The Birmingham Future Leadership Team is pleased to present the results of this year’s 2010 Birmingham Future Survey. We asked the entire membership for their views on a variety of topics including mentoring, events and communication, and had a wealth of responses. The summary below, prepared by the strategy committee, outlines the key issues arising from the results.
We’d like to thank all of those that took part in the survey and hope you find the results informative, interesting and transparent. If you have any questions about the results of the survey, please contact the Birmingham Forward office at info@birminghamforward.co.uk.
Kind regards,
Leadership Team
Membership
- 57% of the members we polled were female, although the balance has shifted slightly from our last survey towards male-female parity.
- The percentage of members from PR and marketing has dropped significantly – possibly a sign of the difficult times experienced in that sector.
- With 17% of those polled identifying themselves as ‘Other non-financial’, we will request more details in next year’s survey about where our members work.
- Most of our membership think the cost of membership offers value for money.
- 61% of those polled would like to join a committee. Please contact the office if you would be interested in joining a committee.
Events
- BYPY remains our flagship event – of those who attended, all said it met or exceeded their expectations which is a fantastic response.
- Social networking events are also vey popular, as are joint Future/Forward events.
- Timing of events is sometimes a problem for 58% of those we surveyed. Going forward, we will attempt to vary the timings to suit the largest percentage of members.
- Our members would like to see events that engineer a mix between different groups, and more breakfast events.
- Half of those we polled do not feel well informed about events they have missed. Event information is included on the Birmingham Future blog which can be accessed via the website.
Mentoring
- 78% of the membership are not involved with the mentoring scheme. 57% of those who are not involved would like to be. Further details are available on the website.
- 19% of those polled are involved in the Inspiring Futures scheme, with 43% wishing to be involved in this exciting scheme.
Culture Club
- 46% of those polled are members of Culture Club; 31% have yet to hear about it. Details are on the website.
Communication
- 96% of members are satisfied or very satisfied with the level of communication they receive.
- Our members prefer e-mail correspondence; Birmingham Mail, Facebook and the Blog are the least popular methods of communication.
- 79% of our members access Future information online.
Graduate talent
- 57% of our members think Birmingham does enough to attract and retain the best graduate talent. London and Manchester are perceived to be the main competitors.
- When asked what could be done to retain graduate talent, disparity between salaries in the regions and London remains the ‘big issue’, though members also suggest better interaction with the universities, and increasing the profile of Birmingham as a whole.
Campaigns
- 91% of our members would like to see Birmingham Future supporting local entrepreneurs.
- Our members suggest that Birmingham Future should focus on training and developing future leaders of the city; enhance links with higher education to encourage more graduates to stay in Birmingham; and work with a variety of partners and stakeholders throughout the city – from local charities and community projects to AWM, Business Link and local BID teams – to make Birmingham a more attractive and dynamic city.
City Centre
- Our members are most interested in events which keep them up to date about development plans for the city.
- Where possible, members want to be consulted – not just informed – about changes.
Diversity
- 43% of our members have attended events hosted by the Diversity Committee.
- Popular choices for future diversity events are career progression for young people, the pay gap between men and women, and the socio-economic barriers to professional careers.
