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This podcast is a collaboration between FE News and Black FE Leadership Group. It will explore the ways in which individuals, organizations, and communities are taking action to combat racism....
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This podcast is a collaboration between FE News and Black FE Leadership Group. It will explore the ways in which individuals, organizations, and communities are taking action to combat racism. We'll hear from thought leaders, academics, and professionals about the strategies they're using to create lasting, positive change. Through interviews, we'll learn how people are using their power to take a stand against racism in their everyday lives and in their communities. This podcast will serve as a source of inspiration and insight into anti-racism in action.
show less
25 FEB 2022
25 FEB 2022
10 FEB 2022
4 FEB 2022 · Anti-racist Board and Executive Search Recruitment Practices
6 DEC 2021 · By the *Black Further Education Leadership Group (BFELG): #AntiRacismInAction: Leadership and the Leader’s Voice with Larissa Kennedy, National President, NUS UK; Nazir Afzal OBE Chair, Hopwood Hall College; Robin Landman OBE, Co-founder and BFELG Director; The Rt Hon Nadhim Zahawi MP, Secretary of State for Education.
The 9th and final episode of Season 1 BFELG Livestreams #AntiRacismInAction - Making the Most of an Ethnically Diverse Britain aired today, November 29. The first episode aired on Monday 4 October and has been followed by a fantastic feast of 30 minute weekly broadcasts on seven consecutive Mondays. Each Episode had a different focus, showcasing Anti-racism in action and exploring how diverse groups in the education sector and beyond can get involved.
With each Livestream introduced by a public figure and influencer sharing what #AntiRacismInAction means to them, the Season has taken us on a rich journey across the UK. Guests have included influencers, provocateurs and a diverse range of stakeholders from the world of education and the communities it serves. There were quite stunning examples of ‘thought leadership into action’, collaborative leadership and place-based leadership creating opportunities to tackle, with determination, institutional, regional and national challenges in the area of racism.
Today’s Episode focused on Leadership and the Leader’s Voice, a fantastic opportunity to bring together four highly influential and powerful voices in the persons of Larissa Kennedy, Nazir Afzal OBE, Robin Landman OBE, and the Secretary of State for Education, the Rt Hon Nadhim` Zahawi, MP. The Episode was co-produced by BFELG and FE News, co-anchored by Gavin O’Meara (CEO and Head of Digital, FE News), and Stella Mbubaegbu CBE, Co-founder and BFELG Director.
1 DEC 2021 · #AntiRacismInAction: Scotland with Dr Nighet Riaz, EDI Policy Officer, University of Glasgow, Jim Metcalfe, Chief Executive, College Development Network and Audrey Cumberford MBE FRSE, Principal and CEO, Edinburgh College.
Episode 8 of 9 BFELG Livestreams #AntiRacismInAction – Making the Most of an Ethnically Diverse Britain, aired today, November 22.
Focusing on Scotland, today’s episode is the fifth within the Livestream series to explore place-based, system leadership of #AntiRacismInAction. It is also the penultimate episode in this Livestream series.
4% of Scotland’s population is classified as non-white ethnic minority – Asian, African, Caribbean or Black, Mixed or Other. The Race Equality Framework for Scotland states that the Scottish Government is determined to show leadership in not only advancing race equality, tackling racism and addressing the barriers that prevent people from minority ethnic communities from realising their potential but also to use its influence to ensure that this is embraced across Scotland.
The Introduction to the Framework document paints the all too familiar picture that ‘ 50 years on from the introduction of the Race Relations Action 1965 (the first legislation to address racial inequality in the UK) significant inequalities remain in many areas of life for minority ethnic people. Too many minority ethnic individuals and groups face poorer outcomes than average; including lower employment rates, a higher risk of poverty, under-representation in public life and with racism being a lived and daily experience for too many people. While Scotland has a strong legal framework and innovative public services, too often these services are not treating everyone with the dignity and respect they deserve. No one in Scotland should experience disadvantage due to structural racism or discrimination on the grounds of nationality, ethnicity or national origin. All must be able to achieve equal outcomes in every area of social, economic, civic and political life.’
The document sets out how the Government aims to progress this ambition over a 15 year period from 2016 to 2030 through six themed Visions. The first of these is the overarching ambition for race equality in Scotland to be achieved by 2030. The other themes cover outcomes related to community cohesion and safety; participation and representation, education and lifelong learning, employability, employment and income and health and home.
As anchor institutions in their communities, Scotland’s colleges and universities have the potential to make a strong contribution to the country’s overarching ambition for race equality by 2030.
In her welcome and introduction to the Episode, Dr Nighet Riaz, EDI Policy Officer, University of Glasgow outlined what #AntiRacismInAction means to her: building relationships, making space for our voices to be listened to by the decision makers and our institutions; recognising that there is a collective drive from activists and educators to pursue change, not only by highlighting the gap but also showing feasible attainable strategies and actions that are needed for that change to happen.
And today’s Episode, brought together two highly influential leaders in the Scottish educational landscape who are personally and professionally committed to #AntiRacismInAction – Jim Metcalfe and Audrey Cumberford OBE FRSE.
Jim Metcalfe is the Chief Executive of the College Development Network (CDN), the national agency in Scotland that supports skills and sector development across colleges and vocational learning. CDN’s mission is to support the college and skills system in enhancing success for students, their wider communities, and regional economies by supporting the learning workforce to develop excellent digital skills; promoting leadership development; developing collaborative research and enquiry programmes; and leading and growing the college Climate Emergency Expert Group.
During the livestream discussion, Jim affirmed CDN’s commitment to raising awareness of the issue of racism on college campuses, and working to create the conditions for confident conversations around this. He highlighted CDN’s contribution earlier this year to the creation of a suite of resources to help tackle racism on college and university campuses. A steering group of experts from colleges and universities in Scotland oversaw the development of the resources, which drew on the expertise and lived experience of a diverse range of staff and students working and studying across Scotland’s colleges and universities. The resources include a race literacy glossary, utilisation guides, diagnostic tools, templates, blogs and webinars discussing race, racism and whiteness.
CDN is currently involved in two working groups as part of the same project which looks at tackling the under-representation of ethnic diversity in the college and university workplace and the development of an anti-racist curriculum.
Jim also discussed CDN’s collaboration with BFELG in the areas of…..
Audrey Cumberford is the Principal and CEO of Edinburgh College. The College has four main campuses across the city and Lothians, 30,000 students and around 1400 staff. Around 3.4% of Edinburgh College’s staff have declared being from a *Black background; this figure has more than doubled since 2017, when it sat at 1.5% of staff, but is still not fully representative of the local population (8.2%).
The College is ambitious for itself, its students, communities and region, and its role in addressing racial inequality and building on its wider equalities plans. This ambition is palpable. In 2021, Edinburgh was one of the first Scottish colleges to publish its ethnicity pay gap figures. Analysis of the data showed an ethnicity pay gap of 11.3% – 1% above the Scottish average of 10.3%.
On leadership and culture, Audrey spoke about how Anti-racism must permeate through the whole college and how as Principal she ensures and creates the right and best environment for impactful change. She highlighted the creation of the College’s Anti-Racist Unity Group, a staff network open to everyone who wants to be part of the conversation around anti-racism, conversations being a key part in changing mindsets and changing culture. She acknowledged that this is a small step with much more to do and believes in collective responsibility, and challenge, to embed meaningful and impactful change throughout the College The College is also developing plans to survey staff on the topic of racially and religiously motivated harassment and discrimination to confront the reality of racism on campus and create a benchmark.
In addition, the College is one of 44 Scottish colleges and universities that have signed up to the ‘Tackling racism on campus’ project’s declaration to stand united against racism. Managers across the College have recently taken a 4-part ‘Let’s Talk About Race’ training course through the Scottish Association of Minority Ethnic Educators (SAMEE).
However, Audrey acknowledged that in many ways the College is at the beginning of a journey, with exciting opportunities ahead whilst recognising a number of challenges. BFELG is absolutely delighted that Edinburgh College, the largest college in Scotland, has become a BFELG Affiliated Organisation. Responding to Robin Landman’s warm welcome, Audrey said that the College sees affiliation with the BFELG as a very real opportunity to evaluate the journey so far, support us through that journey and to help us ‘step up’ our efforts by developing a planned, strategic approach. The College has strong foundations on which to build; the commitment and will to make a difference; and is confident that the BFELG 10-point Toolkit provides the framework, the scaffolding around which to build a clear and deliverable strategic ambition and priorities to tackle race inequalities.
As the first Scottish College to partner with the BFELG, Audrey added that the College is also committed to playing it part to promote a team Scotland approach across the college sector. Being Scotland’s Capital College and the largest in Scotland, comes with a significant responsibility in serving the people and communities in the region. The College delivers over 10% of the activity of the whole college sector in Scotland and so its reach is significant and represents a very real opportunity to effect change, changing mindsets and practices – not only within the organisation but with wider stakeholders.
Speaking about the wider sector and wider landscape both Jim and Audrey shared their thoughts on how Edinburgh College and CDN can help support a sector wide commitment to Anti-racism. The also outlined the characteristics of the Scottish landscape that make it easier to achieve collective responsibility and approach.
Watch the Livestream to hear Jim Metcalfe and Audrey Cumberford talk about their individual dream scenarios for Anti-racism.
The Episode was co-produced by BFELG and FE News, co-anchored by Gavin O’Meara (CEO and Head of Digital, FE News), and Robin Landman OBE, BFELG Director.
Tune in on Monday 29 November at 9.30am for Episode 9, the season finale of Making the Most of an Ethnically Diverse Britain: #AntiRacismInAction.
*’Black’ is used as an inclusive definition to refer to people from ethnically diverse backgrounds who share a lived experience of the effects of racism.
30 NOV 2021 · #AntiRacismInAction: Liverpool City Region with Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor, Liverpool City Region, Elaine Bowker, Principal and Group CEO, the City of Liverpool College, and Lorna Rogers, Assistant Director, Mayoral Programmes, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority
Episode 7 of 9 BFELG Livestreams #AntiRacismInAction – Making the Most of an Ethnically Diverse Britain, aired today, November 15.
Focusing on the Liverpool City Region, today’s episode is the fourth within the Livestream series to explore place-based, system leadership of #AntiRacismInAction.
The Liverpool City Region is a combined authority region of England, centred on Liverpool, incorporating the local authority district boroughs of Halton, Knowsley, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral, and located in the historic counties of Lancashire and Cheshire. The region’s economic development is also supported by the Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), a private sector-led board comprising political and business leaders from around the city region.
The region is home to 1.6 million residents including the oldest African heritage community in the UK, the oldest Chinese community in all of Europe, large Indian, Latin American, Malaysian, African-Caribbean, Ghanaian, Somali and Yemeni populations each with at least several thousand people.
In his welcome and introduction to the Episode, Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor of Liverpool City Region Combined Authority said that the region had been known for centuries for its welcoming nature which had created a diverse and celebrated community. He spoke candidly about the rightness of the city’s apology for its history in the slave trade and also spoke optimistically about the future: what is needed now, is to build a fairer, more socially just society for all.
Today’s Episode, brought together as our Guests, two inspirational women, Lorna Rogers and Elaine Bowker, to share their insights into the practicalities, challenges and opportunities of system and place-based leadership of Anti-racism. Of particular interest is their collaborative work.
Born and raised in Liverpool, Lorna Rogers is currently Assistant Director of Mayoral Programmes at Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. She has over 20 years public sector programme and project management experience of working locally and nationally. She returned to the region to work for the Combined Authority (CA) as she wanted to make a contribution and difference in her home region.
In the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder in the US, Lorna asked to take a lead role in her organisation to take action on Race Equality and is working collaboratively with other institutions to make a change. The CA has developed and published a Race Equality Programme with a vision that will ‘tackle systemic injustice and inequality and drive forward positive change for our Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic employees and residents – influencing the partners we work with to do the same.’ The Programme has three areas of work: CA as Employer, CA as Commissioner and CA as Facilitator.
Discussing the Race Equality Programme, Lorna gave examples of the 2025 achievement targets set out in the Declaration of Intent, the support received for the Programme and the hoped for achievements through the race equality hub.
Elaine Bowker is Principal and Group Chief Executive of the City of Liverpool College which as an anchor institution within the city, has a key role in supporting the City Region to ‘build back better’. The College is in the top 10 per cent of colleges in the UK. It is a leader in providing high quality skills and education, delivering opportunities for growth to people and businesses in the Liverpool City Region and beyond. The College has a student population of more than 10,000, with more than a third of 16-18-year olds in the city studying with the College. The College has affiliated with the BFELG. Affiliation provides access to a framework of support and services for deep cultural change – #AntiRacismInAction, using the BFELG 10 Point Plan Diagnostic Toolkit as a departure point.
Elaine is also a member of the Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Council (LEP) and is its EDI Champion. She is an early signatory to the BFELG Open letter as well as an ally. During the livestream episode, Elaine spoke about the learning and challenges of the College’s journey so far in becoming an anti-racist organisation, and the power of doing so as part of a place-based leadership network of committed and local leaders including Lorna Rogers.
Elaine also her role discussed her role as EDI Champion for the LEP, setting up the Race Equality Business Support Group (a sub-group of the LEP) with support from Lorna, and the aim of diversification of Boards across the Region.
Guests talked about the unique opportunities and challenges faced by the City Region in respect of ethnic diversity, and the success factors in seeking to address these; their respective organisational responses to ethnic diversity, and the steps being taken to move forward on this agenda. They also touched on their roles as ‘custodians’ of the future legacy for their communities.
Watch the Livestream to hear Laura Rogers and Elaine Bowker talk about their respective drivers for #AntiRacismInAction, their tips for other leaders and key players to accelerate progress towards reflecting their communities and their individual dream scenarios for Anti-racism.
The Episode was co-produced by BFELG and FE News, co-anchored by Gavin O’Meara (CEO and Head of Digital, FE News), and Amarjit Basi, BFELG Director.
Tune in on Monday 22 November at 9.30am for another place-based Episode – #AntiRacismInAction: Scotland.
* ’Black’ is used as an inclusive definition to refer to people from ethnically diverse backgrounds who share a lived experience of the effects of racism.
This podcast is a collaboration between FE News and Black FE Leadership Group. It will explore the ways in which individuals, organizations, and communities are taking action to combat racism....
show more
This podcast is a collaboration between FE News and Black FE Leadership Group. It will explore the ways in which individuals, organizations, and communities are taking action to combat racism. We'll hear from thought leaders, academics, and professionals about the strategies they're using to create lasting, positive change. Through interviews, we'll learn how people are using their power to take a stand against racism in their everyday lives and in their communities. This podcast will serve as a source of inspiration and insight into anti-racism in action.
show less
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