National Inclusion Week is an opportunity for organisations to reflect on what inclusion means in practice and how they can create workplaces where people from different backgrounds have the opportunity to succeed.

This year's theme, ‘Build Trust. Navigate Change’, highlights the importance of creating workplaces where people feel heard, respected and able to contribute, particularly as organisations and working environments continue to change.

But inclusion is about more than representation or having the right workplace policies in place. People can face barriers at different points in their career journey, from accessing employment and having previous experience recognised to finding opportunities to develop their skills and progress.

These barriers aren't always a reflection of someone's ability or ambition. Sometimes, the challenge is whether the right support or pathway is available to them.

For employers, this creates an opportunity to look beyond recruitment targets and policies and consider how they can make career opportunities more accessible, support people to develop their potential, and create an environment where everyone has the opportunity to progress.

What barriers can prevent people from accessing career opportunities?

For some people, practical, financial, or structural barriers can make it harder to access employment or have existing experience recognised.

This can be particularly challenging for people from refugee and migrant backgrounds. Previous qualifications may not always be recognised in the same way in a new country, while professional networks built over many years may no longer be available.

Differences in language, workplace culture, and recruitment practices can also create additional challenges.

Other barriers can include:

• Limited access to professional networks
• Recruitment processes that place too much emphasis on conventional career paths
• Lack of recognition of skills or experience gained elsewhere
• Financial or practical barriers to training and qualifications
• Limited access to career development opportunities
• A lack of familiarity or confidence with a new workplace environment

Having the right skills doesn't always guarantee access to the right opportunity. For employers, understanding where these barriers exist is an important first step towards creating more inclusive routes into employment and progression.

It is also important to recognise that some barriers may be less visible. Someone may have the skills and experience needed for a new opportunity but feel less confident putting themselves forward, particularly if they are unfamiliar with workplace norms or don't see people with similar backgrounds represented in more senior roles.

This means employers need to consider not only whether opportunities are available, but whether everyone feels able to access them.

How can employers break down those barriers?

Instead of introducing an entirely new set of initiatives, creating a more inclusive workplace can start with looking more closely at existing processes and asking whether they work for everyone.

There are several areas where employers can start to look more closely at how they create and support opportunities, including:

Making recruitment more accessible

Recruitment is often the first point at which potential barriers can appear.

Job descriptions may include requirements that aren't genuinely essential to the role, while recruitment processes can place a heavy emphasis on UK-specific experience or established professional networks.

CIPD recommends using clear, objective and structured recruitment processes to reduce the potential for bias.

This can include reviewing whether role requirements are genuinely necessary and avoiding subjective criteria such as ‘cultural fit’, which can favour candidates who are similar to an organisation's existing workforce.

Employers can start by asking:

• Are all of our job requirements genuinely necessary?
• Are we recognising different forms of professional experience?
• Could our recruitment process unintentionally disadvantage certain candidates?
• Are we giving candidates an opportunity to demonstrate their potential?

This makes sure the criteria used to assess candidates genuinely reflect what someone needs to succeed in the role.

Create access to development opportunities

Inclusion shouldn't stop when someone gets a job.

People need opportunities to build their skills and progress their careers. Employers can support this by providing access to a range of development opportunities, including:

• Training and professional qualifications
• Mentoring and coaching
• Apprenticeships
• Career development programmes
• Opportunities to build professional networks
• Stretch projects and new responsibilities

Line managers also have an important role to play in making these opportunities accessible.

Rather than expecting employees to ask for support or put themselves forward, managers can proactively discuss career goals, explain what development opportunities are available and encourage employees to consider them.

Regular, informal conversations can also help managers spot when someone is struggling or feels unsure about their role or development.

Creating a safe space to talk about these issues can make it easier for employees to raise concerns before they become bigger problems.

Structured learning can be particularly valuable because it gives employees a clear pathway to develop their skills while continuing to contribute in the workplace.

For organisations, investing in development can also strengthen internal capability, support retention and give employees a clearer route towards future roles.

Provide the right support

Creating equal opportunities doesn't always mean giving everyone exactly the same support.

People have different circumstances and starting points, so the support they need to succeed can also vary.

For someone who has recently moved to the UK, for example, support might include helping understanding workplace expectations or developing professional language skills.

For another employee, it might mean flexible learning arrangements, mentoring, or additional support when taking on a new responsibility.

Understanding those individual needs can help employers move beyond a one-size-fits-all approach and create support that makes a genuine difference.

Create a culture of belonging

Access to an opportunity is only part of the picture. Someone can have access to a job and still feel excluded once they're there. Building trust and a sense of belonging is equally important.

Employers should consider how cultural differences or unfamiliarity with workplace norms might affect how employees engage with opportunities.

Someone who is new to the UK, for example, may be less familiar with workplace expectations or feel less confident putting themselves forward, even when they have the skills and experience needed.

Informal networks at work can also play an important role in helping people understand how an organisation works, find support and hear about opportunities.

This could mean making a conscious effort to introduce new employees to colleagues outside their immediate team, creating opportunities to build connections and making sure social activities aren't the only way people can build relationships with colleagues.

Line managers can also make time to check in with employees about how they are settling in, creating an opportunity to raise concerns or talk through anything they may be finding difficult.

This can help identify where someone might need additional encouragement or support to feel part of the organisation.

Breaking barriers in practice: Kaplan and Breaking Barriers

Kaplan's partnership with Breaking Barriers provides an example of how organisations can help remove some of the barriers people face when trying to restart their careers.

Breaking Barriers supports people from refugee backgrounds to find meaningful employment, including through employment, education, skills-building, language tuition, and re-accreditation programmes.

For professionals whose qualifications were gained outside the UK, re-accreditation can be an important step towards returning to their chosen career. However, the cost of professional qualifications can create another barrier.

Since 2019, Kaplan has supported Breaking Barriers' Re-accreditation Programme, helping refugee accountants access the professional education they need to continue their careers in the UK. As part of this partnership, Kaplan has provided bursaries for 12 learners to study towards the globally recognised ACCA qualification.

Creating opportunities for progression

The impact of creating more inclusive career opportunities is perhaps best understood through the experiences of the people who benefit from them.

Tetiana, an experienced accountant from Ukraine, moved to the UK in 2022 after building a 15-year career in accountancy. When she began looking for work in the UK, she found that her previous experience and qualifications didn't translate easily into the opportunities she was looking for.

After developing her language skills and continuing her accountancy studies, Tetiana connected with Breaking Barriers' Re-accreditation Programme. Through the programme, she received a bursary to study towards the ACCA qualification with Kaplan.

For Tetiana, the opportunity has provided a route to build on her existing experience while developing her knowledge of UK accountancy. She has also spoken about the confidence the support has given her as she works towards returning to a career in the profession.

Her experience highlights how talented professionals can find themselves unable to use their existing skills when moving to a new country. It also demonstrates how targeted support and access to professional development can help people take the next step.

What can employers do next?

There isn't a single approach to creating a more inclusive workplace. Different people will experience different barriers, and organisations will need to consider where those barriers exist within their own recruitment and progression processes.

However, employers can start by asking themselves some simple questions:

• Are we making our career opportunities accessible to people from different backgrounds?
• Are we recognising different forms of experience and potential?
• Do our employees have equal access to training, qualifications, and development opportunities?
• Are we providing the support people need to succeed?
• Can employees see a clear pathway to progress within our organisation?

These questions can help organisations move from thinking about inclusion as a policy or annual campaign to considering how it shapes the everyday experiences of employees.

Inclusion is an ongoing commitment

National Inclusion Week provides a valuable opportunity to start conversations about inclusion and consider what organisations can do differently. But creating a genuinely inclusive workplace is an ongoing process of identifying barriers, widening access to opportunities, and providing the support they need to progress.

Kaplan's partnership with Breaking Barriers is one example of how organisations can work together to create those opportunities. By helping remove financial and educational barriers to professional qualifications, the partnership is supporting people with existing skills and experience to take the next step in their careers.

Ultimately, creating more inclusive career opportunities means looking beyond where someone starts and considering what they could achieve when given the right opportunity and support.

To find out more about Breaking Barriers and their work supporting refugees into meaningful employment, visit their website or follow the organisation on LinkedIn and Instagram.