we invite people across the group to come together in person or online to hear from myself, the Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester, I shared my ambitions to double our goal for the number of entry schemes and development placements we offer.

This means that by 2026, at least one in 10 staff members?across the group will be a trainee, apprentice, T-Level placement student, recent education leaver on a formal training scheme or a sponsored student – supporting our Greater Manchester Baccalaureate ambitions.

I’m also committed to removing the barriers that some of our residents, including young people and those from minority groups, can face finding work in our organisations.

To begin, we'll do this by reforming our recruitment process to prioritise skills and values over qualifications and experience, where possible.

But creating a welcoming and inclusive workplace is not just about plans and strategies – it’s up to each and every one of us.

Our action

I have asked colleagues across the group to take three actions this year, demonstrating their commitment to supporting these goals and ensuring EDI is at the heart of our practice.

• Firstly, by learning: Colleagues are asked to complete inclusion training and attend at least one face-to-face inclusion event or learning opportunity.

• Secondly, by engaging: We’re encouraging people to connect with one of our fantastic staff networks e.g., becoming a member or attending their events.

• And thirdly, by taking action: Colleagues are asked to?talk about EDI in their team meetings and discuss how they can embed their training day-to-day.

I’m proud to work across three organisations with collaboration and empowerment at their heart, so I’ve no doubt my colleagues are embracing these asks to make our workplaces as inclusive as possible.

As we move through a new year, which is also a historic turning point in Greater Manchester’s development, I look forward to watching our progress towards these goals unfold as we all have a responsibility to make our city-region a better place – not just through what we are all doing, but how we are doing it.