- Conference
- 2016 Higher Education Service Group Conference
- Date
- 4 November 2015
- Decision
- Carried as Amended
Conference, the Equality Challenge Unit (ECU) piloted a Race Equality Charter Mark with the aim to inspire a strategic approach to making cultural and systemic changes that will make a real difference to Black staff and students.
The Charter covered:
a)Professional and support staff
b)Academic staff
c)Student attainment, diversity of the curriculum and progression of students into academia
Conference, twenty-one higher education institutions took part in the pilot of the Race Equality Charter Mark and the ECU has recently completed the panels for the first round of applications. The result of the trial was released in the week commencing 10 August 2015.
An evaluation of the Race Equality Charter pilot is now taking place and after the evaluation of the trial has been completed, outcomes will be used to improve on the processes in the next round of the charter open to all higher education institutions in 2016.
Universities who are successful in receiving the charter are required to make public their application and action.
Conference therefore calls on the Higher Education Service Group Executive to work with the National Black members’ Committee to:
1)Explore ways to work jointly regarding the national survey of institutions involved in the pilot
2)Publish a list of institutions that have been successful in the Charter in UNISON publications to promote good practice
3)Keep Black members and those in the service group updated on the Race Equality Charter Mark via UNISON’s Equality updates and advise how this can offer support and assistance to their institutions around race equality in the areas covered
4)Report back on related activities throughout the year via other UNISON media and at the Higher Education Conference 2017