Camden takes action to encourage businesses from ethnic minorities to move beyond the ethnic economy and enter the mainstream economy and higher value-added sectors. Good Work Camden has partnered with the Rebel Business School, an alternative to traditional business start-up support which aims to work in specific communities to teach people how to start a business without borrowing money and without a formal business plan. Camden Council also works closely with Impact Hub Kings Cross, which is set up to focus on social inclusion, primarily by grant-funded programmes. These programmes are designed to inspire, encourage and enable members of under-served communities to embark on their own entrepreneurial journey and contribute to the social economy. Impact Hub provides a co-working space, inspiring events, programmes, a meeting and event space, an online platform and business support.
In addition, Camden encourages ‘business districts/incubators’ to involve an adequate percentage of entrepreneurs with migrant/minority backgrounds and offers activities which encourage them and mainstream entrepreneurs to engage and develop new products/services together. The LIFT programme, delivered in partnership with three other Councils, is helping to tackle underrepresentation in the creative, tech and science sectors, including an entrepreneurship incubator, supporting early-stage tech and digitally enabled businesses led by underrepresented communities and negatively affected by Covid-19. There are also a number of accelerators and incubators locally, offering entrepreneurs opportunities to grow their business and increase their chances of attracting top firms to invest: Camden Collective; Digital Catapult; British Library IP Centre and London Bioscience Innovation Centre.
In decisions relating to the procurement of goods and services, Camden Council favours companies with an intercultural inclusion/diversity strategy. Its procurement team has included a number of inclusion and diversity related questions and social value requests into its tenders, and continually improves, monitors and amends them accordingly. Camden is also updating its social value framework that addresses key themes such as access to jobs for local residents, training opportunities for local people particularly in deprived groups, diversity in the supply chain and the use of local SMEs. In addition to this, stronger questions around equality and diversity were included and the supply chain is asked to support Camden’s Inclusive Values. Camden Council is also looking into contractual spend outside of Camden to see how to influence greater spend within Camden.
With regards to private sector enterprises, Camden takes action to encourage a diverse workforce, intercultural mixing and competence. Initiatives include:
- Camden’s Business Charter which encourages businesses to adopt the best employment standards and support inclusive economic growth.
- Camden’s Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) Ambassador programme which is facilitating the co-design of curriculum projects with a diverse group of teachers and STEAM Ambassadors, such as careers/masterclass videos. Young people in Camden learn directly from STEAM Ambassadors in the classroom. The STEAM Futures programme has delivered video interviews between young people across Camden and black STEAM Ambassadors from a range of exciting jobs and industries.
- Promoting contract opportunities to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) who often better reflect Camden’s communities. Black, Asian and minority ethnic business owners have been identified as key people to engage. The first of a number of ‘Meet the Buyer’ events was held recently to enable SMEs to meet large buyers, as well as workshops and one on one meetings to help businesses to get ready to bid.
