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ContentsParagraph NumberNational Equality and Diversity StrategyWidening Participation and Promoting Inclusion, 2001-2004The Law and Regulation 5High Level Objective One 12To develop the LSC as a champion of equalityHigh Level Objective Two 13Embed Equality and Diversity into all policies, programmesand actionsHigh Level Objective Three 14To develop the Council as a model equality and diversityemployer / organisationHigh Level Objective Four 15To report annually to the Secretary of Stateon progress towards equality1

National Equality and Diversity Strategy: Widening Participation and Promoting Inclusion, 2001-2004National Equality and Diversity Strategy: WideningParticipation and Promoting Inclusion, 2001-2004Vision1. The Learning and Skills Council’s(LSC’s) vision is to create a learningsociety free from discrimination andprejudice, which encourages and helps alllearners reach their full potential.Context2. The LSC is an organisation withimportant duties to make learning moreinclusive, to widen participation, identifyand help stamp out unlawfuldiscrimination and promote equality ofopportunity for all learners. It willcontribute to tackling social andeconomic disadvantage by removingbarriers to post 16 education andtraining. The LSC’s commitment toequality and diversity is absolute andcentral to its overall mission. It makesgood business sense and will contributetowards creating a world-class workforceable to compete effectively in the 21stCentury.3. Government requires that, from theoutset, equality of opportunity isintegrated into the LSC’s culture andoperations. In achieving this the LSC iscommitted to making itself a nationalequality and diversity exemplar.24. Meeting the diverse needs ofindividual learners and becoming amodel employer will be the twocornerstones of the LSC equality anddiversity strategy.The Law and Regulation5. Legislation, regulation and strategyprovide a framework within which theLSC will strive to deliver equality ofopportunity for all learners, irrespectiveof their age, race, sex, religion, sexualorientation, whether or not they have adisability, learning difficulty or any othercharacteristic.6. The Race Relations (Amendment) Act2000 require public sector bodies toprepare equality schemes (action plans).The Disability Discrimination Act and theSex Discrimination Act fully apply to theLSC. The Human Rights Act 2000 also hassignificant implications in the learningcontext. The LSC will meet all regulatoryand legal requirements and will beproactive in setting the standard andagenda for high quality education andtraining.7. The LSC has a statutory duty(Learning and Skills Act 2000:14) to havedue regard to the need to promoteequality of opportunity between:• people from different racial groups• men and women• people with a disability and peoplewithout.

National Equality and Diversity Strategy: Widening Participation and Promoting Inclusion, 2001-20048. The Learning and Skills Act 2000requires the LSC to report annually tothe secretary of state on:• what equality arrangements it hasmade during the preceding year• how effective the equalityarrangements were• equality and diversity plans for thefollowing year.9. The secretary of state’s remit letterto the Learning and Skills Councilhighlights the LSC’s duty to have dueregard to the needs of the growingproportion of older people in thepopulation.Delivery10. The LSC will deliver equality ofopportunity by:• mainstreaming equality anddiversity in all aspects of its work• building effective partnerships withkey national, regional and localorganisations• consulting with key partners,providers and learners.11. These methods of working will becentral to achieving four high levelobjectives:• to develop the LSC as a championof equality• to embed equality and diversityinto all policies, programmes andactions• to develop the LSC as a modelequality and diversityemployer/organisation• to report annually to the secretaryof state on progress towardsequality.High Level Objective One12. To develop the LSC as a champion ofequalityThe LSC will:• designate the Chair and the ChiefExecutive as Champions forEquality at LSC and organisationlevels to promote and monitor theinternal and external focus on theissue (achieved 2001)• establish a Working Group atCouncil level with externalrepresentation to provide strategicsupport and steer for the LSC’sequality and diversity work(achieved 2001)• establish an equality and diversitystaff team to supportmainstreaming and implementpolicy (achieved 2001)• ensure that the inductionprogrammes for LSC members, theChief Executive, ExecutiveDirectors, staff and local councilmembers, and the staffdevelopment strategy, have acentral focus on achieving equalityand diversity (in development)• ensure that arrangements formaking appointments to the LSCare equality-proofed (indevelopment)3

National Equality and Diversity Strategy: Widening Participation and Promoting Inclusion, 2001-2004• work with key statutory and nonstatutoryorganisations andstakeholders to ensure that policyand practice is informed andguided by the best advice andguidance available (achieved andongoing)• consult actively with partners andstakeholders on the draft nationalequality and diversity policy andaction plan and publish the agreeddocument (achieved 2001/02).High Level Objective Two13. Embed Equality and Diversityinto all policies, programmes andactionsThe Council will:Data• create and use managementinformation and business systemsthat gather all appropriatecustomer data (including individualstarts, outcomes and destinations)supported by information fromprovider reviews and inspections,quality monitoring, etc; to ensuremonitoring, evaluation and reviewof equal opportunitiesperformance (to be fully in placeduring 2003/4)• establish a pilot project inpartnership with a group of localLSCs to develop and use equalityand diversity impact measures aspart of strategic planning anddelivery (achieved 2001). Assessthe pilot and issue formal LSCguidance on developing and usingequality and diversity impactmeasures (2002/3). Build this intothe 2002/3 national strategicplanning guidance (2002/3).Establish a national system ofequality impact measures for race,sex, age and disability (in placeduring 2002/3)• monitor and review progress onpromoting equality by examiningoutcomes for underrepresentedgroups and makerecommendations for action asnecessary (in line with reportingcycles 2001-2004)Funding• work to keep funding systemsunder review to ensure they do notdisadvantage any group of learnersor potential learners (2001 – 2003)• use development funding to helpproviders create innovativeprojects to widen participation,and improve retention andattainment amongstunderrepresented groups(ongoing)• access relevant EC fundingprogrammes to support nationaldevelopment partnerships andencourage local LSCs to similarlylead partnerships to promote newequality initiatives (2002-2004).4

National Equality and Diversity Strategy: Widening Participation and Promoting Inclusion, 2001-2004Guidance• issue guidance to local LSCs ondefining, consulting on andimplementing their equality anddiversity strategies and actionplans (2002/3).Learners• identify through continuingresearch, stakeholder consultationand customer feedback across allprogramme areas, key equalityissues and barriers to successfulparticipation, and strategies forpositive change at national andlocal levels (ongoing)• assess the impact of current andproposed LSC policies andprogrammes on potential learners,in particular, identifying and reshapingthose aspects of provisionwhich may disadvantage particulargroups of learners (ongoing)• develop learning programmes andmaterials which take into accountthe different characteristics andneeds of learners from differentcultural and social backgrounds,and of learners with learningdifficulties and/or disabilities(2001-2004).Providers• work with providers and employersto help them adopt relevantstandards, promote equality ofopportunity and take systematicsteps, including positive action, towiden participation and improveretention, to encourage peoplefrom under-represented groups toparticipate in and benefit from LSCprogrammes and initiatives(ongoing).High Level ObjectiveThree14. To develop the Council as amodel equality and diversityemployer / organisationThe Council will• designate the Human ResourceDirector as the Management Boardmember responsible for theHR/employment equality anddiversity policy (achieved 2001)• designate the Quality andStandards Director as theManagement Board memberresponsible for the service deliveryaspects of the Council’s equalityand diversity policy (achieved 2001)• prepare a written equality anddiversity employment policy, whichsets out a statement of theorganisation’s commitment toequality and diversity, and anaction plan showing how it willachieve it (achieved 2001/2)• secure the commitment of seniormanagement throughout the LSCto equality and diversity and takeaction to address equality issues(ongoing)5

National Equality and Diversity Strategy: Widening Participation and Promoting Inclusion, 2001-2004• consult staff on the content of theequality and diversity policy(achieved 2001)• communicate the policy to allstaff, potential employees andstakeholders (achieved 2001/2 andongoing)• provide relevant training and staffdevelopment initiatives (ongoing)• establish the profile of LSC staff byage, sex, ethnicity and disabilityand take steps to ensure that theLSC profile reflects the diversity ofthe population at large (ongoing2002/3 reviewed annually)• monitor against identified targetsand goals to ensure that the policyis working in practice and preparean annual report on progress(ongoing).High Level Objective Four15. To report annually to theSecretary of State on progresstowards equality.The Council will:• submit a report to the Secretary ofState summarising thearrangements made to achieveequality and diversity in all theCouncil’s work, progress and themain outcomes, barriers toachieving equality objectives, andplans for the year 2002/2003including schemes to address age,race, sex, disability and otherinequalities (annually).6

National Equality and Diversity Strategy: Widening Participation and Promoting Inclusion, 2001-2004Notes7

National Equality and Diversity Strategy: Widening Participation and Promoting Inclusion, 2001-2004Notes8

© LSC March 2002Published by the Learning and Skills Council. Extractsfrom this publication may be reproduced for noncommercialeducational or training purposes oncondition that the source is acknowledged and thefindings are not misrepresented.This publication is available in an electronic form onthe Council's website: www.lsc.gov.ukPublication enquiries: 0870 900 6800Reference MISC/0180/02