Living Black at University Commission Report 2022/23 Living Black at University Commission Report 2022/23 3.2 3.3 RECOMMENDATION 3 RECOMMENDATION 5 Introduce meaningful race training for peers and sta昀昀. Improve the representation of Black people as employees to re昀氀ect the diversity of students. Identi昀椀ed issues Good practice tips Identi昀椀ed issues Good practice tips • To access meaningful race training, university Sam Kingsley, Head of Belonging & Engagement • Black students can feel uncomfortable approaching Rhiannon Thomas, Learning & Early Careers accommodation teams require wider at Unite Students: White members of sta昀昀, particularly when Manager at Unite Students: organisational buy-in – which may not be present • For race training to be meaningful, it must reporting racist incidents • Data can highlight issues, gaps and opportunities – • Training can be expensive to facilitate for large demonstrate its connection to a greater purpose – • A non-diverse sta昀昀 base can negatively impact on consider running a DEI survey for your employees organisations, exacerbating the need for buy-in at its value and impact for the wider community Black student recruitment and/or collecting employee ethnicity data if you a high level, while small organisations may struggle • Facilitators need to be experienced in delivering • Sta昀昀 recruitment is often carried out centrally, don’t already to 昀椀nd resource to pay for training training on diversity, equity and inclusion so that it rather than by accommodation teams themselves • Targeting under-represented groups in early • Take-up of, and/or genuine engagement with, can be delivered safely and e昀昀ectively • Universities based in areas with non-diverse careers recruitment can widen the pool of diverse training can be low – especially if it doesn’t carry • Training should be speci昀椀c to the institution and/or populations can struggle to recruit a diverse sta昀昀 talent within an organisation accreditation role, with case studies and real-life examples so • Collaborate with local councils who often have • Training is often a one-o昀昀, mass-produced that people can really connect to the material and • It can be challenging to retain Black employees in workplace support pathways to reach under- programme which lacks meaning and relevance understand how it a昀昀ects their day-to-day role non-diverse environments represented communities where people may be to a student accommodation environment, struggling to 昀椀nd work while there is a limited pool of suitable training • Many recruitment platforms include programmatic facilitators within the sector display advertising, which can be used to advertise • Race training rarely goes beyond unconscious bias roles to applicants from marginalised groups using browser cookies Commission actions (to take forward in Phase 2) Self-assessment questions Commission actions (to take forward in Phase 2) Self-assessment questions • Create a free anti-racism e-learning module Is your race and equity training accredited, and • Build a competency framework/model for student Does your organisation have data on employee for Unipol if so, could this training be recommended to accommodation sta昀昀 which outlines/recommends diversity? • Create a best practice guide to outline what others in the sector? what the minimum training should be and What action is your organisation taking to should be covered in meaningful race training, Is your race and equity training tailored to provides resources for training support diversity in recruitment? including a facilitator assessment form the experience of working in the student • Create a shortlist of recruitment agencies that will Do Black employees feel comfortable and • Explore inclusion of meaningful race training into accommodation sector? support diverse recruitment supported when discussing racialised incidents Race Equity Charter guidelines Does your race and equity training programme • Create a model recruitment brief outlining with White colleagues? expectations of recruiters on diverse recruitment require ongoing commitment, action or e昀昀ort Do you have access to ethnicity data for throughout the year? • Explore inclusion of diverse recruitment into employees leaving your accommodation teams, Do you have data on take-up of race and equity Race Equality Charter application guidelines including reasons for leaving? training within your student accommodation teams? 30 31