Leicester College has confirmed its commitment to tackling racial inequality by signing up to the Black Leadership Group (BLG).
The college is the first further education (FE) provider in the East Midlands to officially sign up to the group and joins other colleges from around the UK in taking a stand against racism, both within the College and throughout the FE sector.
The BLG exists to challenge systemic racism in FE for the benefit of all Black and ethnic minority communities and society as a whole, to be the authoritative voice of anti-racism in the FE sector, and to further the interests of Black students, staff, and leaders. The group aims to eradicate all forms of racism in FE and its vision is an anti-racist culture at the core of all aspects of FE life and work, and equity of access to the employment market.
As part of its commitment to tackling racism and promoting diversity, inclusion and equality across the sector, the college is using a toolkit provided by the BLG to inform and guide its action plan.
The action plan covers the areas of curriculum, culture, climate, and communications. Plans include ensuring the college recruitment and development processes proactively address imbalances in the diversity of leadership; publishing annual student performance and staff profile data by ethnicity; a radical revision of the FE curricula and qualifications to reflect contemporary British values, the impact of racism on Black and white communities, and the contributions made by Black people to society.
Verity Hancock, chief executive officer of Leicester College commented: “We’re very proud to be affiliated to the BLG as it reaffirms our commitment to addressing racial inequality, actively promoting inclusivity, and making real changes to benefit the entire college community.
“Our staff are fully committed to the 10-point plan and by being part of the BLG, we will be able to monitor the work we do and measure the progress we make to ensure we are driving meaningful change throughout the College and wider community.”
Amarjit Basi, Director at the Black Leadership Group said: “The BLG is delighted to welcome Leicester College as its first affiliated organisation in the East Midlands region, joining a rapidly growing family of colleges and other affiliates from an ever-widening range of sectors from across the UK. Leicester College’s commitment to embedding an anti-racist culture not only resonates with the BLG’s, it’s integral to the context in which all the College’s students, staff and communities co-exist. We look forward to sharing the journey.”
