Equality and Diversity Policy

Equality and Diversity

1. Policy Statement

Colchester Institute aims to provide a welcoming environment in which all learners and employees are encouraged to realise their full potential, where every individual is valued and offered equal opportunity to progress.

To this end, the College aims to ensure that all actual or potential learners and employees are treated in an equivalent fashion, regardless of: age, disability; family responsibility, marital status, race, colour, ethnicity, nationality, religion or belief, gender, sexual orientation, trade union activity, and any other irrelevant criteria.

2. Key principles

The College believes that all forms of prejudice and discrimination* are unacceptable. In recognition of the fact that they can take a variety of forms, depending on the group against whom they are directed, the College will adapt/develop policies embodying the issues specific to discrimination on the grounds of:

- Age
- Disability
- Gender
- Race
- Religion or Belief
- Sexual Orientation
The College will seek to challenge inequality, prejudice and discrimination.
The College embraces diversity in all its aspects, and aims to have a workforce, governing body and learner population which reflects, at every level, the community it serves.
The College will treat all employees and learners with respect and dignity, and seek to provide a working and learning environment free from harassment, discrimination and victimisation. The College will not tolerate any form of discriminatory behaviour against its employees and learners either from other employees, learners, or members of the public and will work to eliminate bullying and harassment in all its forms. Prompt and considerate action will be taken to investigate incidents of bullying and harassment.
In seeking to achieve a balanced workforce and learner population at all levels, the College will ensure that no employee, learner, job applicant or candidate for promotion will be disadvantaged, or treated less favourably because of conditions or requirements that are not related to the job or programme of learning. Reasonable adjustments will be made to arrangements and premises to ensure equal access for people with disabilities.
In order to ensure that all staff and learners and potential staff and learners are treated with equality and fairness at all stages of employment and the learning programme, and that their treatment is based solely on objective and job/programme of learning related criteria, the College will ensure that equality issues are embedded into all its policies and procedures.
The College will undertake Equality Impact Assessments on all policies, procedures and systems to ensure they have no detrimental impact on any individual or specific group.
The College will seek to actively promote equality and diversity throughout the College. For learners we will ensure it is adequately covered within student induction, the group tutorial process and embedded fully into the curriculum.

The College will establish links and contacts with local community groups and other relevant organisations, which will include the Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) community sector, working in partnership, where appropriate, to encourage and facilitate access to education, training and employment.

3. Structures

The Director of Human Resources and Projects will have delegated responsibility for equality issues. The designated person will ensure that regular reports are made to the Corporation. There will be an Equality and Diversity Manager to actively promote Equality and Diversity across the College and support teams and individuals.
There will be an Equality and Diversity Team, chaired by the Equality and Diversity Manager with representatives from management, staff, Trade Unions and students. The remit and membership of the Equality and Diversity Team will be published on the College Intranet.
There will be an Equality and Diversity Advisory Group, chaired by the Director of Human Resources and Projects, with representatives from the College and external Community Groups and Organisations representing the 6 strands of Equality and Diversity.

The remit of the Equality and Diversity Advisory Group will be to:

Act as a forum for consultation and feedback on the proposed College Equality and Diversity Schemes, policies, procedures and practices.
To share experiences and good practices.
To advise the College of clients’ needs and requirements in equality and diversity and how the College could be meeting these.
To provide updates on specific Equality and Diversity Projects.

4. Monitoring

The college undertakes to conduct comprehensive and effective monitoring of all aspects of staffing and the learner population.
The College is committed to the collection of statistics, analysis of data and presentation of data, as well as monitoring on an ongoing basis and as policies and practices change. Equality and Diversity will also be monitored as part of the Course Review and Self Assessment Review processes.
The main forms of monitoring used by the College will be the composition of the existing workforce, governing body and learner population, the recruitment processes, learner retention and achievement with particular reference to ethnicity, age, disability and gender.
Action plans will be drawn up to address any imbalances and in particular to narrow any identified achievement gaps between groups of learners identified as a result of monitoring and reviewing this data.
An annual Equality and Diversity report will be produced to summarise all monitoring data, analysis of feedback including any complaints and the annual review of the Single Equality Scheme.

5. Positive action

The College undertakes to follow positive action measures allowed by law to rectify disadvantages in employment and learning revealed by monitoring.

In particular to promote equality as detailed in the College’s Single Equality Scheme.

6. Training

Equality and diversity training will be provided to all staff as part of the induction process. Specific training will also be provided for throughout the year on different aspects of equality and diversity as appropriate.

7. Raising concerns

If an employee believes they have not been treated fairly within the scope of this policy they may raise the matter through the College’s Dealing with Bullying and Harassment at Work or Grievance Procedures.
Similarly, if a learner believes they have not been treated fairly within the scope of this policy they may raise the matter through the College’s Dealing with Bullying and Harassment at College or Complaints Procedures.

8. Publicising the policy

The College’s commitment to equal opportunities and the Equal Opportunity Policy will be communicated widely to employees, learners, work placement providers and the public at large through:-

- College prospectuses and annual Equality and Diversity report

- employee and learner induction programmes

- copies available throughout the College, and visible on posters

- through the College web site and Portal

- copies of the policy provided to work based learning and work placement providers, with a requirement for them to adopt the Policy if they do not already have one in place.