The first face-to-face networking event for the Inclusive Career Development Programme (ICDP) to support minority employees in Hertfordshire and West Essex has taken place.
The meet-up held on 31 October was the first get-together for current participants and alumni from the programme’s seven cohorts since it launched in 2022.
The programme is for employees from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds as well as disabled people, working in both clinical and non-clinical roles.
The ICDP, which is an online programme that lasts for six months for each cohort, brings together health and social care colleagues to support them in their career aspirations.
Valerie Brown-Beckford, ICDP programme lead and training manager, said: ‘It is amazing what can happen when people collectively come together to connect as humans – to sharpen each other by seeking to grow together to hone the edges of what we are meant to be.’
The inclusive career programme is open to health and social care staff working in Hertfordshire or West Essex at Agenda for Change bands 2-7 and county council levels 1-11 looking to move to the next step in their career or to develop skills further.
At the networking event, a number of sessions took place on the theme of ‘we rise by lifting others to realise their true potential’. There was also the chance to hear from alumni about their experiences on and off the programme.
For more information about the programme and to express your interest in participating in 2025 cohorts, email the ICDP team.
