Pioneering maritime interview pool expands

Maritime UK has expanded its 'interview pool' network to help organisations create gender-balanced interviews and ensure an inclusive and diverse workforce.

The relaunched Diversity in Maritime Interview Pool and associated conference speaker panels are set to become even more inclusive by addressing various ethnicity and other diversity needs that have been raised across Maritime UK's diversity networks.

Programme manager Chrissie Clarke said: 'Diversity and Inclusion is critical to business because it encourages success. We know a lot of maritime companies are looking to improve their diversity.

'We also know we have a lot of people in the sector that want to do something to move this agenda forwards. The Interview Pool is the perfect fit for both. It’s a pioneering diversity and inclusion resource that provides a practical solution and can be a catalyst for change.'

The Interview Pool was set up to help organisations can find interview panellists where they find achieving gender balance challenging or want to avoid unconscious bias in the selection process.

One of Maritime UK's four 'safe space' networks, the Ethnicity in Maritime Network, encouraged maritime professionals from black and ethnic minorities at a recent webinar to volunteer for the pool, citing a need for more visibility of BAME interviewers and their points of view in the interview processes, and on speaker panels. A white paper on the impacts of Covid-19 for diversity across the sector is also expected to be published soon. Ethnicity members were also reminded of the Business in the Community Race at Work Charter which aims to ensure capability not ethnicity was a focus for action on race