Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Statement

OUR 2025 VISION

OUR 2025 VISION To create world class, accessible education opportunities that enrich lives and to make bright futures a reality for all.

Our mission is clear: to predict and serve the needs of our business and civic communities by forecasting workforce requirements and co-creating, with employers, education and skills programmes that prepare our students for the next phase of their lives.

The diversity of our organisation should reflect the communities we serve. This is a moral and business imperative and is central to our corporate strategic ambitions, vision and values. To be successful in all that we do, we must have a talented workforce made up of people with a wide range of backgrounds and beliefs; encouraging everyone to bring their diverse experiences to work

We are extremely fortunate to work in an area rich in cultural diversity, what we can gain from this is immeasurable. We must create a culture where our employees, students, and wider stakeholders feel they are an integral part of the DCG community.

We are proud to create an environment where everyone can embrace other cultures, customs and challenges, where we treat each other with professionalism, respect and kindness and where everyone can contribute to college life, grow and thrive.

An inclusive and equitable culture that embraces a true sense of belonging.

Meeting our legal duty or Meeting our statutory requirements

DCG will continue to meet its core statutory responsibilities by ensuring that we are compliant with the Equality Act 2010 and the Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties) Regulations 2011. The Equality Act legally protects people from discrimination in the workplace and in wider society. DCG does not tolerate direct or indirect discrimination, victimisation or harassment, which includes incidents of hate, harassment, bullying, threatening or intimidating behaviour including, but not limited to: homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, sexual harassment, disablism, racism, islamophobia, anti-Semitism and other religious hatred

The characteristics that are protected in relation to the public sector equality duty are:

age
disability
gender reassignment
marriage and civil partnership
pregnancy and maternity
race
religion or belief
sex
sexual orientation

We will ensure:

Our internal policies and procedures remain up to date, are compliant with the law and are reflective of best practices; where achievable, there are clear, well-communicated procedures in place explaining how to raise concerns or complaints.
All issues will acted upon with a focus on independence, timeliness and impartiality.
Appropriate support is in place for those who raise complaints.
We will report our gender pay gap on an annual basis and will take action to address disparities.

We will comply with the public sector equality duty which requires public authorities, in carrying out their functions, to have due regard to the need to achieve the objectives set out in the Equality Act to:

eliminate discrimination
advance equality of opportunity
foster good relations between different people when carrying out their activities

We commit to:

report on this duty and review our objectives to the Board on an annual basis in our yearly Equality, Diversity and Inclusion report
promote equality in recruiting, employing and encouraging members of staff
promote equality when recruiting our students and communicating with all our stakeholders
promote equality when we procure goods and services

Objectives

To develop and review new approaches to staff and student recruitment to ensure any barriers to individual progression are removed.
To ensure attainment gaps for all ‘protected groups’ are minimised.

How DCG achieves the objectives

As part of its accommodation strategy DCG works with DisabledGo, an organisation intent on maximising independence and choice for disabled people in accessing their local area and places they want to visit; the results of audits influence estate and property developments.
DCG has appointed a Personal Assessment Planning Co-ordinator who provides information, advice and arranges support where necessary for learners with disabilities.
There is a list of specialist equipment, such as radio aids, which DCG can make available for use by students and a range of assistive technology is available in the learning centres.
DCG has made a significant investment in the appointment of Learning Support Leads to support students with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. There are a number of Learning Support Assistants who can provide a variety of support for learning. There is a continuing programme of staff development to ensure the provision of a high level of appropriate support for learners who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities.
Specialist programmes are described in DCG prospectuses, and achievements and destinations are recorded and published in the standard DCG format.
Student Experience and Pastoral Support are described in the Student Information Literature, which is issued to students together with the Complaints and Disciplinary Procedure leaflets at induction.

Representation of people with different protected characteristics from our students and employees

Ethnicity

There are no barriers to access for specific ethnic groups within Derby city, 24% of the student population identifies as Asian, which is 8.4pp above the city’s Asian population, whilst 7.69% of the student population identifies as Black, which is 3.69pp above the city’s Black population.

The latest 2021 census identifies the population in Derby as predominantly white (74%), ethnically diverse representing the remaining 26% of the population.

The student population is 28% ethnically diverse, which is 2% higher than the City’s 2021 census data. Pakistani was the highest ethnically diverse group (515 students), followed by Any Other White Background (451 students) and then African (314 students).

DCG employees identify themselves as: 52% White British and 8% Ethnically Diverse, leaving 40% of employees who have not identified their ethnicity. Work is ongoing to reduce the volume of those who choose not to provide this information using a variety of methods including the articulation of the benefits to our ethnically diverse community.

Known ethnic diversity amongst our student facing employees is 7% for those in teaching roles and 9% for those in student support roles.

Our Leadership and Management team identify as: 75% White British, and 8% as Ethnically Diverse, leaving 17% of our L&M team who have decided not to provide us with this information.

DCG’s Corporation members were white (100%) during the 2022-23 academic year. This has altered in 2023-24 with 92% identifying as White British and 8% Indian.

Actions have been included in the 2023/24 EDI Work Plan to improve the collection of information.

Gender

Males account for 49.5% of Derby’s population, while females made up 50.4% of the total.

DCG’s student population is 52% female, which is slightly above the 2019 census by 1.6pp and males account for 48% of the student population which is slightly below the 2019 census by 1.6pp.

Our overall employee population is 63% Female which is 12.6pp above the City’s population and 37% male which is 11pp below the city’s population. According to a report compiled by the education and training foundation in 2019, 62% of the FE workforce is female, therefore DCG is in-line with the sector.

DCG’s Corporation comprises 69% males which is 21% above our student profile and 31% of females on the board which is 21% below the student profile.

Disability

In England, the proportion of disabled people decreased between censuses (from 19.3% in 2011 to 17.7% in 2021). However, there was an increase in the number of disabled people (from 9.4 million in 2011 to 9.8 million in 2021).

21% of students in 2022-23 stated they had a learning disability/disability, which is in line with the City; in 2020 it was reported 21.3% of Young People in Derby had SEND support, compared to 17.7% nationally.

Only 4% of employees have disclosed a disability which is significantly lower than the City’s statistics of 21%.

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