Why Our ACCELERATE Programme Remains Relevant

Andy Nicol

Andy Nicol explores why our Career Management Development Programme still has plenty of work to do driving diversity and equality in the business world.

When we officially launched ACCELERATE in 2014, following our 2013 research and successful pilot roll out, the aim of the programme was to advance the diverse talent pool in any business we worked with.

There was real need for it as the corporate culture was still very masculine at that time and had to change.

The programme had been well researched in conjunction with The Financial Times and we identified five areas that could accelerate a persons’ career if they diligently applied themselves.

Originally, we were focused on gender and trying to increase the number of senior roles filled by women and we had some great success in this area.

Over time, though, we realised that this type of development programme could help all under-represented groups not just women.

So, 10 Years on, is ACCELERATE still relevant?

It very much is because, although there has been much improvement in some areas, the dial has not moved significantly enough.

Under-represented groups are still ‘under-represented’ in their respective businesses.

Simply put; there is still work to be done.

This was always going to be long journey, with some bumps along the way and many twists and turns...

Like with any journey, you need to know where you're going; you need a North Star to guide you in.

Promoting Diversity is ACCELERATE's North Star.

It's what the programme was designed to do.

Promote diversity in all forms, not just gender - and there is still a long way to go before we can declare diversity as done.

Will it ever be 'done'?

(And what does 'done' even mean?)

In our opinion, a focus on diversity will be needed until all three of these questions can be answered with a YES:

"Is our society a more inclusive place?"
"Does every under-represented group now have a voice?"
"Can those voices be heard?"

Currently the answer, sadly, remains NO - which means that there is much more work to be done.

Promoting Diversity is ACCELERATE's North Star.

It's what the programme was designed to do.

Promote diversity in all forms, not just gender - and there is still a long way to go before we can declare diversity as done.

Will it ever be 'done'? (And what does 'done' even mean?)

In our opinion, a focus on diversity will be needed until all three of these questions can be answered with a YES:

"Is our society a more inclusive place?"
"Does every under-represented group now have a voice?"
"Can those voices be heard?"

Currently the answer, sadly, remains NO - which means that there is much more work to be done.

The Gender Pay Gap: An Ongoing Issue

Another metric that we looked at when creating ACCELERATE was to close the gender pay gap.

Back in 2013, the gender pay gap was a colossal 19.7%!

In simple terms; this meant a woman was paid 19.7% less per hour than a man for the same work.

Almost a fifth less, just because of their gender.

This has improved over the last 10 years, but not significantly...

The gap now stands at a shocking 14.9%.

Yet more proof that, when it comes to equality in the workplace, there is also plenty more work to be done.

Another metric that we looked at when creating ACCELERATE was to close the gender pay gap.

Back in 2013, the gender pay gap was a colossal 19.7%!

In simple terms; this meant a woman was paid 19.7% less per hour than a man for the same work.

Almost a fifth less, just because of their gender.

This has improved over the last 10 years, but not significantly...

The gap now stands at a shocking 14.9%.

Yet more proof that, when it comes to equality in the workplace, there is also plenty more work to be done.

Competing Priorities

There are always competing priorities with two recent examples being the war on Ukraine or the cost-of-living crisis that we are currently facing.

There is always something that takes the focus away, there is always something new and fresh to talk about.

There is still so much to be done in creating a more diverse and inclusive society so it is about everyone taking some responsibility to make a difference.

One of the key takeaways from ACCELERATE when it was launched was;

If not you, who?

If not now, when?

These two questions are as relevant now as they were 10 years ago.

If we all take responsibility and accountability to make our world a bit more diverse and a bit more inclusive, then we can get closer to the end of the journey.

Is ACCELERATE still relevant today? Undoubtedly.

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