Achievements

The Network for Black Professionals has had a major impact in pushing Race Equality to the forefront of the learning + skills sector’s agenda.

Achievements include:

• Supporting individual members and colleges by providing advice and guidance on issues related to racism from colleagues and students.
• Development and delivery of the Black Leadership Initiative, an innovative multi-agency positive action strategy to increase the numbers of Black leaders in the sector.
• Subsidies for Black Managers on all CEL programmes.
• Partnership with CEL on the highly successful First Steps to Leadership programme for Black front line managers.
• Co-sponsorship of the Commission on Black Staff in FE with LSC, AoC, Natfhe, Unison and other sector agencies.
• International partnerships with sister organisations in the USA and South Africa.
• Working in partnership with the Centre for Excellence in Leadership to help it deliver its goal of transforming the ethnic diversity of leadership in the learning + skills sector.
• Main sponsor of the Beacon Award for Race Equality practice.
• A new and powerful partnership with the LSC to transform the ethnicity profile of its workforce.
• Identified as the organisation to devise a diversity strategy for the sector in the recently published draft Quality Improvement Strategy.

As the requirements of the revised Common Inspection Framework take effect after April 2007, and inspectors grade colleges on Equality and Diversity for the first time, the Network for Black Professionals will be seeking to work with colleges, and other providers, to help them to meet their legislative obligations. It will also seek to take a leadership role in delivering the government’s vision of a learning society in which everyone has the opportunity to go as far as their talents and efforts will take them.

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