SDG 10 - Reduced Inequalities Reduce inequality within and among countries. At Bucks New University, we’re proud of everyone in our diverse and inclusive University community. We work tirelessly to break down barriers to ensure that everyone can succeed and reach their full potential. Throughout our history we have opened our doors to people who would otherwise have been excluded from education. – Our vision is to be a vibrant inclusive community that inspires learning, develops potential, widens participation and ambitiously transforms lives. We strive to create a work and study environment which is not only free from any form of discrimination but actively celebrates and values diversity. We are committed to equal opportunity across all the ‘protected characteristics’ defined in the Equality Act 2010. Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) underpins our values and influences everything we do. – Bucks New University has a proud history of offering employment-focused and skills-based learning and removing barriers to participation in higher education. We are focused on providing an education that works for all regardless of background or circumstance; provides students with skills for life, able to meet the global challenges of the 21st Century; and is ethical and sustainable, from a University that always meets its social responsibilities, to students, to staff, and to society. Our Impact 2022 strategy builds on our historic mission to transform lives through inspiring, employment- and profession-focused education, enabling people positively to impact society and their future.
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– Equality and diversity is embedded in all the people policies and procedures and is at the heart of the University’s People Strategy. The University measures the impact of its equality and diversity initiatives through the employee survey which includes an equality index. 80% of employees were satisfied or very satisfied with the University’s performance, Employees from black and minority ethnic backgrounds were more engaged than White/Non-White employees across the University. These results were driven by the University’s focus on positive employment practices. In 2019, the University Executive Team and Management Group undertook an activity to refresh our organisational Values and an aligned Bucks Behaviour Framework. The new values, DRIVE for Excellence (Dynamic, Responsible, Inclusive, Visionary & Empowering), set out the standards for all employees, with underpinning behaviours embodying positive indicators as
expectations against nine behaviours. – The Vice Chancellor made a commitment to the principles of the AdvanceHE Race Equality Charter in September 2019. Following an 18-month cross-institutional project to review race equality at Bucks, and the development of an action plan to tackle identified inequalities or concerns, a submission for bronze-level recognition will be made to AdvanceHE in February 2022. – Through working with the Association of University Administrators (AUA), we are embedding sector-led, recognised behaviours into our Human Resources procedures such as Recruitment and Selection and Performance Development Review. The values are embedded in all our people processes and reinforced through our recognition schemes. Staff are encouraged to nominate colleagues who go over and above in their roles. Vouchers are given to winners each month, and overall winners are recognised at the annual Bucks Stars awards ceremony to celebrate staff achievement across a range of categories. – From a development perspective, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion eLearning is an established part of our mandatory induction training for all new staff. The University also offers training in: – Diversity Confidence. – Supporting staff and students with a Disability (both physical & mental). – Equal opportunities in Recruitment & Selection. – Transgender policy. – Unconscious bias. – In the higher education sector, there is an attainment gap where non-disabled students perform better than disabled students. We’re proud that this is not the case at Buckinghamshire New University where disabled students represent around 12% of our student population and are thriving.
