EQUALITY PROGRESS REPORT
2016-2017
Acme Company
Public Authority Statutory Equality and Good Relations Duties
Annual Progress Report 2016-2017
Contact:- Section 75 of the NI Act 1998 and Equality Scheme
Telephone:0845 603 1881 ext 5418
Email:
- Section 49A of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and Disability Action Plan
Telephone:0845 603 1881 ext 5418
Email:
Documents published relating to our Equality Scheme can be found at:
Signature:
Tom Bradley
Equality Officer
This report has been prepared using a template circulated by the Equality Commission.
It presents our progress in fulfilling our statutory equality and good relations duties, and implementing Equality Scheme commitments and Disability Action Plans.
This report reflects progress made between April 2016 and March 2017
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PART A
PART A – Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 and Equality SchemeSection 1: Equality and good relations outcomes, impacts and good practice
1 / In 2016-17, please provide examples of key policy/service delivery developments made by the public authority in this reporting period to better promote equality of opportunity and good relations;and the outcomes and improvements achieved.
Please relate these to the implementation of your statutory equality and good relations duties and Equality Scheme where appropriate.
During the reporting period South West College, along with the five other Colleges of Further and Higher Education, reviewed Equality Schemes originally implemented in 2012. Much of the review work was carried out by members of the Northern Ireland Colleges Equality Forum under the guidance of a member of the Advice and Compliance Team at the Equality Commission. Within the reviewedscheme for the College, the Governing Body and Chief Executive Officer have committed to the effective fulfilment of Section 75 duties and to the promotion of Equality of Opportunity and Good Relations within the College.
Survey and focus group activities, carried out on a regular basis College wide amongst the student body by members of the Quality and Performance Team, continue to be a very effective way of gauging opinion in respect of equality and diversity matters. Pre-exit surveys conducted with students towards the end of the academic year have continued to show that there is unanimous agreement with the statement:” I believe I have been able to achieve my qualification regardless of my religious, social or ethnicbackground”. Likewise in terms of the College’s commitment to equality of opportunity, good relations and inclusion, Post-Induction Snatch and Grab focus groups have indicated that a very high percentage of students area aware of and understand that commitment within a short time after joining the College.
The process of embedding diversity in College life features annually in progress reporting and this year that process has continued unabated. In addition to training programmes for both staff and students of the College, work done through a range of projects, including some to which reference was made in last year’s report, has assisted in promoting equality of opportunity, good relations and social inclusion. As such, these projects, of which appropriate detail will be provided, are regarded as key service developments.
Mention was made in last year’s report of the College’s Widening Access and Participation Plan(WAPP), an initiative within the College’s Widening Participation Strategy which addresses discrepancies in the participation in higher education amongst social excluded and underrepresented groups. It was stated that information on underrepresented groups for the academic year 2014-2015 would be recorded in this year’s report. The information relating to such groups within Section 75 categories is as follows:
PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES:
6.8% of students who participated in higher education at South West College in 2014/2015 declared a disability. This shows a 1.94% increase on the number of students who declared a disability in 2012/2013.
COMMUNITY BACKGROUND(PROTESTANT COMMUNITY):
The target here was to maintain the number of male students with a Protestant community background,recognising that current participation reflects local demographics.In 2014/2015 the College had three(5.67%) full time year one entrants coming from that community background from quintile 1.This is an increase of 2.28% on the 2012/2013 baseline where 3.39% of the year one entrants were Protestants from quintile 1.
MALES:
The retention rate for the cohort of males completing full time higher education in 2014/2015 was 76.6%. Although the 2014/2015 retention rate remains on a par with the 2012/2013 baseline position,the number of males completing in 2014/2015 increased by 52.
It is noticeable, therefore, that the WAPP continues to have a very definite impact on groups and communities which have been targeted.
The WAPP for the period 2017/2018-2019/2020 indicates that, through the College’s Higher Education Strategy, it will continue to further the aim of providing a quality learning experience in a supportive environment. The College will also continue to value the diversity of its student body and retain its strong record in Widening Participation, developing outreach initiatives and tailoring academic and support services and financial support to maintain and widen participation.
Details were provided in last year’s report of the activities within the Youth Programme which had commenced in 2014. A fifth cohort of participants was recruited at the beginning of this reporting period and the programme officially ended in October 2016. The total number of participants in the programme since its inception came to approximately 300, with clear representation from Section 75 categories, including those with a disability.
For some years now the College has been running the Prince’s Trust Programme which is part funded by the European Social Fund and the Department for the Economy. The programme seeks to engage young unemployed people in the 16-24 age range. It is estimated that approximately 75% of young people who received help through the scheme in the past year have moved on to work, education or training. Young people are invited to join TEAM, a twelve week course during which opportunity is provided to meet new people, engage in planning activities, try new things, decide on a project, go on work placements, plan for the future, take on a challenge and finish off by delivering a presentation. Participants, therefore, gain new skills and qualifications, uncover hidden talents, improve confidence levels and, equally importantly, mix with new people and make new friends. Participants’ work, of course, enables them to achieve results and they are awarded the Prince’s Trust Certificate in Employment,Teamwork and Community Skills. The participants who engage in the work of the Trust through the College come from very varied backgrounds and are representative of all three Good Relations categories. Some participants have disabilities, either of a physical or learning nature.
In relation to the positive outcomes of the twelve week course one Team Leader has commented:
“There is a massive transformation between weeks one and twelve in terms of self- esteem and confidence.”
There is also a high level of integration within groups of participants, particularly when they undertake a community project. During the reporting period one group transformed a garden for people suffering from dementia, in a local hospital. This project brought not only a great sense of accomplishment to those involved but also provided an area of tranquillity and beauty for the patients.By “Teaming Up” with the Prince’s Trust, participants are enhancing the College’s commitment to supporting social inclusion, thereby promoting aspects of Equality and Good Relations.
Since March 2013 South West College has supported community, economic and social renewal through the provision of the Going Places programme, the aim of which is to better equip residents from Neighbourhood Renewal Areas identified throughout Northern Ireland to seek and secure education, training or employment. In the case of the College there is engagement with districts throughout its catchment area in Coalisland, Dungannon, Enniskillen and Omagh. The programme is mentor led and there are seven steps, amongst which is seeking funding for the chosen courses of residents. To this end, Super-Deli, a social enterprise was created by the Going Places Team with assistance from the PSNI through the donation of a transit van.Super-Deli is now a fully functioning Mobile Catering Enterprise which can offer work placements to participants in South West College with the support of a mentor to assist in the development of transferable skills which are necessary for the world of work.
The Going Places programme has to date engaged approximately 700 residents from five NRAs with 146 of those engaged during the reporting period. Participants benefit from empowerment and the ability to contribute to society through the activities of the programme. Coming together from a wide range of backgrounds in terms of age and community, participants visit College campuses for vocational tasters to enable them to continue their journey into the world of work. Undoubtedly the programme promotes and advances good relations, integration and social inclusion.
It was also recorded in last year’s report that the College had launched an Employer Supported Volunteering Programme.During the reporting period some eighteen members of College staff participated in the programme. Prior to the end of the reporting period the College launched the second year of the scheme. There will be opportunity during the next reporting period to engage in activities with a range of organisations within the College’s catchment area, including Special Schools and Community and Disability groups.
During the reporting period the College’s Harassment Policy for Staff, based on a circular from 2006, was reviewed. This policy embodies the College’s commitment to promoting a good and harmonious working environment where every employee is treated with dignity and respect and in which no employee feels threatened. Associated with this policy is the Dignity at Work scheme which continues to operate through a team of advisers College wide. During the reporting period a member of staff of the Equality Commission met with team members to provide training on religious belief and political opinion and to review current case law. Also reviewed just prior to the end of the reporting period was another employee focused policy, namely that on Stress Prevention and Management. The aim of this policy is to reduce the incidence and impact of stress at work through good management of people and activities, the provision of helpful information and support to staff members.
In conclusion it is important to note that impacts of, and good practice in, initiatives related to Equality and Good Relations,were reported on a regular basis to the Staffing Committee of the College’s Governing Body and to the Statutory Risk and Compliance Committee during the reporting period by the College’s Equality Officer.
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PART A
2 / Please provideexamples of outcomes and/or the impact of equality action plans/measures in 2016-17 (or append the plan with progress/examples identified)As previously stated, during the reporting period, the six Colleges of Further and Higher Education reviewed their Equality Schemes, originally approved back in 2012.The review work was a standard item on the agenda at meetings of the Northern Ireland Colleges Equality Forum during the meetings held in 2016-2017. Since any changes to be made to schemes were generally of a cosmetic nature and were approved by the Equality Commission, the reviewed schemes, operational since the latter part of the reporting period, did not require re approval by Governing Bodies. Appended to Colleges’ schemes are Equality Improvement Plans which individual Colleges updated during the reporting period to fulfil particular needs or to provide details on any measures drawn up in respect of newly identified inequalities.
Towards the end the reporting period South West College was recommended by the Equality Commission for participation in a review of action plans. This review, conducted by way of research undertaken by Professor Hazel Conley of the University of West England, was initiated by the Equality Commission as a means of addressing the effectiveness of action plans developed by public authorities in relation to their statutory Good Relations and Equality duties in Northern Ireland. The College’s Equality Officer was contacted by Professor Conley in February and there followed a lengthy telephone discussion on the various measures within the College’s Equality Improvement Plan and the factors which have contributed to the development of measures within that plan. A report on the research will be produced in due course and, hopefully, made available to any public authority which took part in the research.
Within the College’s Equality Improvement Plan there are ten measures, some of which will be mentioned in this section with the remainder receiving attention at question seven later in the report. In terms of the action relating to the Equal Opportunities Statement which appears on all advertisements for employment with the College, it is noteworthy that this statement continues to have a very positive impact on the employment statistics for the College as a public authority. Analysis of the composition of the College’s workforce for the Article 55 Review for the period January 2014 to January 2016 has revealed that there has been no significant drop in the percentage of members of the Protestant community, since 32% currently belong to that community. An analysis of the number of applicants for employment with the College in the review period has indicated that 29% of applicants came from the Protestant community. For comparison in the Article 55 Review it was noted that 31% of the population living in the College’s catchment area by district council area are affiliated to the Protestant community.
Another positive impact within the College’s Equality Improvement Plan relates to the encouragement of disabled people in their contribution to public life. The work of the College’s Good Relations Team has been well documented in previous reports and the impact of the team’s work during the reporting period has even surpassed that recorded in the past. Members of the team met with approximately one thousand students and members of staff over a very wide range of areas in the curriculum, delivering training sessions on aspects of Equality, Diversity and Good Relations. The work and success of this team, of which all members have a disability, is closely linked to another measure in the action plan, that relating to the embedding of Equality and Cultural Diversity in thecurriculum. In addition, the impact of the Good Relations Team’s activities has a direct bearing on a measure in the College’s Outreach Action Plan relating to “Awareness raising on the promotion of a good and harmonious working and learning environment for all staff and students”. The contribution of the team in College life generally has continued to highlight awareness of the significance of maintaining such an environment and ensuring the ongoing positive promotion of the College within the wider community.
During the reporting period a measure on the College’s “engagement with centres foradults with Special Educational Needs including Beacon Centres” was introduced to the College’s Outreach Action Plan. Under the leadership of the Manager of the Cookstown campus, a FLU funded programme of outreach extends to Beacon Centres over a considerable area of the province. In partnership with these centres the College provides courses in Art and Craft, Creative Writing, Drama, Horticulture, IT and Music to people with disabilities coming from all community backgrounds, thereby promoting the College’s commitment to social inclusion. During the current academic year the College has delivered 154 courses in 60 centres with the total number of teaching hours standing at 9450.
The College’s outreach to schools as a vehicle for promoting the College’s robust and fair recruitment procedures has continued through a number of measures within the Outreach Action Plan and, in particular, through engagement by way of Interview Skills Days and Workshops. During the reporting period members of the HR and Careers Departments and the Equality Officer visited a number of schools in the catchment area of the College and participated in the delivery of Interview Skills sessions to pupils in years 12 and 14. In two schools in Cookstown, the two post primary schools in the town organised Shared Education Assessment Centre Days for both years 12 and 14. In addition, the public relations aspect of further developing links with schools through the Entitlement Framework has been an important factor in attracting students to the College’s inclusive learning environment.
The College has continued to foster close relationships with the Omagh Ethnic Communities Support Group and the Community Cohesion Unit affiliated to that group. A member of College staff who is a member of the Polish community now represents the College on the Management Committee of the Support Group. The Equality Officer reports regularly at meetings of the Community Cohesion Unit on College programmes which have drawn participation from people from different ethnic backgrounds living in the local community.
The outcomes and impact of all measures within the College’s Equality Improvement and Outreach Action Plans are discussed at an annual meeting with an officer of the Equality Commission.
Progress and impact of action plans are also discussed as standing items at meetings of the College’s Equality Working Group which meets on a termly basis. The group is well supported by members of staff and students of the College community and continues to be an excellent platform for the discussion of a very wide range of Equality related matters.
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PART A
3 / Has the application of the Equality Scheme commitments resulted in any changes to policy, practice, procedures and/or service delivery areas during the 2016-17 reporting period?(tick one box only)Yes / X / No (go to Q.4) / Not applicable (go to Q.4)