Bank of America programme turns into recruitment pipeline
28 January 2015
Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s ‘Returning Talent’ programme, which was set up four years ago as a diversity and inclusion initiative to help people get back into work, has grown into a recruitment pipeline.
Thu, 29 Jan 2015 | By Sarah Marquet
Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s ‘Returning Talent’ programme, which was set up four years ago as a diversity and inclusion initiative to help people get back into work, has grown into a recruitment pipeline.
Speaking to Recruiter, the bank’s EMEA diversity and inclusion manager Ama Afrifa-Kyei and staffing business support manager Natasha San Juan said the programme aimed to help highly talented workers who had had a break from employment get back into work.
San Juan said: “It was originally set up to help people get back into work, then we thought ‘if they’re such talented individuals why don’t we look at them to bring them into our organisation?’.”
It differs from a graduate programme, Afrifa-Kyei and San Juan said, because there are not always the right jobs available for the participants.
“It’s about the right role, for the right person, at the right time,” Afrifa-Kyei said.
Because there are not always roles available, an alumni network was developed where participants can keep in touch and learn of newly available roles, and the bank’s recruiters know who is still unemployed.
Originally the programme, which is run in the style of a conference with speakers and targeted workshops, was run over three days in the summer with 20 people.
Now, 50 applicants are chosen to take part in a one-day conference and from those, 20 are chosen to take part in another two days’ worth of in-depth workshops.
The conference has also been brought forward in the year to coincide with the bank’s recruitment cycle at the start of the year.
From the participants last year, three are now working for the bank – the ones that found that right role at the right time.
Many do find work at other organisations and San Juan said that is something the programme organisers were “incredibly proud of”.
Afrifa-Kyei said: “It’s a win-win situation because we are looking to develop and increase our [talent] pipeline but there is a wider picture. It’s not just banking that has the [skills shortage] issue; it’s across sector, across industry, so we’re helping narrow that gap by helping people have career opportunities. It’s a win-win.”
Anyone can apply for the programme – the only criteria being that they are top talent ready to return to work. The Bank of America Merrill Lynch team then carefully selects people to take part.
As San Juan said, they are people that “have that incredible background, that incredible professional experience, they’ve taken some recent time out and they’re struggling to get back in as a result of that”.
The majority are females who have taken time off for family reasons, child or elder care for example, but some men in similar positions also apply. This year there was one man, a solo father, on the programme.
There were 124 applicants this year and the hope is that numbers would continue to grow, as would the bank’s ability to take more on the programme.
Speaking to Recruiter, the bank’s EMEA diversity and inclusion manager Ama Afrifa-Kyei and staffing business support manager Natasha San Juan said the programme aimed to help highly talented workers who had had a break from employment get back into work.
San Juan said: “It was originally set up to help people get back into work, then we thought ‘if they’re such talented individuals why don’t we look at them to bring them into our organisation?’.”
It differs from a graduate programme, Afrifa-Kyei and San Juan said, because there are not always the right jobs available for the participants.
“It’s about the right role, for the right person, at the right time,” Afrifa-Kyei said.
Because there are not always roles available, an alumni network was developed where participants can keep in touch and learn of newly available roles, and the bank’s recruiters know who is still unemployed.
Originally the programme, which is run in the style of a conference with speakers and targeted workshops, was run over three days in the summer with 20 people.
Now, 50 applicants are chosen to take part in a one-day conference and from those, 20 are chosen to take part in another two days’ worth of in-depth workshops.
The conference has also been brought forward in the year to coincide with the bank’s recruitment cycle at the start of the year.
From the participants last year, three are now working for the bank – the ones that found that right role at the right time.
Many do find work at other organisations and San Juan said that is something the programme organisers were “incredibly proud of”.
Afrifa-Kyei said: “It’s a win-win situation because we are looking to develop and increase our [talent] pipeline but there is a wider picture. It’s not just banking that has the [skills shortage] issue; it’s across sector, across industry, so we’re helping narrow that gap by helping people have career opportunities. It’s a win-win.”
Anyone can apply for the programme – the only criteria being that they are top talent ready to return to work. The Bank of America Merrill Lynch team then carefully selects people to take part.
As San Juan said, they are people that “have that incredible background, that incredible professional experience, they’ve taken some recent time out and they’re struggling to get back in as a result of that”.
The majority are females who have taken time off for family reasons, child or elder care for example, but some men in similar positions also apply. This year there was one man, a solo father, on the programme.
There were 124 applicants this year and the hope is that numbers would continue to grow, as would the bank’s ability to take more on the programme.
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