Jane Frost, CEO MRS I The need to recruit and retain the best talent hope most of you who read this will agree that there is huge pleasure to be found in diversity whether that is in our workplace, our friendship groups and interests, or even the food we eat. The young researchers and apprentices Amanda Hammond, LaShanda Seaman, Fatima Mitha and Natalie Hobkirk, who bravely got to their feet to help us launch the MRS apprenticeship programme at Bafta in February, were not only a pleasure to listen to, they were also a lot better at public speaking than I would have been at a similar point in my career. The passion and commitment with which they spoke was a vivid illustration of how much we need young talent and why this programme is so important. We have 10 employers already signed up and we are hungry for more. Bringing on diverse young talent will help us meet the challenges of innovation and reinvention, examples of which were so much in evidence at our annual conference, Impact 2022. More than that, the new ways of thinking, the removal of barriers, and the challenges to the status quo are all needed in order that we may continue to grow as a sector. The latest MRS Delphi Group report, The Insight Alchemist, launched at the MRS conference in March, laid out this challenge with some force. If you havent caught up with this years conference yet, it is available on demand on mrs.org.uk. Sector and MRS news Apprenticeship launch The Market Research Executive Apprenticeship It is great to see optimism return to the sector as demand continues to increase. We know that this comes with a challenge to ensure that the demand can be met with an appropriately skilled workforce. Like other sectors, such as advertising, research is under huge pressure when it comes to recruiting and retaining talent. Not only must we bring in new talent, but we must also retain those who are already working in the sector. Our recent research, in partnership with Daughters of Sailors, suggests that there may be a long way to go in convincing talent that companies are committed to being the workplaces they claim they aspire to be. We all need to be ambassadors for this industry. For that to happen, we must become the best leaders and colleagues we can, helping and celebrating talent from the widest pool available. Reinvention means capacity and capability building, of ourselves and our teams. Whether it is hearing the sort of speakers we had at Impact 2022 or taking up formal training, MRS is committed to delivering the best support available. Please make use of all that is on offer. Finally, as we go to print, and as the economic indicators for research seem increasingly positive, I look forward to being out and about, and celebrating this amazing sector in person with as many of you as I possibly can. was officially launched in February, at Bafta. With Seema Malhotra MP addressing the event, more than 70 employers, apprentices and sector representatives gathered to celebrate the new programme. Designed to attract and train school leavers aged 18 years or older, as well as to upskill employees already working within a research role, the apprenticeship standard has been created in collaboration with leading agencies and businesses from the public and private sectors. Company Partner Wellbeing Space In recognition of the needs of the research sector, which were highlighted by the Mental Wellbeing in Research survey 2021, MRS has launched a new Wellbeing Space, exclusively for employees of Accredited Company Partners. This can be accessed through the Company Partner benefits area of the MRS website. 55 Impact ISSUE 37 2022_pp54-57_MRS.indd 55 28/03/2022 15:42