Ayrshire College publishes new Equality report
Ayrshire College has published a new report detailing the progress made in mainstreaming equality across the College - and has laid out its Equality Outcomes action plan for the next four years.
Four Equality Outcomes have been agreed for the 2021-25 period. These are:
- Students and staff with protected characteristics most likely to experience hate, report that they feel safe while engaged in study or work at Ayrshire College
- Curriculum areas with courses that have a male or female student gender imbalance greater than a 75:25 ratio have improved
- The rates of declaration, retention and attainment of male students with a mental health condition have improved
- The recruitment and declaration rates of staff with a disability have improved
Key highlights noted in the report include: the inclusion of mental health and wellbeing units or awareness-raising activities in many curriculum areas; the endorsement of the sector-wide ‘Declaration of anti-racism’; and the actions taken to support the College’s ongoing commitment to gender equality including gender-based violence.
It was also noted that the College continues to demonstrate its commitment to fulfil its equality-related legislative requirements in relation to Accessibility, Corporate Parenting and British Sign Language.
Ayrshire College has seen an improved staff disability declaration rate, now at 6.3%, up from 5.13% in April 2019.
Ayrshire College currently has a 50:50 gender split on its Board of Management across the Non-Executive Board Member, Elected Staff Member and Elected Student Member positions.
Carol Turnbull, Principal at Ayrshire College, wrote in the foreword of the report: “At this time of significant challenge and great uncertainty, arising from the Covid-19 pandemic, the need for the College to be an inclusive and diverse place matters more than ever before. We are living in a moment that has taken so much from us and, therefore, we must continue to do all we can for our people and the local communities of Ayrshire.
“I am proud to lead and be a part of an ambitious College; one that has a clear purpose in which discrimination, harassment and victimisation has no place. Over the next four years, the College has an opportunity to make a difference to the lives and experiences of those most beset by inequality on the basis of their protected characteristic(s).
“As CEO and Principal of Ayrshire College, I expect by April 2023, our mid-point progress review, to be in a position where the College has continued to build on its many strengths and successes as evidenced throughout this report. It is within our power to create and influence change. The possibility of such, will be driven through our strategic vision of equality, inclusion and diversity and our collective determination and efforts to achieve this vision.”
Sara Turkington, Ayrshire College’s Equality and Inclusion Advisor, said: “This is the College’s fourth report in response to the Public Sector Equality Duty; our previous report being in April 2019. I am really pleased with, and encouraged by, the good progress being made within the College to embed equality into everything we do. We must continue doing this especially at a time when the Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated already existing inequalities. Our new Equality Outcomes speak to the significance and persistence of particular inequalities and I am confident that we can tackle these successfully.”
The report is available to view on the Equality and Inclusion page on Ayrshire College’s website.
14 May 2021
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