Protected Characteristics
On this webpage, You’ll find some of the protected characteristics. Please click on the drop-down tabs to access more information about each protected characteristic. Further information about protected characteristics can be found here.
Age
At the University of Lincoln, we recognise that different age groups may want to access different support when planning their careers. We always recommend using our online triage tool to access the relevant support for your needs.
Graduate Scheme advice
There is no age limit to graduate schemes. Mature graduates with relevant qualifications can offer valuable experience gained from working in different fields. It could be age discrimination if you were denied a place on a graduate scheme due to your age. However, if you have previous experience, it may be helpful to keep in mind:
- Graduate schemes are highly structured training programs, often with rotational placements.
- They benefit those who aren’t sure what they want to do after university by giving a varied experience.
This does not mean you cannot apply for a graduate scheme if you already have years of experience. However, if you have work experience in the same industry you are studying within you may be encouraged to look for positions for experienced hires.
We recommend starting by researching the companies that you are interested in applying to and seeing what their graduate schemes have to offer for mature graduates.
Application Tips
You do not need to disclose your age on your CV or application. This is because your age is not an indicator of how well you can do your job. If you are concerned about dates giving away your age on your CV, you can consider:
- Summarising your early career.
- Focusing your CV on your most recent career.
- Starting your CV at a point in time that you feel is relevant to the role.
You can access our cv support webpage for further support.
Supporting a family? The working families website has advice for working parents and carers.
Carers
A carer is anyone, of any age, who looks after a family member, partner, or friend due to their illness, disability, addiction, or mental health.
Whilst not formally recognised as a protected characteristic, carers can benefit from additional support at work. If your caring responsibilities mean you would benefit from flexible working, you can visit ACAS for information on your rights and how to request this.
Carers First Lincolnshire offer support to those with caring responsibilities who are seeking employment. See the advice video below from Carers First;
Additional resources for carers include:
- Carers UK – this website takes you through your rights at work, including flexible working, taking time off and protection from discrimination. It also explores what to consider when thinking about leaving or returning to work, as well as ways to boost your skills .
- Carers Trust – Find out about support for carers, flexible working, finding work, getting work experience, applications, and interviews, and benefits you can claim if you are working or looking for work.
Care leavers and estranged students
Although not currently recognised as a formal characteristic, we recognise there may be additional challenges for care leavers and estranged students to navigate when progressing to graduate employment. We are here to offer support at all stages of your career planning and our team will guide you to meet your goals each step of the way.
Being a care leaver is defined as ‘a student who has been in the care of the Local Authority for a period of 13 weeks or more spanning their 16th birthday.’
Being estranged is defined as ‘having no communicative relationship with either living biological parent and this is unlikely to change.’
We have a dedicated Careers Advisor for care leaver and estranged students, Becki Commins, who provides 1:1 career coaching to support you to overcome concerns you have related to entering the workplace and plan your next steps towards your career. To book a coaching meeting with Becki please email careers@lincoln.ac.uk
How we support care leavers
Whilst care leaver and estranged students can access all areas of our service, the following may be of particular interest:
- One to One Support In addition to career coaching, we can also support you to explore your career ideas and help with your decision making so that you can make steps towards your graduate career. Use our online triage tool to find an appointment to suit your needs.
- Job search If you are looking for a part-time job, internship, or other work experience, we can support you with strategies for job searching as well as how to prepare your CV.
- Interview Preparation Once you have secured an interview for the role you want; we are here to help you succeed at the interview. Access our interview support to learn what to expect and practice your interview technique.
- E-mentoring Learn about graduate careers from University of Lincoln graduates who are now working across a variety of professional industries. Sign up to Lincoln Connect and search key words in the directory to find mentors with the ‘willing to help’ banner.
- We also recommend joining the Lincoln Connect Care Leaver network to hear from others who are navigating their careers after living in care.
Additional resources
- Rees Foundation – An organisation who offer career support to care leavers including filling in HR paperwork and helping you to settle into your new role.
- Care Leaver Covenant – A national inclusion programme designed to support care leavers to access opportunities.
Disability, Long-term Medical Conditions & Mental Health
When you are entering the workplace with a disability, mental health condition, learning difference or chronic illness/pain there may be additional challenges that you need to navigate. We are here to offer support at all stages of your career planning journey and our team will guide you to meet your goals each step of the way.
Our dedicated Careers Adviser, Becki Commins, acquired a disability after experiencing a stroke during her final year of university. Becki now specialises in supporting disabled students and graduates to achieve their career goals. To contact Becki please email careers@lincoln.ac.uk.
Reasonable adjustments and your rights in recruitment and employment
Under The Equality Act 2010 a disability is defined as having a “physical or mental impairment that lasts for 12 months and has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long term’ negative effect on your ability carry out normal day to day activities.”
The act also states that “Employers have a duty to make “reasonable adjustments” to ensure that a disabled employee is not treated less favourably than their non-disabled counterpart.” This applies to both the recruitment process and during employment. A reasonable adjustment might include accessibility support or changes to the recruitment process and workplace environment. Students who would like support to consider reasonable adjustments can access the following support:
How we support disabled students
Whilst disabled students can access all areas of our service, the following may be of particular interest:
- One to One Support We can support you to overcome concerns you have related to entering the workplace and plan your next steps towards your career. We can also support you to explore your career ideas and help with your decision making. Use our online triage tool to find an appointment to suit your needs.
- Job search If you are looking for a part-time job, internship, or other work experience, we can support you with strategies for job searching as well as how to prepare your CV.
- Interview Preparation Once you have secured an interview for the role you want; we are here to help you succeed at the interview. Access our interview support to learn what to expect, practice your interview technique and discuss reasonable adjustments with a specialist.
- E-mentoring Learn about graduate careers from University of Lincoln graduates who are now working across a variety of professional industries. Sign up to Lincoln Connect and search key words related to your interests in the directory to find mentors with the ‘willing to help’ banner. We also recommend joining the Lincoln Connect disability and mental health network to hear from others who are navigating disability in the workplace.
Disability Confident Employers
Disability Confident is a government initiative encouraging employers to think differently about disability. It is voluntary for the employers and has three different levels and each level requires different commitments from the employer to create an inclusive work environment.
Visit the Disability Confident employer list to find out which employers have signed up to the Disability Confident scheme.
Access to Work
Access to Work is support from the government for if you have a disability, or a physical or mental health condition that makes it hard for you to do your job. If the adjustments you need to access the workplace aren’t covered by your employer making reasonable adjustments, you may be able to get help from Access to Work.
You’ll be offered support based on your needs, which may include a grant to help cover the costs of practical support in the workplace. To find out more visit the Access to Work website.
Vacancy sites
There are some organisations who offer job boards and support specifically to disabled students and graduates.
- EmployAbility is a not-for-profit organisation which provides advice for students and graduates with disabilities. Employ-Ability also runs a wide range of internships and graduate schemes on behalf of many employers in a range of areas.
- MyPlus Student Club share graduate job listings and resources for advice and support during the recruitment process.
Is there specialist support for my disability?
Seeking advice for your disability can be a crucial step in understanding your rights, the support available and identifying the wide variety of career opportunities available to you.
In addition to support from Careers & Employability, many charities and relevant disability organisations offer employability support. Examples of these include:
- Scope
- Disability Rights UK
- Leonard Cheshire.
Charities and specialist organisations can also be a great place to start when seeking advice and support for a specific disability or mental health condition. For example, searching ‘Autism employability support’ on google finds a variety of organisations and resources with tailored support for autistic individuals.
The same method can be applied to any disability or mental health condition.
Race
There are a number of organisations who work to increase diversity representation in the workplace.
- Aspire is an annual event with Targetjobs who have partnered with leading employers in the UK to host Aspire. An event for Black Heritage students to meet with some of the biggest organisations in the world who have open roles for you to apply to.
- Bright Network is a University of Lincoln partner with access to over 300 employers, everything they do is free to their members and diversity is critical to their mission of helping the brightest talent get ahead in their careers.
- BYP facilitate networking, mentoring, up-skilling, and employment for the purpose of advancing the careers of black professionals.
- Ethnic Jobsite are a recruitment agency who have been serving the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic community for a decade.
- Rare Recruitment are leaders in diversity graduate recruitment.
- SEO London prepare students and graduated from ethic minority or low socioeconomic backgrounds for career success through career and interview training.
- WearePocc was Initially created as a WhatsApp group to provide a safe space for creative professionals of African, Caribbean, and Asian descent, today Pocc is home to over a thousand creatives working across Advertising, Film, Media, and the Arts – with strands in the UK, Europe, and US.
- Windsor Fellowship offer a variety of BAME Scholarships ranging from college to graduate level.
- 10,000 Interns Foundation seeks to offer 2,000 internships each year for five consecutive years. They have partnered up with firms from 24 different sectors, delivering internships across a range of internal business functions.
Industry Specific Initiatives
Many industries and organisations advertise initiatives to attract candidates from BAME backgrounds. Take a look at some of the schemes we’ve found below.
Charity and Public Sector
- CharityWorks have a taster programme designed to give talented BAME (Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic) students and recent graduates a top-class development experience to prepare them to launch a career in the non-profit sector alongside a fast-track to the Charityworks graduate programme.
- Civil Service offer a Summer Diversity Internship programme offering talented undergraduates and graduates a work placement in a government department. It can also Fast Pass you to the Civil Service Fast Stream.
Creative Industry, including journalism and publishing
- Creative Access offer a jobs board, training and support to candidate and are working towards a day when Britain’s society is truly reflected in the creative industries.
- Creative Diversity Network exists to enable the UK broadcasting industry to increase diversity and inspire inclusion.
- Harper Collins work closely with Creative Access to offer a 12-month rotational traineeships to BAME candidates.
- Screen Skills is the industry led body for the screen industries who provide insight, career development and other opportunities to grow and sustain an inclusive workforce
Law
- Ethnic Solicitors Network supports and promotes solicitors and their allies through career enhancing events, information, and networking opportunities.
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
- Association for Black and Ethnic Minority Engineers provide support and promotes higher achievements in Education and Engineering particularly among students and professionals from ethnic minority backgrounds.
Sustainability Careers
- Intersectional Environmentalist – a climate justice community and resource hub centreing BIPOC and historically under-amplified voices in the environmental space.
- Climate Reframe project – amplifying BAME voices in the UK environmental movement.
- Reclaiming Our Time – centreing and celebrating Black environmentalists.
- Meet the young people of colour fighting for our planet – resource from Green Peace.
LGBTQ+
Stonewall campaigns for the equality of LGBTQ+ people across Britain. They also maintain a list of the top 100 inclusive employers.
National Student Pride have launched an early careers newsletter, Leadership+. This provides a series of interviews with LGBT+ industry leaders about their career paths and current roles in the businesses many students are looking to applying to.
Proud Employers is a job vacancy site for LGBTQ+ inclusive employers.
The transgender workplace support guide from NHS Lothian and LGBT health provides information and advice on how to navigate recruitment and employment as a trans person.
Click here for information on right to work checks for gender-nonconforming and transgender candidates.
Intersectional Experiences: Enhancing Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Careers
Understanding Intersectionality:
Intersectionality is a framework for understanding how various aspects of a person’s identity – such as race, gender, sexuality, disability, and socioeconomic status– intersect and create unique experiences of discrimination. Recognising intersectionality is crucial for creating inclusive workplaces and career opportunities that support diverse experiences.
Challenges faced by marginalised groups:
- Overlapping Discrimination – Individuals from marginalised groups often experience multiple forms of discrimination, impacting their career prospects, mental health, and access to opportunities. For example, A Black LGBTQ+ student may face racism, homophobia and transphobia simultaneously, which can significantly affect their academic progression, job applications, and workplace inclusion.
- Barriers to Advancement – Discrimination can limit networking opportunities, access to mentorship, and career progression, leading to fewer leadership opportunities and challenges in workplace inclusivity.
Mental Health Impact of Intersectional Discrimination
Navigating multiple forms of discrimination often contributes to higher rates of mental health challenges, including:
- Anxiety & Depression – Increased stress due to exclusion and bias in workplaces
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) – Emotional strain from prolonged discrimination or workplace harassment
- Low Self-Esteem – Struggles in self-confidence and career decision-making due to systemic barriers
Understanding these challenges allows employers and career services to provide better support and foster inclusivity.
Support Services Available:
- Career Coaching – One-to-one guidance tailored to the unique challenges faced by individuals from marginalised groups.
- Networking Opportunities – Career fairs, industry events, and mentorship programs designed to create inclusive connections
- Lincoln Connect – A platform that connects students with mentors who understand intersectional challenges.
Visit our appointment and resources booking tool to access support.
LGBTQ+ & Intersectional Support Services:
- Galop: Support for LGBTQ+ individuals facing hate crime, domestic abuse, and sexual violence
- Stonewall: Advocacy and resources for LGBTQ+ individuals, including ethnic minority communities
Inclusive career development is essential for empowering individuals from all backgrounds. Accessible support ensures that everyone can succeed.