1. Introduction

This Company considers it desirable to produce a statement of policy on equality and diversity in employment to provide the necessary encouragement and guidance to aid policy implementation. The Company is committed to eliminating discrimination and encouraging diversity amongst our workforces. Our aim is that our workforce and those that we train will be truly representative of all sections of society and each employee feels respected and able to give of their best. This document sets out our policy. It must be strictly adhered to by all, and the Disciplinary Procedure will be used in the case of policy breaches.

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2. Definitions

Under the Equality Act 2010, it is against the law for a Company to discriminate against anyone indirectly or directly because of race, sex, pregnancy and maternity, marriage or civil partnership status, gender reassignment, disability, religion or belief, age or sexual orientation (referred to as protected characteristics).

In this policy "indirect discrimination” means the imposition of a requirement or condition which, although it is applied equally to all, has the effect that individuals of a particular category cannot comply with it.

Both direct and indirect discrimination is unlawful.

In this policy the "Company" includes any employee of the Company who acts on behalf of the Company. Acts done by individuals in the course of their employment can be regarded as being done by the Company.

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3. General Statement of Policy

The Company believes that policy and practice are a means of maximising the effective use of human resources in the Company’s and employees’ best interests.

All personnel employed by the Company and all applicants for employment will be given equal opportunity, irrespective of their race, sex, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, sexual orientation, religion or belief, disability, or age in all aspects of employment and training e.g., in their access to posts and in the terms of benefits on which employment is normally available in this Company.

In some circumstances, however, it may be lawful to require a person to possess a certain characteristic in line with current legislation and the requirements of certain positions. The Company will ensure that any specific requirement is met in line with the legislative conditions which much be adhered to in those circumstances and no criteria will be applied unless it is justifiable.

Application of internal practices and the operation of recruitment, training and promotion policies to all individuals will be on the basis of job requirements and individual ability.

Personnel employed by the Company shall be made aware of the provisions of this policy. This may be done, for example, by means of advertisements, job descriptions, application forms, posters, training courses and handbooks for appropriate managerial staff.

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4. Stereotyping And Pre-Conceptions

In the application of the equality and diversity policy, it is essential that managers guard against discrimination on the basis of possible stereotyping and pre-assumptions that individuals, because of their race, sex, pregnancy and maternity, marriage or civil partnership status, gender reassignment, disability, religion or belief, age or sexual orientation, possess characteristics which would make them unsuitable for employment. Examples of such assumptions might be:

• Lack of commitment to work
• Having outside commitments which would interfere with work
• Possessing poor mental/physical ability
• Producing an anticipated unfavourable reaction to other employees and members of the public
• Unsuitability for the job because of a feeling that certain types of work are only suitable for a member of a particular sex or of single status
• Inability to supervise or accept instructions
• Possessing limited career intentions
• Unwillingness to undertake training
• Having poor standards of behaviour/conduct
• Having limitations imposed by so-called traditional male/female interests and experience.

The Company emphasises that discrimination as a consequence of any such pre-conceptions is unacceptable.

Any restrictions which are applied by management, and which affect certain groups of employees more than others, may effectively result in direct or indirect discrimination, and should be reviewed to determine whether they are necessary rather than convenient and removed if this is not so.

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5. Recruitment And Promotion

Applicants for jobs shall be given as much clear and accurate information as possible about job vacancies. This may be done through advertisements, job descriptions and interviews, in order to enable them to assess their own suitability for a post. Information about posts shall also be placed and prominently displayed where it may be accessible to all sexes, races etc.

Recruitment literature shall not imply that there is a preference for one group of applicants (e.g., use of photographs of only members of one sex), unless there is a genuine occupational qualification which limits a post to a particular sex, in which case this must be clearly stated. However, the Company may encourage persons of one sex only to apply for vacancies, where during the previous twelve months, the number of persons of that sex employed on particular work is small in comparison with the number of persons of the opposite sex employed on that work by the Company. However, after encouraging such applicants each candidate must be considered on merits and suitability for the post, and membership of an under-represented group shall not influence the appointment.

Job advertisements and recruitment drives shall be aimed at as wide a group of suitably qualified and experienced people as possible.

All applicants shall be informed that the Company encourages equal opportunities and operates an equality and diversity policy.

All person specifications for posts shall include only requirements that are necessary and justifiable for the effective performance of the job, as requirements that are convenient rather than necessary, may be discriminatory.

All interviews shall be thorough, conducted on an objective basis and shall deal only with the applicant's suitability for the job and ability to fulfil the job requirements. It is not discriminatory to ask questions about such matters as applicant’s home commitments, but where such questions are asked, it is important to explain the reasons for asking them, to ask them in a way in which they can reasonably be answered, to ask similar questions of all candidates, and to relate the answer purely to the job requirement.

All employees shall be encouraged to discuss their career prospects and training needs with their line manager.

Vacancies shall be given as wide an internal circulation as possible to employees who are likely to possess appropriate qualifications or have relevant experience.

The Company will not discriminate in the allocation of duties between individuals employed in any grade or grades with comparable job descriptions, except where such duties are specifically covered by any restrictions imposed by statutory regulation.

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6. Training

It is the policy of the Company that it will not discriminate in the provision of training.

Appropriate work-related training shall be provided to enable individuals to perform their jobs effectively. Such training will make provisions where necessary for individuals returning to work following a break for maternity or other reasons.

Age limits for entry to training schemes should not be unnecessarily restrictive to exclude certain groups of employees.

All personnel involved in interviewing shall be trained to ensure that selection is made on an objective basis and that encouragement is given to women or men of whatever race, age, sexual orientation, religion, disability, marital status, pregnancy or maternity to take full advantage of training opportunities where in the past they may not have been sufficiently confident to do so.

All key personnel involved in management, recruitment and dealing with the public shall be given training and guidance in the law and organisational policy, their own personal liability under the law and nature of discrimination.

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7. Terms And Conditions Of Service And Facilities

The Company will not discriminate in the provision of general employee facilities and benefits except where such discrimination is permitted under current legislation.

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8. Relation to services

The Company is dedicated to providing the highest standard of training, equipment and consultancy within every aspect of their services. Aiming to ensure no candidate or staff are discriminated against, either directly or indirectly on the grounds of age, disability, gender reassignment, marital or civil partner status, pregnancy or maternity, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.

This commitment applies to all aspects of works carried out by the Company outlined below:

• Training
• Consultancy Services
• Assessment
• Internal Quality Assurance
• Equipment Provision

During training if a candidate is identified as struggling with reaching the level required to pass the qualification. The Company will endeavour, where practically possible to adapt training so that the individual’s role is repurposed within that team. This information is fed back to their managers / team leaders whilst training is taking place and upon course completion.

On occasion instances arise where an individual has a very good understanding of the subject but may have physical / medical limitations which limits their ability to pass the course as an active team member but that can facilitate other associated tasks and we are able to amend the qualification they receive to reflect the role best suited to them within their given team environment.

It is also possible to cater for people with learning disabilities such as dyslexia by providing alternative coloured PowerPoint presentations, coloured overlays, and alternative course materials to aid their interpretation and understanding of the course content.

On certain courses the use of a scribe may be used to help those with reading and writing limitations, an individual may be very good at the practical elements of training but struggle with this area. In this instance, the manager is advised that this person should be used as a team member only and should never be used within a supervisory role. These practises have been developed and implemented through close consultation with a specialist Learning and Development teacher.

The Company also offer a specialist translation Company to aid in the training of anyone who may have potential language barriers. This is a pre-arranged service and is subject to review prior to course commencement.

Anything that could affect a candidate’s ability to complete or participate in a course should be identified before the course takes place so we can take immediate action to alter / amend the course accordingly. This is outlined in our course joining instructions.

If anything is identified by a candidate on the first day of training that has not been outlined prior to the start of the course, it is the duty of the instructor to feed this information back to the Training Administrator and the Operations Director, so that we can see if a solution can be found that would aid the situation. It is important to ensure that any information is kept confidential and only passed onto essential personnel.

If a solution can be implemented the course will go on as normal. However, if there is not an immediate solution then the Training Administration Supervisor will get in contact with the accrediting body and seek guidance on the best course forward.

During training if an instructor feels they are being discriminated against this must also be identified immediately to the Training Administratoin Supervisor and / or the Operations Director and appropriate action will be taken.

The Company will provide updates to this policy during standardisation meetings on a regular basis. It is a requirement of any new subcontracted instructor to go through training on the details outlined in this policy during the on-boarding process before they begin working for the Company.

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9. Monitoring

The Directors are nominated as the people responsible for monitoring the effectiveness of this equal opportunity policy.

All aspects of policies and procedures shall be kept under review to help ensure that they do not operate against equal opportunities and an analysis shall be made of the race, sex, age and marital status of the employees in relation to their employment with the Company.

Where it appears that any employees/applicants are not being offered equal opportunities, the circumstances will be investigated by management to see if there are any policies or criteria, which exclude or discourage employees and, if so, whether these policies and criteria are justifiable.

This Equality and Diversity Policy will be reviewed from time to time by the Senior Leadership Team in the light of the needs of the business and changing practices,

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10. Grievances And Victimisation

Any complaints of discrimination against employee(s) including those occurring from outside the business e.g., from clients or suppliers or other third parties should be raised through the Grievance Procedure.

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11. Disabled Persons

It is the Company’s policy to give fair and full consideration to applications for employment which are made by disabled persons, having regard to their particular aptitudes and abilities and to ensure that any disabled person who is in employment with the Company receives, so far as practical, the same opportunities for training, career development and promotions as other employees.

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