Your Business March 2020 - 33

MARCH _ 2020

people and to see Roma graduating
from colleges in Liverpool".
With this vision in mind, REAP
held its inaugural Fair Work Event for
marginalised communities at Liverpool
John Moores University, seeking to
challenge the stereotypes that Roma
people often face and raise awareness
of their willingness to find work and
contribute to their local communities.
More than 100 members of local
marginalised communities attended,
including many Roma families. Among
them was a 27-year-old mother of three
who had been selling The Big Issue North
magazine for many years. At the event,
she expressed her desire to secure a more

"IT'S INCREDIBLY
REWARDING TO
BE GIVEN THE
OPPORTUNITY
TO HELP PEOPLE"

L

ast year, a government report
by the Women and Equalities
Committee for the House of
Commons examined the lack
of social, economic and educational
opportunities available to Gypsy,
Roma and Traveller communities in
the UK. It found that "too often local
authorities and public services fail to
differentiate between different groups
and communities who have different
needs... While many inequalities
have existed for a long time, there
has been a persistent failure by both
national and local policymakers to
tackle them in any sustained way."
In light of these findings, Liverpool
Business School was determined to
make a positive difference, particularly
to lives of those in the Roma
community. Having already established
the Liverpool Roma Employability
Project (LREN), as well as the Roma
Education Aspiration Project (REAP),
Liverpool Business School was no
stranger to tackling the issues raised in
this report. In fact, in 2019 the school
was in the process of researching and
compiling its third annual Fair Work

YB2020 Liverpool John Moores University jw3.indd 33

Report, examining the education
prospects and employability of Roma
communities within Liverpool as part
of the Fair Work Research Agenda.

Raising confidence

Previous reports carried out by project
leaders Dr Patricia Harrison and Helen
Collins have highlighted that there's
very little knowledge surrounding
Roma employability in Liverpool
and in some instances evidence of
enslavement contrary to the Modern
Slavery Act. The projects set up in
partnership with Granby Toxteth
Development Trust aim to create "a
self-confident Roma community able
to access all opportunities in the city,
access English language courses and
training opportunities - as well as to
promote a wider acknowledgement of
the positive work ethic of the Roma

stable livelihood to support her children.
She also met LJMU student Millie Tang,
who helped her to create a CV and apply
for a level one interpreting course. With
a newfound confidence and CV to back
up her skills, she began to meet with local
businesses to secure a new job, which
she was able to do almost immediately.
"I was over the moon to hear she has
secured a job," says Millie. "It's incredibly
rewarding to be given the opportunity
to help people in this way and support
the work at Liverpool Business School."
Since LREN and REAP began, Harrison
shared how "members of the Roma
community are now acting as mentors
and generating conversation among the
Roma community about employability".
This shows the remarkable progress
being made by such initiatives and
sets a great example for younger
members of the Roma community.
To find out more about the work
going on at Liverpool Business
School, visit ljmu.ac.uk/LBS

12/02/2020 13:25
http://ljmu.ac.uk/LBS
Your Business March 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Your Business March 2020
