The Grimsby Institute of Further & Higher Education
Has your organisation developed excellent and inclusive practices in one or more strands of Equality & Diversity? Would you like to be recognised for your excellence and achievements? ......If so, why not apply to be a Regional Diversity Champion? Applying organisations can be from any sector but must be based within Yorkshire & The Humber. As a successful applicant you will be invited to a meeting to celebrate your success, give a short presentation, and receive your Diversity Champion certificate. In addition, details of your organisation and your excellent diversity activity will be posted on the LSC's Equality and Diversity web-site.
The 30th April deadline for Diversity Champion applications is fast approaching. This process forms one element of a partnership project between the LSC and The Grimsby Institute of Further & Higher Education.
For further details, please use the link
http://www.grimsby.ac.uk/diversity/
Events
‘Driving Diversity’
Scunthorpe - Wednesday 4th April 2007
Left to right: Stuart Donald, Divisional Commander, Humberside Police; Alex Baghurst, Diversity Development Manager, East Coast Centre for Diversity, GIFHE; Jim Dalton, HR Implementation Manager, First Bus UK; Marsha Witter, Foundation Scheme Manager, ITV; Andy Garnett, The Garnett Foundation; Scott Wilson, HR Officer, North Lindsey College; Peter Barnard, Registrar & Clerk to the Corporation, GIFHE; Solat Chaudhry, Founder of The National Centre for Diversity
Wednesday 4th April saw the official launch of the Institute’s East Coast Centre for Diversity at the regional ‘Driving Diversity’ event. North Lindsey College at Scunthorpe was the venue for the occasion.
The high profile line-up included contributions from The National Centre for Diversity, ITV, Humberside Police, First Bus UK and the Institute’s Director of Distance Learning, Shamima Nooruddin. A performance of the Garnett Foundation’s diversity play ‘The Challenge’ also featured.
Alex Baghurst, Manager of the new Centre and co-ordinator of the event said, “Diversity essentially means difference. One of the greatest assets is our diversity, everyone is different and this can increase our competitiveness. It is the responsibility of everyone to embrace diversity and reap the rewards in our communities and, of course, commercially as the skills from a wider range of individuals become accessible to employers.
As well as being a celebration of those differences and recognising the business benefits of utilising our diversity, the event was about bringing together examples of the very positive things that are happening locally, regionally and nationally.
It is great to see so many people here from different organisations and backgrounds, and it is very evident by the buzz around the event that they are here because they are passionate about embracing diversity and equality. Having all these people here in one place at events like these is very important for the region. Networking and sharing ideas is very beneficial to all of us and will help us to progress as a whole.”
The event was well attended by a range of organisations from the private, public, community and voluntary sectors. The audience saw how we can raise awareness and promote diversity issues in a number of different ways. The National Centre for Diversity explained how an organisation-wide approach can be successful via their ‘Investors in Diversity’ Standard.
The ultimate aim of the Centre’s activity is to improve the inclusivity and achievement of everyone, regardless of differences. Work will now focus on successful completion of the current LSC contract and potential activity for the next academic year.
Working Towards Investors in Diversity in 2007
