Consultation, Engagement & Involvement
TEC Partnership endeavours to consult annually with all new students and adopt a quadrennial consultation process with all staff.
The overall aim of any consultation primarily being to ensure that there are no organisational and cultural inhibitors that may impact on the day-to-day activities of students and staff, whilst a member of the Partnership’s communities.
Any consultation with students will aim to:
- Identify effective teaching practices that can be adopted and enable students to fulfil their full potential regardless of their individual differences.
- Identify that students are able to identify and report with confidence any bullying, discrimination, harassment or victimisation that they may face as a result of any one or more of the protected characteristics.
- Ensure any welfare and safeguarding needs are identified and that students will be protected, where it is reasonable to do so, regardless of whether a particular need fits into a legally protected characteristic.
- Establish what students’ expectations are in relation to the Partnership meeting their personal and social and developmental needs.
Any consultation with staff will aim to:
- Ensure that they are supported in relation to providing an effective service to all students.
- Ensure that all staff, regardless of their diverse background, feel that there is a representative workforce that is proactively encouraged to work with the Partnership.
- Ensure that no formal or informal cultural practices exist that prevent staff from fulfilling their role to the best of their capability.
- Ensure that unacceptable behaviour and/or discriminatory language are challenged and that staff are supported where they may be subjected to unacceptable an inappropriate behaviours.
- Establish with staff if flexible working and other positive actions are explored and provided where reasonable to do so.
Wherever reasonable and practical to assess service delivery and student participation the TEC Partnership will seek to assess the degree of support provided to staff as employees of the organisation and identify what support, training they require. Where appropriate staff will be supported in effectively delivering services to all students.
Involvement and engagement with students and staff is an ongoing commitment that the Partnership wishes to undertake with all staff and students in activities that raise their awareness and understanding of Equality, Diversity and Human Rights issues.
Engagement and involvement will be undertaken initially by two key mechanisms:
- Awareness raising workshops aimed at providing an opportunity for staff and students to debate Equality, Diversity and Human Rights issues.
- Social events that promote and celebrate diversity in an enjoyable manner, where students and staff can integrate and interact with groups and individuals from across the Partnership in an informal and relaxed environment.
Set appropriate Equality Targets and Actions
The TEC Partnership is completely committed to its equality duties as defined by law. Thus far much activity has been conducted in an informal manner and the Institute is seeking to formalise practice and formalise a series of diversity and equality related actions and benchmark the service it provides, to students, staff and other stakeholders such as the wider public in relation to enquiries relating to recruitment and entry into the Institute for education attainment and admissions.
A refreshed and formalised action plans with quality objectives will allow all to monitor progress of and equality priorities, evidence the degree of activity being undertaken, ensure unlawful discrimination in all its forms is spotted early and as such allowing a proactive as opposed to a reactive approach to elimination of discriminatory practices and practices that disadvantage specific groups. The action plan will provide accountability and a mechanism for accountability.
The TEC Partnership will have two key areas of focused activity:
- Internally as an employer
- Externally as a service provider
The TEC Partnership will collectively formulate and agree an ongoing quadrennial Equality Action Plan which is currently in the process of being developed, with the overall aim being to:
- Streamline and mainstream the ongoing process of delivering Equality
- Develop collective cross-departmental responsibility for delivering the Equality Agenda
- Ensure each department sets its own or shared equality objectives/outcomes
- Indicate clear lines of accountability for any actions set
- Ensure leadership, openness and accountability for delivery of actions
- Identify timescales for completion of actions where appropriate and relevant (i.e. when actions are not ongoing)
- Eliminate duplication of activity across the Further Education and Higher Education campuses in order to ensure value for money
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