Equality impact assessment

School/Directorate: School of Optometry and Vision Sciences, SoLS

Name of person completing the equality impact assessment: Professor David Whitaker

Date of completion: 21st January 2010

What is the name of policy / function / practice / criteria you are equality impact assessing? Career Progression BSc in Optometry

Is the policy:

New
Existing

Screening

What is the aim of this policy / function / practice / criteria? What is it intended to achieve?

The Career Progression course is unique in the UK, designed as an opportunity for career enhancement within the optical profession. It is an accelerated route to a BSc in Optometry, available only to UK-registered Dispensing Opticians. Given the innovative nature of the programme, we consider it particularly important to ensure that the aims, activities and outcomes of the programme are consistent with good practice in Equality and Diversity.

Who are the main stakeholders?

Staff
Students
Community

In light of the data and evidence you have collected for this equality impact assessment, does this policy / function / practice / criteria have any relevance to, or impact on, equality and diversity in the two areas below?

Possibility for discrimination / adverse impact
Opportunities to promote equal opportunities / good relations

Evidence and data

Please use the space below to discuss the evidence and data you have collected for this equality impact assessment. This evidence may include statistics, results of consultations, feedback, external reports etc. There is no set format for this section; please include any information that is relevant or that you have collected which you have considered as part of this equality impact assessment. Discuss how it has enabled you to make your conclusions about any impacts on equality of what you are assessing.

Please ensure you include feedback where appropriate on the policy / function / practice / criteria from the three staff forums: Race Equality, Respect Sexual Orientation, and N-Able Disabled Staff Group. You can obtain further guidance and details on the staff forums from the Equality Unit.

Introduction

The Career Progression BSc in Optometry involves 1 calendar year of full-time study at University, preceded by an 8-month period of workplace learning. It is designed to meet the needs of the optical profession, which previously found its employees restricted in the progression route from one step on the career ladder (Dispensing Optics) to another (Optometry). The programme is therefore an accelerated route which requires just 1 year of absence from the workplace in order to gain the exit award of BSc in Optometry (an identical award to the traditional 3-year route). Most of the entrants to the programme possess non-traditional academic qualifications.

Given the unique nature of the programme (it is the only one of its kind in the UK) and the very different nature of the student cohort, we considered it particularly important to perform an Equality Impact Assessment to ensure that the programme does not disadvantage or discriminate against people, and makes a contribution to equality and diversity within the University.

The impact of the programme will be considered against each of the six 'equality strands'. The author is particularly grateful to Matthew Tait of the General Optical Council and Katie Docker of the Association of British Dispensing Opticians for the provision of comparative data to assist the following analyses.

Race

Analysis of all entry cohorts between 02/03 (the commencement of the programme) and 08/09 reveals a split between white and non-white students shown in the chart opposite.

The ethnicity of the non-white students (n=32) is shown in the chart overleaf, revealing a predominance of South Asian ethnicity.

This pattern of ethnicity is very different to that of undergraduate students in both Optometry and the School of Life Sciences, where only 30% of students are white. Nevertheless, it is consistent with national undergraduate statistics (HESA) indicating that just 17% of undergraduate students are non-white. Recruitment to the Career Progression course is national rather than local, and is taken from a relatively small cohort (approximately 5,500) of UK-registered Dispensing Opticians domiciled across the country. The appropriate comparison, therefore, is with the pattern of ethnicity within this cohort. Data supplied by the General Optical Council (the statutory body for Dispensing Opticians) reveals a non-white representation of just 14%, less than half of the actual representation on the course. We are therefore confident that there is no evidence of discrimination against non-white applicants to the programme.

Gender

The gender distribution of entrants to the programme is shown in the chart opposite. This reveals a predominance of male entrants to the programme.

Again, comparison with the regular Optometry programme and the rest of the School of Life Sciences reveals that the gender distribution of the Career Progression course is different. How does it compare with the distribution of UK Dispensing Opticians? Data from the General Optical Council indicate that 58% of current practising Dispensing Opticians are female. Membership of the Association of British Dispensing Opticians indicates almost the same proportion of females (57%). It would therefore appear that we have a definite under-representation of female students applying to the Career Progression programme. These data do, however, hide an important interaction between age and gender. Males actually form the majority of older Dispensing Opticians, with the peak of the female population being 10-15 years younger than the male equivalent (see figure overleaf). Given that the Career Progression course is targeted at mature students, it seems likely that the female representation on the course will increase as the younger Dispensing Opticians become eligible to enter the course. Another reason for the female under-representation again relates to the fact that all Career Progression students are mature. Most of the students move away from home to study at Bradford for a calendar year. As a result, many leave their partners and families for this period, and it seems likely that there exists more social pressure upon females to remain at home than for males.

Data for the School of Life Sciences does show a similar trend in gender distribution as a function of age, although not as marked (see Table below). Whilst females make up the majority of young full-time students, they are in a minority with increasing age.

Age:
Gender / Under 21 / 21-25 / 26-30 / 31-35 / 36-40 / 41-45 / 46-50 / 51-55
Female % / 57 / 53 / 50 / 44 / 50 / 50 / 40 / 25
Male % / 43 / 47 / 50 / 56 / 50 / 50 / 60 / 75
Total % / 100 / 100 / 100 / 100 / 100 / 100 / 100 / 100

We have put support mechanisms in place in recognition of the need for students to spend time with their families. We attempt to keep the timetable free on Monday mornings and Friday afternoons to allow for travel. Unfortunately, this strategy has recently come under pressure primarily due to timetabling problems resulting from the lack of suitable lecture rooms within the University. In addition, it is worth pointing out that there is more likelihood of students taking study leave from their families for a course of 1-year duration than for the standard 3-year route. Our conclusion is that, whilst we will seek to encourage recruitment of mature females to the Career Progression programme, the gender distribution which we observe is a result of demographic and social factors rather than any form of discrimination against this cohort.

Disability

The level of self-declared disability amongst the Career Progression cohort is just 3%. All of these involved a Specific Learning Disability (e.g. Dyslexia). This is lower than the equivalent figure across full-time courses at the University, which is growing year-on-year but averages 6-7% over a similar time period. It is also less than national statistics (HESA) indicating a disability level of 7% in UK Higher Education. However, it compares well with the Dispensing Optics profession as a whole, which reports disability levels of under 1.5% (data supplied by General Optical Council). We are therefore confident that, although disability levels are lower than elsewhere in the University, this is due to recruitment of students from a national pool with a rather low incidence of self-reported disability.

Sexual Orientation

We have no data pertaining to this equality strand, and cannot imagine any adverse impact of the Career Progression course in this area.

Religion or belief

Again, we have no data pertaining to this equality strand since the University does not collect statistics on religious affiliation. However, one adverse impact which is shared with the Optometry students on the regular BSc programme arises for Muslim students (of whom there are undoubtedly significant numbers) wishing to observe Friday prayers. Despite requesting appropriate timetabled rooms to avoid this clash, due to a shortage of suitable teaching rooms we have been forced to deliver teaching from 1pm to 5pm on a Friday afternoon. The issue is outside our control, and we have done all we can to avoid this adverse impact.

Age

This is an area in which the Career Progression programme has had a clear, positive impact. The student body across the University and, in particular, the School of Life Sciences is dominated by the young (under 25 and, in particular, under 21). There is a lack of diversity in the student population in terms of age. This is disappointing, since mature students have so much to offer both in terms of academic ability and in conveying life skills to younger students. The dramatic dominance of young students is shown in the figure opposite.

This distribution contrasts sharply with the equivalent figure for Career Progression students (blue data in the figure to the left). The age distribution is approximately normal with a peak in the 35-44 age range. The mean age is 39±9 with a range of 23-59. Equivalent data for UK Dispensing Opticians is shown in red (provided by the General Optical Council). Again, this is normally distributed with a peak in the same age range. It is clear that the Career Progression student data is shifted to a slightly younger age than the data for the whole profession, but this is to be anticipated given the ethos of the programme – to act as a stepping stone to advanced career prospects. The lower rate of participation by the 55+ age group is therefore understandable.

Our conclusion is that the Career Progression course has had a very positive impact in terms of widening participation of more mature students in full-time study at the University of Bradford.

Academic Outcome

Having evaluated each of the equality impact strands, we now turn to the question of whether the positive impact of the programme in terms of widening participation has resulted in adequate levels of student achievement.

The figure opposite shows the percentage of students gaining each of the relevant degree classifications at the end of their study. Data represent the total number of students since the Career Progression course began (2002/03). The Career Progression cohort (blue) is compared with that of the regular BSc in Optometry over the same period (red). It is clear that the Career Progression students perform extremely well. Degree outcomes for the regular students are centred around the 2.1/2.2 classification, whilst the majority of Career Progression students obtain either a 1st or 2.1 degree classification. These students are determined, hard-working and keen to learn. The outcome is an excellent level of performance, despite their non-traditional academic backgrounds.

Equality impact

Based on your findings presented in the section above, please tick the appropriate boxes below and summarise your reasons where appropriate:

/ Positive impact/ opportunities / Negative / adverse impact / No impact / Unknown / Reasons and evidence /
Race /
Gender /
Disability /
Sexual orientation /
Religion or belief /
Age / Widening participation for mature students /

If you have identified any negative or adverse impact, can this be justified?

Yes
No

If you have answered yes, please explain how:

What action will you take to reduce the negative or adverse impacts?

Changes to the policy / function / practice / criteria
Changes to the method of implementation
Replacing the policy / function / practice / criteria

Please discuss further:

Action planning:

Action required / By whom / Date for completion /
Monitor female participation / David Whitaker / 2012

Publicising and reporting

The Equality Unit will work with you to ensure this equality impact assessment is adapted for publication on the University website.

Please use the space below to discuss how else you want to make the results of this equality impact assessment more widely known. This might include presenting it at School or Directorate forums, committee meetings etc, or sending it to those who were consulted; you may have your own internal channels of communication you want to use.

Copies should be forwarded to the General Optical Council and the Association of British Dispensing Opticians. It will be considered at an Optometry BSc course board.