Seetec and Devon County Council recently came together to host an Inclusive Employers Event at the Future Skills Centre Exeter, bringing employers, partners and local organisations together to share experiences, explore practical approaches to workplace inclusion and strengthen connections across Devon.
The event brought together people from across the employment and skills landscape, all with a shared interest in creating more inclusive workplaces and improving opportunities for people who can face additional barriers to employment.
The morning was filled with open conversations, practical ideas and a genuine willingness to learn from one another. Attendees shared their experiences, asked questions and explored some of the challenges employers can face when making their recruitment processes and workplaces more inclusive.
Delivered in partnership, the event provided a valuable opportunity for Seetec and Devon County Council to bring people together, share knowledge and encourage greater collaboration between employers and organisations across the county.
Sharing experiences and practical ideas
A key part of the event was hearing directly from people with different experiences of employment, recruitment and disability inclusion.
We were delighted to welcome Nathan and Sandra, a current Seetec customer and his adviser. They shared their personal experiences, alongside a fantastic line-up of guest speakers:
- Brandon from All Things Dotty, sharing insights around disabillites and inclusion.
- Andrew from sendme2work | disability confident, discussing the importance of creating opportunities and supporting disabled people into work.
- Andrew from Creating Future Opportunities, sharing his experience of supporting people with convictions into employment and helping them move forward with their careers.
- Dean from Paramount Personnel, offering an employer and recruitment perspective on inclusive employment.
Their openness and honesty helped bring the conversations to life and gave attendees the opportunity to hear different perspectives on what inclusive employment can look like in practice.
Moving from conversation to action
The event highlighted that inclusive employment is not simply about recruitment. It is also about understanding individual needs, creating supportive workplaces and making sure people have the opportunity to progress once they are in work.
For employers, small changes can make a meaningful difference. This could include considering how job adverts are written, reviewing recruitment processes, creating a more supportive onboarding experience or simply being open to conversations about the adjustments an individual may need.
The positive response from attendees demonstrated a real appetite to continue these conversations and work collaboratively to create more opportunities for people across Devon.
Working together to create opportunity
Events like this are an important part of bringing employers, employment services and local organisations together. By sharing knowledge and building stronger relationships, we can better understand the challenges people face and identify ways to work together to overcome them.
We would like to thank everyone who attended, contributed to the discussions and shared their experiences. Your questions, ideas and willingness to collaborate helped make the morning such a positive and valuable event.
A special thank you also goes to our partners, Devon County Council and Connect to Work, delivered in partnership with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), for their support in making the event possible.
Continuing the conversation
The event may have finished, but the conversation around inclusive employment continues.
We look forward to building on the connections made during the morning, continuing to work with employers and partners across Devon, and supporting more organisations to take practical steps towards creating inclusive workplaces where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.
