Maxiemum reward!

Birmingham-based activist Maxie Hayles MBE receives honour from Coventry University

TWO ENDURING campaigners for justice and equality were among the county notables to receive honours from Coventry University (CU), as the institution looks to equalise employment opportunities for under-represented groups in the artificial intelligence (AI) and digital sectors

Sean McGovern, the Senior Coroner for Coventry and Warwickshire, has been recognised for his 14-year stint in the post, with an honorary Doctorate of Law. Currently the Vice President of The Coroner’s Society of England and Wales, Mr McGovern has lived and worked in the Coventry area for more than 30 years. He will become the President next year.

Dubbed ‘a champion of diversity’ for playing a key role in increasing the number of people from ethnic minorities in the coroner profession, he responded: “I have practised law in and around Coventry for the past 30 years as a barrister, legal author, coroner and judge and it is a great privilege to receive this honour from Coventry University.”

The decades-long quest by Birmingham-based activist Maxie Hayles MBE was recognised with an Honorary Doctor of Arts. The septuagenarian came to Britain aged 16 from Jamaica and initially trained as a social worker, while also working voluntarily at the Birmingham Racial Attacks Monitoring Unit (BRAMU) from 1989-2012. More than 5,000 live cases came to the unit during that period dealing with hate crime including discrimination against disability, religion, race and sexual orientation. Under Mr Hayles leadership, BRAMU organised and hosted the first hate crime conference in conjunction with Birmingham City Council in 2010.

Mr Hayles said: “I am humbled and honoured to accept this award. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to receive such an honour. I accept this award on behalf of young people in order to motivate and to inspire. My message to all young people is this: we live in a society which rewards, but in order to reap its benefits one needs to participate.”

Diversity

While the ceremony honoured the recent past, CU also looked to the future with the announcement of a £780,000 investment to help women, Black and disabled people into AI and digital jobs, through scholarships starting this September.

CU leads a consortium tasked with building diversity and ensuring applicants possess the required skillset for the digital industry. Six years ago the consortium set up the Institute of Coding which is combatting the UK’s digital skills gap through the delivery of employer-led digital skills education.

The funding comes from the Office for Students (OfS) and requires CU to coordinate the efforts of universities across England to distribute these scholarships and work with industry to make even more scholarship opportunities available.

Dr James Shuttleworth, Director of the Institute of Coding at Coventry University, said: “The funding for scholarships will allow Coventry University and the other members of the consortium to continue the work we have been doing to lower barriers to entering careers in technology. With data science and artificial intelligence becoming central to so many industries, it is vital that everyone has the opportunity to learn and ensure the UK has the diverse talent it needs.”

The OfS will provide a total of £8.1 million funding for up to 817 scholarships, worth £10,000 each for the 2023-24 academic year. Thirty universities have been awarded a share of the funding to deliver scholarships to eligible underrepresented groups. Students can study a range of courses covering topics such as practical AI and data science skills, programming, machine learning, health data science and AI ethics.

Professor John Latham CBE, Coventry University Vice-Chancellor, said: “We are delighted to be at the forefront of ensuring that the digital industry is open to all. Diversity and widening access to quality higher education is one of the hallmarks of Coventry University and this funding from the OfS will allow us to continue teaching a diverse and inclusive talent pool.”