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Bradford, Culture, and the Power of Northern Voices
This year my hometown, Bradford, has been voted the Capital of Culture for 2025, a designation that will see the city host a year-long celebration of its culture, heritage, and communities. Most importantly for the people of Bradford, it meant the city received a visit from me, the prodigal son, as I went to see a stage adaption of a selection of works by one of my favourite playwrights, Andrea Dunbar.
My family knew Andrea when she was alive and I first really got to know her work when I was a teenager. I remember sitting in Bradford Library reading a copy of the Arbor, her first work, and walking past the Andrea Dunbar room, a quiet space where people could work free from distraction. I remember thinking this was such a better tribute to her than a statue or a blue plaque as, perhaps with more quiet and less distraction, we may have had a lot more works from her in her short life. Just as importantly, with space to write without distraction, we might see a new young Bradford female voice in theatre.
Reframing Andrea Dunbar: Talent Beyond Stereotype
I love Andrea Dunbar’s work; the Arbor is a funny, moving piece of drama that capitalises on traditional theatre structures in a bold new way. Likewise, I love Rita, Sue and Bob Too, with its sharp dialogue (also my grandmother was in the film). What I like less is analysis of her work; almost every article regarding Andrea Dunbar states that ‘she wrote about what she knew’, and ‘wrote about her own life’ as if she was merely a mouthpiece of her surroundings, a human camera, rather than a supremely talented dramatist who became the youngest playwright to ever have their work premier at the Royal Court in London. ‘Writing about what they knew’ or ‘writing about their own life’ is hardly ever a criticism thrown at Stoppard, Ayckbourn or Pinter and serves only to diminish her talent, if not intentionally.
The Confidence Gap: Why Northern Young People Hold Back
I have no doubt that, if born in Belgravia rather than Buttershaw, Andrea would have been just as supremely talented and, perhaps, more celebrated for her abilities and less sympathised for her background. To me, her story and the general view of her work, highlights the ongoing struggle for northerners, primarily working-class northerners, to succeed compared to their southern counterparts. Lowered expectations and a lack of local opportunities is compounded by something even sadder; a lack of self-confidence.
Recent research found that young people from the north of England and the Midlands were much more likely to be concerned that their accent would count against them in their careers, compared with people from the south.
How Recruitment Campaigns Can Challenge Regional Bias
The question is, how do you improve self-confidence? At PeopleScout, we have come up with a few ideas. We currently deliver annual campaigns to drive thousands of new graduates to the Civil Service Fast Stream, the Civil Service’s graduate programme. As a high-profile public body, responsible for driving public policy, the Fast Stream needs to reflect all communities across the UK, not just London and the South-East.
Using Influencers to Reflect Real Lives and Build Trust
To ensure young people from all areas of the UK feel confident to apply, we deliver influencer-led campaigns. We select influencers from all sections of society. They work with current Fast Streamers to understand their day-to-day activities and then publish their interviews and their thoughts on a company via their social media channels. This allows candidates to hear what a company and role is like from someone like them, not a senior professional or recruiter. This has enabled us to significantly boost diversity across all demographics.
From Buttershaw to the Fast Stream: Making Career Support Accessible
For other clients, we provide candidates with additional support including frequent webinars and one-to-one sessions to prepare them for interviews and assessments. For Andrea, you might say her most important influencer was her teacher, who supported her writing and encouraged her to send her first play, the Arbor, to a national writing competition, kick starting her short but important career. We hope our influencers, and the additional support we provide, can encourage other young people to build their careers and enter industries they felt, because of their accent, their gender or their skin colour, were shut off to them.
Creating a Level Playing Field for Candidates Across the UK
Whether it’s Andrea, or a graduate in Grimsby or Wigan, the message is clear: talent exists everywhere. It’s our job to remove the barriers in its way.
