Positive Action Framework for Shaping Tomorrows Workforce Presented by: Dr Sophia Skyers and Janet P

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Positive Action Framework for Shaping Tomorrows
WorkforcePresented by Dr Sophia Skyers and
Janet Poorman
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Why Positive Action?

• Defining Positive Action
• Positive Action in your succession planning
  strategy
• Positive Action Research
• Practical Examples

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Defining Positive Action

• Through the Equality Legislation
• Ensure active steps are taken to eliminate
  discrimination
• Promote equality of opportunity
• Shift from individual, reactive and retrospective
  focus
• Deliver equality in a proactive and pre-emptive
  way
• Transformational shift in way organisations do
  business
• DDA, statutory requirement to actively engage
  people
• Positive Action Positive Steps and Positive
  Discrimination Illegal in UK
•  

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LSISs Commitment to Succession Planning

• To foster and support leadership improvement,
  reform and transformation and builds future
  talent
• Serve the existing and future leaders of all
  providers through programmes, events support
  services and bespoke consulting assignments
• Succession planning, hand in hand with talent
  management, is not just about developing talent
  and filling posts it is about maximising
  organisational effectiveness and efficiency
• The disillusionment of BME staff and the real
  failure of the sector to make fullest use of
  their talents is a chronic waste that the sector
  simply cannot afford if it is to meet the
  challenges before it

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Why Positive Action?

• Positive action is a catalyst for change
• Embedding Equality and diversity is essential to
  business and strategic planning
• Succession planning
• Recruitment and retention initiatives
• Learning Development initiatives (e.g. LSIS
  Introduction to Leadership First Steps
  programme
• Positive action is legitimate tool to progress
  race equality

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What does this mean for LSIS?

• To ensure internally that equality and diversity
  is mainstreamed, and an integral part of the
  future organisations functioning and
  responsibilities
• To be a support, resource and catalyst for
  equality changes in the FE sector, especially
  with regard to leadership
• To ensure that these interventions are programmed
  and not off the cuff, back of the envelope,
  initiatives aimed at short life glory
• To embed the principle that equality and
  diversity is the key fulcrum for good practice
  changes

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Positive Action Research

• Training Needs Analysis
• Intensive study involving interviews with 15 FE
  colleges between September 2007 and July 2008
• Purpose to identify training needs of HR and
  Senior Managers in relation to race equality,
  positive action, and succession planning
• Results used to inform the development of bespoke
  consultancy as a platform for positive action
  initiatives

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LSIS Training Needs Analysis

• Research Findings
• External stakeholder engagement majority of
  colleges no overall strategy in relation to the
  wider engagement of stakeholders although strong
  pockets, and some colleges reviewing external
  interface.
• Working in partnership with public sector
  agencies evidence of cluster approach to
  addressing succession planning using PCT,
  Voluntary Sector, Job Centre Plus, Police, Local
  Authority
• Responding to changing demographic context
  migration important strategic opportunity for
  recruitment of BAME staff. Also initiatives
  targeted at broad categories given changing
  demographic profile no longer relevant and need
  to be more nuanced

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LSIS Training Needs Analysis

• Research Findings
• Best Practice Beacon status colleges
  recognised more needed to be
• done to raise bar in terms of Equality and
  Diversity, examples of mentoring
• at senior levels, reviewing recruitment
  approaches, undergraduate
• recruitment fairs
• Developing bespoke products and services Need
  for flexible and
• customised approaches to working with individual
  and clusters of colleges

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LSIS Training Needs Analysis

• Research Findings
• External stakeholder engagement majority of
  colleges no overall strategy in relation to the
  wider engagement of stakeholders although strong
  pockets, and some colleges reviewing external
  interface.
• Responding to changing demographic context
  migration important strategic opportunity for
  recruitment of BAME staff. Also initiatives
  targeted at broad categories given changing
  demographic profile no longer relevant and need
  to be more nuanced
• Best Practice Beacon status colleges
  recognised more needed to be done to raise bar in
  terms of Equality and Diversity, examples of
  mentoring at senior levels, reviewing recruitment
  approaches, undergraduate recruitment fairs.

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How does it work in practice

• Looking at the needs of the region
• Build and develop partnership networks
• Recruitment and retention initiatives
• First Steps and Introduction to Leadership
• Marketing and communication strategies
• Workforce planning

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How does it work in practice

• Equality Impact Assessments
• Open Days
• Peer reviews
• Assess how internal systems, processes,
  procedures positively encourage a diverse
  workforce
• Succession planning built into business planning
• Staff participation

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Listening to your issues and concerns

• What examples of positive action have you put
  into place?
• How well are these working for you?
• What can LSIS do to support you in addressing
  succession planning and positive action?

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• Enjoy the rest of the day