The Opening Doors initiative is an inclusive recruitment campaign that identifies five key ways to make your jobs accessible to everyone.
Business in the Community’s (BITC) Opening Doors initiative aims to help Northern Ireland employers change business behaviours and provide a programme of support for businesses committed to inclusive employment.
Five key commitments
By signing up to the Opening Doors campaign, employers commit to at least one action across five of the following key commitments
- Create partnerships that connect untapped talent to jobs.
- Show candidates that you are committed to inclusion.
- Use comprehensive job adverts with inclusive language.
- Focus on skills needed to do the job versus qualifications.
- Prioritise accessibility and eliminate bias.
Job opportunities for underrepresented groups
Opening Doors aims to help the following underrepresented groups access job opportunities more readily
- Multi-generational talent
- Ethnically diverse backgrounds
- Refugees
- People with convictions
- People with disabilities
- People who are neurodivergent
Who can get involved?
Opening Doors is open to businesses of any size and from any sector, and there is no cost to participate.
What help does Opening Doors provide to employers?
Businesses will be provided with a programme of support, developed in consultation with a broad range of charities that support the disadvantaged groups targeted. Employers will be able to access
- BITC-led webinars
- BITC’s Get Connected events
- Toolkits
- Best practice case studies
How to become an Opening Doors employer
Employers can complete an expression of interest form.
After you have submitted this expression of interest form, you will receive an email from Business in the Community containing the Opening Doors welcome pack. The welcome will contain a link to a questionnaire that will help BITC to assess how inclusive your organisation’s current recruitment strategy is. You will then receive an email from BITC’s Opening Doors team to set up a one-to-one to identify actions you will take as part of the campaign.
Further information
For further information, see Opening Doors – creating inclusive workplaces.
First published 6 May 2025
