Steps2 Inclusive Employment

Steps2 is Chelmsford College’s award-winning Business Innovation Initiative, designed to help local businesses meet their recruitment needs by fostering inclusive employment practices. We are focused on helping employers understand the benefits of hiring employees from underrepresented backgrounds in the workplace.

We champion the fair employment of individuals with vulnerable backgrounds, including military service veterans, people with convictions, people aged 50+ returning to the workplace, migrant workers, victims of domestic violence, and people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

Steps2 Inclusive Employment works with employers to increase their social value and supports job seekers to encourage professional growth. When both are combined, we can ensure that our supported candidates can not just re-enter the workforce but also become valued assets to their employers and contributing members of society.

Better People + Better Business = Better Communities

Our Key Areas of Focus:

Supporting Candidates into Work - Job aggregation, vocational profiling, CV preparation, interview training, and onboarding support.

Employer Engagement - Acting as a trusted advisor to businesses and helping organisations learn and enhance diversity & inclusion by becoming inclusive by design.

Government & Community Alignment - Working strategically with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and His Majesty’s Prison Service (HMP) to improve employment outcomes and nurture societal change.

Innovation & Growth - Helping businesses grow by supporting continuous improvement and offering CPD training to understand modern recruitment best practices. We also offer Inclusive Employment Audits and Accreditation, and help employers reach new pools of resources by offering networking events, recruitment days, and in-house interview events.

Launched in 2024, Steps2 are already excelling in its aims by focusing on the above key areas. In 2025, the team was honoured to attend an Employer Celebration event at Hylands House, hosted by HMP and YOI Chelmsford. The event recognised Steps2’s unwavering dedication and support in helping returning citizens enter the workforce by awarding Steps 2 Inclusive Employment with an Employment Ready Award.

If you’d like to learn more, please contact the team by emailing steps2@chelmsford.ac.uk.