WCN, the leading UK and global e-Recruitment software provider, has been selected as a finalist in the 2014 Recruitment Industry Disability Initiative (RIDI) Awards. The awards applaud those driving change in recruitment and removing the barriers faced by the millions of disabled people who are entering or progressing through the job market.
WCN has been shortlisted, together with Eversheds and DiversityJobs.co.uk, in the Technology for Inclusion category for its work on behalf of Eversheds. Eversheds wanted to improve accessibility for candidates on its careers website, in line with the firm’s commitment to diversity and disability services. WCN introduced a ‘talking toolbar’ onto Eversheds’ site. This reads web pages aloud in 20 different languages, and, thanks to features such as colour contrast manipulation, makes it easier for candidates who struggle to read websites due to a disability or language barrier. The level of online reading support which WCN has introduced into Eversheds’ website has made it more accessible than any other corporate recruitment site in the world.
Ruth Ferguson, Marketing Manager from WCN, which creates and hosts the e-Recruitment websites for many of the world’s biggest employers, explains why accessibility is such a major issue: “A website is the prime place people go to when looking to work for a company. Yet, one in 10 people in the UK have dyslexia to some degree, 10 million people have a disability and two million of these have significant sight loss, plus one in 6 is from an ethnic background. Companies are increasingly recognising that they cannot hope to attract the biggest and best pool of people if their site immediately alienates so many people who need reading support.”
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The talking toolbar which WCN has deployed is called DiversityTalks and was developed by DiversityJobs.co.uk.
The RIDI Awards received a large number of submissions. Kate Headley, Chair of Judging Panel & Development Director, The Clear Company was quoted as saying: “These finalists truly showcase that it is possible to remove barriers in the busiest recruitment environments, and by doing so change lives and gain great talent. I congratulate every single entry for the work they have done and the progress these awards are able to share with the world.”
The judges for the 2014 awards include Judy Greevy, Deputy Director of Diversity & Engagement at HMRC, Simon Hallet, Head of Talent Acquisition for Lloyds Banking Group and Janet Hill, Director of Diversity & Inclusion at theCivil Service. The winners and runners u p will be announced with their categories at the invite-only awards ceremony held on 14th May.
