Adecco has launched a scheme to make sure potentially disadvantaged groups get a fair deal when looking for work.

Adecco Plus, as the scheme is called, will initially focus on age diversity through a partnership with the Third Age Employment Network. It anticipates new anti-age discrimination legislation that is to be introduced in 2006.

It will identify areas in the UK where there are pools of older workers who are available for employment, and will raise awareness of how agencies can get them into jobs. The scheme will also alert clients about how they can tap into this group.

Over time, the scheme will focus on other areas of diversity including disability, sexual and religious orientation, and ethnicity.

As part of Adecco Plus, the firm will offer additional services including diversity monitoring for clients, off-site registration to ensure equal and easy access to all applicants, and specialists trained in legal compliance.

Mark Bloxham, corporate social responsibility and communications director at Adecco, told Recruiter: “We have been working on improving diversity for some time with direction from the US. It’s just poignant that the scheme has been launched now to anticipate the new legislation.”