We all know that diverse recruitment is central to ensuring cultural organisations better represent the communities they seek to serve. If the sector truly wants to diversify, then the audiences we aim to reach need to see themselves represented by the people who work with and for us.
Driving visitation, engagement and financial sustainability, depends on not just reaching audiences but engaging with people in deep, meaningful ways. That engagement comes through people.
In December 2024, Historic England’s Heritage Sector Diversity Survey revealed that 90% of the heritage workforce identified as white, while Arts Council England’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Data Report (2024) indicated a decline in the proportion of staff from Black and underrepresented ethnic backgrounds within National Portfolio Organisations over the period 2020/21 to 2021/22.
At the recent Cultural Enterprises Conference, I had the opportunity to talk to Duro Oye, Founder and CEO of 20/20 Levels, to discuss diverse recruitment and some approaches that the sector could learn from.
Can you start by telling us a little about 20/20 Levels, and what inspired you to develop the organisation?
20/20 Levels is a social mobility charity that prepares young people from Black and racially underrepresented (marginalised) communities for adulthood, employment, and entrepreneurship. Through our programmes, we provide life skills, career readiness, mentorship, and business development support. We’ve worked with just under 4,000 young people to date, helping them build confidence, unlock their potential, and access meaningful opportunities.
The inspiration came from my personal lived experience. I saw so many talented, driven young people around me who simply weren’t getting the access, support, or belief they needed to thrive. It was never about a lack of ambition—it was about systems, networks, and environments that weren’t built with us in mind. I wanted to change that. I wanted to create something that didn’t just prepare young people for the world but actively reshaped the world to be more inclusive and equitable for them. I wanted to create something I wish I had when I was younger.
You run a wide range of career development and recruitment and retention work programmes. How do you approach the work, and what does it deliver for the individuals and the organisations involved?
We take a holistic and collaborative approach to career development, recruitment, and retention — because it’s not just about getting young people into jobs, it’s about getting them into the right jobs, in the right environment and helping them thrive and stay in those roles.
For individuals, our programmes focus on building confidence, work and life skills, and long-term support. Whether it’s through our I AM CHANGE Programme or our Levels Business Development pathway, we help them develop the tools, networks, and mindset to navigate professional environments with confidence. As a result, 98% of participants report increased confidence, and over 60% secure employment within three months of completing our programme.
But our support doesn’t stop there. We stay connected with our alumni, offering mentorship, coaching, and progression support. That’s why 98% of the young people we place pass probation, and over 50% remain with the company for more than three years — which shows it’s not just a quick win, it’s long-term, sustainable impact.
For organisations, we act as a partner — helping them not just access, retain and develop diverse talent. That includes tailored workshops, strategy support, and culture change work that ensures their environments are inclusive, supportive, and built for everyone to succeed.
What we’re delivering is shared value: young people who are confident, capable, and committed — and organisations that are more diverse, dynamic, and future-ready.
What do you think are the biggest challenges organisations face when it comes to increasing diversity, and how can they overcome them?
One of the biggest challenges cultural organisations face in increasing diversity is access and representation. Many underrepresented communities may feel disconnected from these spaces due to historical exclusion or a lack of visible role models.
To overcome this, organisations need to adopt intentional recruitment strategies that actively seek out diverse talent and provide mentorship opportunities. For example, partnering with initiatives like 20/20 Levels allows cultural institutions to tap into emerging talent from underrepresented backgrounds and offer tailored support in areas such as creative development, networking, and career progression.
Another challenge is creating an inclusive environment where diverse voices are genuinely heard and valued. This can be addressed through leadership training on unconscious bias, fostering safe spaces for dialogue, and embedding diversity and inclusion goals into organisational strategy.
Ultimately, meaningful collaboration with community-driven programs, like ours, can help bridge the gap between talent and opportunity, while ensuring lasting cultural change within the sector.
How do you see the approach you take being transferrable to the cultural sector – are there any examples that have particularly interested and impressed you?
Our approach at 20/20 Levels is rooted in empowering underrepresented talent and fostering creativity, which aligns closely with the arts, culture, and heritage sectors.
One example that resonates with our mission is the work of the Tate Collective, which actively engages young people from diverse backgrounds to co-create exhibitions and events. Their model of providing creative platforms and paid opportunities for emerging artists has been particularly inspiring.
Additionally, initiatives like the Museum of London’s youth-focused “Curating London” project, which empowers young people to tell stories of their communities through exhibitions and digital content, demonstrate how cultural organisations can integrate diverse voices and skills development.
These initiatives reflect how our focus on confidence building, mentorship, and employability can seamlessly transfer to the cultural sector, helping to diversify creative leadership and expand career pathways within the industry.
The work you do really is transformative for both individuals and organisation. Are there one or two success stories that for you really, illustrate the impact of your programmes on young people’s lives and the organisations that you work with?
One story that really stands out is our partnership with American Express GBT, where we implemented our full 4-pillar support system. From day one, each young person placed through our programme is wrapped in a framework of support: they’re matched with a buddy who helps them settle into the day-to-day culture, a mentor who supports their personal and professional growth, their line manager who guides their role-specific development, and an executive sponsor who champions their progress at a senior level. It’s a full-circle model that creates both accountability and genuine belonging.
One of our alumni who joined GBT through this model told us they “never felt like the new person” because they were fully seen, supported, and empowered from the very beginning. That individual has not only passed probation and progressed in their role but has since taken on mentoring others coming through the same programme — that’s full-circle impact.
From GBT’s side, they’ve shared how this approach didn’t just support the young person but also helped them grow as an organisation. Teams became more mindful of inclusion, communication improved across departments, and the programme sparked internal conversations about what good onboarding and talent development really looks like.
It’s one of many stories that reminds us: when young people are supported intentionally, the impact ripples far beyond the individual — it transforms culture.
You’ve mentioned the importance of partnerships—what kinds of organisations should cultural institutions be working with to better address the diversity deficit, and what would that look like in practice?
Partnerships are absolutely key if we’re serious about addressing the diversity deficit — because no single organisation can shift the dial alone. For cultural institutions, the first step is to move beyond surface-level engagement and start building meaningful, long-term collaborations with grassroots organisations, community groups, and lived-experience-led initiatives that already have the trust of underrepresented communities.
That means working with organisations like 20/20 Levels, who don’t just talk about access, we actively prepare and walk alongside talent from marginalised backgrounds, from confidence-building right through to career progression. But it also means engaging with schools, youth hubs, faith groups, and creative collectives that are shaping culture from the ground up.
None of this is rocket science, in practice, this looks like co-designing programmes, not just consulting. It’s about creating advisory boards that reflect the communities you’re trying to serve and giving them real influence. It’s about sharing power, budget, and decision-making. And importantly, it’s about tracking progress with transparency and accountability.
When institutions partner in this way, they stop being gatekeepers and start being co-creators of a more inclusive cultural landscape.
Free Event: Book Now
If you’re looking to diversify your teams, join us for a free event Driving Diverse Recruitment in the Cultural Sector to hear practical examples of 20/20 Levels’ partnerships and meet some of the young people and organisations taking part.
