Press release

HR Tech Group Debuts the ‘D&I Resource HUB’, A Free Online Diversity & Inclusion Tool for Businesses

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Sponsored by Businesswire

HR Tech Group is proud to announce the launch of the D&I Resource HUB, a free online resource for Canada’s technology industry that provides access to more than 300 best-in-class Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) resources and tools. A 2017 research report by HR Tech Group, Diversity & Inclusion in the BC Tech Sector, found that Indigenous peoples account for less than 1% of the industry’s workforce – this is one example of the imbalance that the D&I Resource HUB will help companies address. The HUB, which was developed as a key pillar in the Government of British Columbia’s Diversity and Inclusion Tech Project, has been in development since 2019, and builds on eight years of sector stakeholder engagement, labour market information projects & strategy development.

“It is great to see the tech sector take positive steps to address diversity and inclusion in their workforce,” said Melanie Mark, Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Training. “With Indigenous people accounting for less than one per cent of workers in tech, the resources and tools being made available through this new Diversity Hub are needed more than ever to move the dial in the right direction. As one of the most dynamic and flourishing industries in B.C., the tech sector can only get better with more diverse people and perspectives at the table.”

The D&I Tech Project aims to increase the attraction, retention and advancement of women, Indigenous peoples, people of colour, people with disabilities, newcomers to Canada, and individuals who identify as LGBTQ/2S, in addition to all underrepresented groups, in skilled occupations in B.C.’s technology sector.

“Diversity and inclusivity are essential values for our government and the people of B.C. They are key ingredients in innovation and can lead toward improved business results and greater prosperity for all British Columbians,” said Michelle Mungall, Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Competitiveness. “The Resource Hub is a great way for employers to access tools and information to help build a culture of inclusiveness and find ways for underrepresented groups to succeed in the tech sector.”

B.C.’s Labour Market Outlook projects 82,300 job openings in science, technology, engineering and math by 2028. In order to ensure opportunities and advancement for people that are underrepresented in these growing sectors, businesses need to approach D&I holistically. The D&I Resource HUB gives them access to tools that can be used by leadership to support these underrepresented groups in the workplace, integrate D&I practices into each part of the employee life cycle, and embed D&I into company culture.

Key items available on the HUB include benchmarking resources that provide tools, templates and sample communications that tech companies can use to measure and benchmark the diversity of their workforce, in addition to checklists, templates, case studies, sample policies, training modules and links to other useful materials that can be directly implemented into any organization. Users of the site can view resources for specific designated groups and for various employee life cycle stages.

“There has been a tremendous increase in diversity and inclusion activity within B.C.’s tech industry over the past two years and we’re proud to be providing an important resource to support and expand these efforts through The D&I Resource HUB,” said Stephanie Hollingshead, CEO, HR Tech Group. “We’re already seeing tangible actions and efforts across British Columbia, with tech companies measuring their workforce diversity, providing unconscious bias training, setting gender parity goals, hiring people with neurodiversity and removing gender pay gaps. Companies like Unbounce, Microsoft, Sophos, Clio and SAP are leading the way in making real changes. We’re encouraged by this activity and look forward to continuing to work with our partners to expand and continue to develop this important resource.”

The launch of The D&I Resource HUB marks the combined efforts of HR Tech Group, Veza Global who led the development of the site, the Province of British Columbia, primary industry sponsor Sierra Wireless, with collaboration and support from numerous industry and non-profit associations, including the First Nations Technology Council, Immigrant Employment Council of BC, Innovate BC, Minerva, The Presidents Group, QMUNITY, Vancouver Economic Commission, and many more.

Support for this project is provided through the Sector Labour Market Partnership (SLMP) program. SLMP projects are funded through the Canada-B.C. Labour Market Development Agreement which helps industries and employers understand and respond to changing labour market demands.

For more information, to explore HR Tech Group’s D&I Resource HUB, or to submit resources or tools for inclusion on the HUB, visit: https://diversity.hrtechgroup.com

About HR Tech Group

HR Tech Group is an association of human resources professionals employed in B.C. and Alberta tech companies. The group produces the leading BC Tech Salary Survey and provides new and benchmark data that keeps members up to speed on local business practices in tech. HR Tech Group serves over 150 mid to large member companies in all tech sectors, including ICT, film/ VFX, digital media, cleantech and life sciences.

About Veza Global

Veza Global transforms organizations to embed Equity, Diversity and Inclusion into how they operate. We build inclusive organizations with diversity of thought where team members’ individual strengths and talents are recognized, accepted, and included.