Businesses in Chelmsford, Cambridge, Peterborough, Bedfordshire, St Albans, Hertford and Watford named as Exemplar Employers

Ten organisations in the East of England have been recognised for their efforts to reduce the gender pay gap and promote better work-life balance throughout the workplace.

Minister for Women, Ruth Kelly, announced that the organisations are amongst those who have signed up to the Exemplar Employer scheme. The scheme requires organisations to give a clear commitment to reducing the gender pay gap through projects ranging from encouraging women to find out and enter into jobs traditionally done mostly by men, to supporting mothers to return to work, to creating better quality opportunities for staff working part time.

The East of England employers to achieve exemplar status are:

• Anglia Ruskin University, Chelmsford and Cambridge, for its Women's Network, which is an expanding and developing support group for senior women and those aspiring to senior management positions. The initiative includes training and conferences.
• Buckles Solicitors, Peterborough has been recognised for its "open door" approach to requests from staff for changes in working hours and patterns, to allow staff to balance their work and life commitments effectively and efficiently.
• Cambridge City Council, (City Services Department), Cambridge for their Mature Apprenticeship Scheme, and for ensuring equality when recruiting and training staff. To date 22 per cent of mature apprentices are women of which 60 per cent have successfully completed their apprenticeship. The remaining 40 per cent are in their final year.
• Cambridge City Council, Cambridge, for their Women Aspiring to Management course - women can explore what it means to be a manager or supervisor, and to understand what their responsibilities and challenges would be.
• Cranfield University, Bedfordshire, is awarded Exemplar status for its initiative that concentrates on developing its existing work experience practices. The scheme will encourage all women from a wide range of backgrounds, especially those from ethnic minority groups, people with a disability and those still at school to consider work in non-traditional roles. The university will actively raise its profile by targeting local schools and promoting work experience placements in particularly in science, engineering and manufacturing.
• Exemplas Holdings Ltd, St Albans, has been recognised for its well established policy of equal opportunity for women within the business as shown by a strong female representation at senior management, and its commitment to ensuring flexible working arrangements for women; whether linked to a return to work from maternity leave or working from home.
• Faber Maunsell, St Albans, is awarded Exemplar status for its range of initiatives to encourage and support women returning to work following maternity leave. Their Flexible Working policy also enables eligible employees to request a change to their working hours, or to work from home. As well as child care vouchers available through their flexible benefits scheme.
• Hertfordshire County Council, Hertford, completed an Equal Pay Audit in partnership its Trade Union. The information from the audit resulted in the development of an Equal Pay Action Plan, which sets out the County Councils objectives to address equal pay issues over the coming years.
• Camelot, Watford, has been recognised for proactively encouraging women to return to work following maternity leave, and supporting women through its flexible working project. Since the implementation of the project, women returning to work after maternity leave have increased by 35 per cent and the company now has a 99 per cent return rate of women from maternity.
• Ridgemond Training Ltd, based in Caxton Way, Stevenage which runs a range of courses to helping women get into the construction industry (more information below).

Ruth Kelly also announced the opening of bids for a Quality Part Time Work Fund. This half million pound fund will be available to employers to finance trouble shooters, who will advise on how to create and retain more part time jobs at a senior level. 45% of women working part time are in roles that are below their skill level.

Among the first wave of organisations signed up for this status is Ridgemond Training Ltd, based in Caxton Way, Stevenage, which runs a range of courses to helping women get into the construction industry. In particular this includes a programme aimed at training young mums in bricklaying, carpentry, joinery and painting and decorating. Groups of young mums can practice elements from construction qualifications recognised by the industry.