Understanding Arts Council England's Reputation as an Employer Among Potential Applicants and Employees

Arts Council England wishes to commission a research project to explore perceptions of the Arts Council as a place to work. This could either be as a spring board to someone at the start of their working career or for someone already working in the sector looking to progress their career. We would like to understand these perceptions across a broad pool of people but within this pool we want to ensure we include a range of individuals with characteristics protected under the Equality Act.

It is envisaged the contract will commence towards the end of October 2016 and will run till March 2017.

As an organisation we champion, develop and invest in artistic and cultural experiences that enrich people's lives. We support activities across the arts, museums and libraries – from theatre to digital art, reading to dance, music to literature, and crafts to collections.

It is therefore of paramount importance to us that we attract the best and most diverse talent possible - spanning the depth and breadth of the sector we deal with in order for us to deliver our strategy ‘Great Art and Culture for Everyone’ and to better work with stakeholders.

The arts and cultural workforce needs to become more representative of the society it serves. We have a general duty under the Equalities Act 2010 to promote equality of opportunity. We intend to go beyond the minimum requirements of the Act, recognising that socio-economic status and education can be barriers to engagement – for audiences, for artists, and for the wider workforce.

This piece of research needs to identify not only whether there are perceptual barriers to us attracting the right talent to help us achieve our mission, but also whether they apply particularly to talent from the protected characteristics.