As we continue on our journey to become an increasingly equitable, inclusive and diverse organisation, Spike Island has committed to developing its recruitment and employment practices to meet the standards of a Disability Confident Employer.

Disability Confident is a government scheme to help organisations across the UK improve how they attract, recruit and retain disabled workers to boost inclusion in the workplace.

Working with the West of England Centre for Inclusive Learning (WECIL), Spike Island’s small team is reviewing the ways in which we recruit people for jobs and opportunities, including how we promote our vacancies, assess and interview candidates, accommodate reasonable adjustment, and exemplify an inclusive working culture in all areas of the organisation.

Robert Leckie, Director of Spike Island:

“Spike Island has a national and international reputation for championing the work of emerging and underrepresented artists from all cultures and backgrounds, and so it is essential that this value is also represented in our team of staff and community of artists and creative professionals. We look forward to making further improvements and developments in this area with the support and expertise of the team at WECIL.”

Kinny Chinangwa, Business Support Services Manager, WECIL says:

“WECIL has been working with Spike Island for the past two years in developing their staff awareness and understanding of disability equality and inclusion. We are delighted that Spike Island has made the commitment to become a Disability Confident Employer and are enjoying working with the team in regular sessions to roll this out.”

As a Disability Confident Committed Employer we have committed to:

• ensure our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible
• offering an interview to disabled people who meet the minimum criteria for the job
• anticipating and providing reasonable adjustments as required
• supporting any existing employee who acquires a disability or long-term health condition, enabling them to stay in work
• at least one selected activity that will make a difference for disabled people

You can find out more about the Disability Confident scheme here.

For more information on our workforce demographics, visit our Policies page.