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