Walsall College signs AoC Charter to help students thrive

Walsall College has reaffirmed their commitment to advancing equity, diversity and inclusion across its college community by signing up to a national charter.

The AoC Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Charter calls on the further education sector to make commitments and take action to foster a sense of belonging among students and staff.

It encourages colleges to provide equity by creating an inclusive culture and value diversity by making it central to policies and practices. It also calls for setting organisational objectives, identifying short and medium-term success measures and publicising progress annually.

“By signing this Charter, we are reaffirming our commitment to addressing inequalities and celebrating the diversity of our staff and students,” said Walsall College Principal and Chief Executive, Jatinder Sharma CBE DL.

“This is a public promise to ensure that every student can access opportunities to progress in life and work, regardless of their background.  It is also about creating an environment where everyone feels safe, respected and empowered to reach their full potential.”

Jatinder Sharma continued: “The college’s values, teaching and learning provision as well as our efforts to meet the needs and interests of students already demonstrate our commitment to making diversity and inclusion a priority at every level.  We will endeavour to build on our existing activities in order to drive continuous improvement in all we do and enhance a sense of belonging.”

The AoC EDI Charter in full:

As signatories of the Charter, the college recognises that:

• it is socially, morally and economically right to prepare our learners for life and work in a world that is diverse.
• equity and inclusion are fundamental if we are to make the most of our diversity.
• we will be judged by our actions and the impact of those actions.

The college commits to building an environment of belonging by:

• ensuring equity, and inclusion are reflected in our curriculum.
• putting diversity and inclusion at the heart of our employment policies and practices.
• listening to, and reflecting on our obligations to the communities we serve.
• encouraging those with whom we contract to support our commitments.

The college will lead by example, tracking our impact by:

• setting organisational and individual objectives monitored by the board.
• identifying short and medium-term success measures appropriate to our context.
• publicising progress and the difference we have made in our annual report.