Case study Organisation: West Thames College Type of FE provider: College Focus on: Equality and Diversity (Race)
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Embedding Race Equality Principles into Recruitment Literature Summary of activity An example of combining race equality principles and communications methods to enhance college recruitment literature for professional, support and teaching staff.
Background and strategic drive for activity West Thames College is a medium-sized further education college situated in the London Borough of Hounslow. The college’s 6,000-strong student population is drawn from a long-established multicultural community, with around 60 per cent belonging to a black or minority ethnic group. English is a second language to more than half of its students. The college has sites across the area, including its main campus in Isleworth and its Skills Centre based in Feltham.
Against this demographic background, the college was keen to increase the number of job applications from black and minority ethnic groups to better reflect its community and attract high-calibre candidates from diverse backgrounds. However, the college was aware that its recruitment literature needed to be on a par with the quality of information in the college prospectus. It therefore wanted to produce a job application pack that reflected the diversity of the college and promoted its ongoing work and commitment to race equality.
Set-up and implementation The college created a job application pack in conjunction with the college’s Community Advisory Group (see ‘Working with the Community Advisory Group’ case study) and marketing department. All agreed that the pack should be a positive publication, listing the college’s activities and achievements on race equality, showing it as an effective and confident organisation through statements such as the following: “We believe that employing a more representative number of black teachers and managers at the college will have a positive impact – not only on the success and achievements of our black students, but on all our students – preparing them for life in a multicultural Britain and the wider world.”
Obstacles faced There were no major obstacles experienced in relation to the race equality aspect of the pack, but as it needed a large print run in order to reduce production costs, there was a need to ‘future proof’ the content to ensure its longevity.
Impact and achievements Building on the college’s work on staff development with other local colleges, the new job application pack included copies of the Learning and Skills Council funded ‘Think FE’ and ‘Teach FE’ recruitment booklets (see the ‘Action Planning for Race Equality’ case study). The college’s personnel department also has a more streamlined process for sending out application packs.
Links to legal requirements and other equality areas The activities of the college can be modified and used to good effect in other equality areas, which will help to meet the forthcoming provisions of the Equality Bill.
Next steps The pack is now undergoing its third revision to reflect a change in senior management. This has provided an opportunity to update text and images.
“An excellent example of how race equality principles can help promote innovative recruitment activity.” The Workforce Race Advisory Group
Provider contact Billy Elliott Vice Principal – Student and Services West Thames College London Road Isleworth Middlesex TW7 4HS billy.elliott@west-thames.ac.uk Find out more about the work of The Workforce Race Advisory Group: www.lluk.org/3151.htm.
Although it is still too early to see if there has been a significant increase in applications from black and minority ethnic groups, it is clear that one achievement of this work is the clear and positive messages the college sends both internally to staff and students and externally to the local community.
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