What Does Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Signify In The Higher Education Arena?

OPINION

WHAT DOES EQUALITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION SIGNIFY IN THE HIGHER EDUCATION ARENA?

Aston University’s Frances Seabriodge shares some of the initiatives, the univeristy have been embarking on, and to inform on how the education sector is embracing inclusiveness in a variety of ways.

I have been a member of Birmingham Law Society’s Equality and Diversity Committee now for just over two years. I am proud to represent Aston University on this committee, sharing and observing good practice, developing ideas and generating discussion on how we can make the legal profession a more inclusive environment, and set the objectives in working towards common goals.

There are two main elements to the implementation of the EDI strategy at Aston University, the first through wide communication, and the second through the review of progress and the mapping of the journey to attaining successful outcomes.

With regard to the first element, Aston University has a dedicated area of its website “Inclusive Aston” to ensure that communication is available to all on this important area of its agenda. Working parties have been formed around the various themes (i.e. bullying and harassment, disability, religion, gender, religion, LGBT, BAME, health and well-being) to take the conversations further. Consequently, the University has been working towards the creation of charters and awards, the development of policies and training, and the creation of inclusive working and learning environments. The implementation of policies within the university are checked through benchmarking and data auditing, conducting qualitative research through surveys and focus groups, the development of action plans and timelines and the formal assessment of impact.

With regard to the second element, there are key objectives in the implementation of the Equality and Diversity strategy; these include the accessing of accurate and current data to assess the University’s position, the interpretation of available data to assess the position of those individuals with protected characteristics, and the creation of rigorous systems that reach across the departments. Operationally the University aims to embrace a system of analysis and tracking, to enhance awareness before change, prepare reports in a collaborative way, and share experiences both within the University and externally. Key for me is the latter initiative of sharing experiences across the institution and beyond. This is a great platform to disseminate good practice to the benefit of professional sectors, which will be welcoming our students upon graduation.

Having established the ways, in which the journey is going to be undertaken, how is progress in the attainment of these objectives mapped?

The mechanism for measuring performance is through engagement with awards, for example Athena Swan, in aspiring to attain a Gold award in addressing gender imbalance in the Higher Education sector. If we stay with this illustrative example of the makeup of the Higher Education sector, looking at gender, the statistics relating to the progression of women in the HE sector are