This area looks at changing practice in relation to three main stages of employability:

Pre-Employment
Some SME employers may be wary of launching straight into direct recruitment. Pre-employment activities, such as offering work placements or providing interview skills training, can give them the opportunity to test the water and can lead to a longer term commitment.

This section provides advice and guidance on how to encourage SME employers to become involved in pre-employment activities.

Recruitment
To encourage SME employers to recruit from priority groups, the process should be as straightforward as possible. They will need to see the benefits of recruitment, and be reassured that the risks have been considered and minimised.

This section provides advice and guidance on how minimise the risks of recruitment for employers and to encourage employers to adopt recruitment methods that will increase the accessibility of opportunities for priority groups.

Retention
For employers to get the full benefits of recruiting from priority groups, they should consider the measures they can put in place to support the retention and development of employees.

This section provides advice and guidance on processes that can help priority clients sustain employment in the long term and can be of benefit to the workforce as a whole.