Race for Opportunity Awards

Transport for London (TfL) was a winner at the Race for its Opportunity Annual Awards Ceremony for pioneering procurement approach.

Race for Opportunity (RfO) is a Business in the Community Programme which focuses on increasing diversity in the workplace. In early October 2011 RfO held its Annual Awards Ceremony to celebrate Leadership and Inclusion within UK businesses.

Competing against Goldman Sachs and Sainsburys for the Award, TfL successfully scooped the top prize, the Leadership Award. This award celebrates organisations that are able to demonstrate how leadership, clear goals, action and evaluation help an organisation achieve exceptional progress.

TfL won this award for the activities delivered through the procurement approach Strategic Labour Needs and Training (SLNT) and the resulting positive impact that this approach has had in raising skills levels, providing apprenticeships and creating employment opportunities for some of London’s most disadvantaged communities.

A key work stream within the TfL Skills and Employment Strategy and developed in consultation with suppliers, industry and the wider business this approach combines requirements in contracts (SLNT) with the support of the GLA funded Supplier Skills Team. This combined approach has created large numbers of apprenticeship, employment and training opportunities for Londoners. This award recognises the success that TfL has had in particular with opening up opportunities for black and minority ethnic communities (BAME) through its supply chain with special recognition being given to individual TfL suppliers such as Initial Transport Services who last year recruited over 334 unemployed Londoners onto the London Underground contract TPS with over 70 per cent of staff coming from BAME communities.

For further information please contact Andrea Fozard of the Supplier Skills Team, email andreafozard@tfl.gov.uk.