The Client College recognised that existing local and national data, demonstrate clearly that Black staff are underrepresented in senior leadership and management positions across the FE sector. The Association of Colleges estimates that between 12 and 14 of England’s 239 FE colleges are led by Black, Asian and ethnic minority principals. According to the Guardian (Aug 2020), Black, Asian and ethnically diverse college leaders have dropped from 13% in 2017 to around 5% or 6% in 2020. By sharp comparison, Black, Asian and students from ethnically diverse groups are estimated to now form 30% of the overall FE student population. The Client is determined to address this issue and as such is fully committed to taking "practical and reasonable" steps to address under-representation through the use of supporting Leadership and Management Positive Action development programmes for Black staff. 2021 is the first year running this programme and have employed a programme consultant and HDC, to assist with development and delivery of a thorough and high quality programme.
Challenge
The initial challenge was clearing up the confusion about proactive, targeted, positive action measures and clarifying its importance. Many of the college leader and staff didn’t understand it, and in many cases thought it was illegal (confusing positive discrimination and positive action).
Challenges of developing a leadership programme that addresses the fundamental issue of ensuring that participants gain confidence in their leadership capabilities whilst creating a development environment where they feel respected, safe, valued, and affirmed in their individual interest, talents, social identities, cultural values and backgrounds. There are deep rooted inequities in our education leadership systems and HDC needed to create a programme that embedded and promoted understanding, examined biases, built multicultural relationships and created inclusive communities as well as address the programme specification requirements.
Solution
Developing and delivering the programme involved collaborating closely with the programme consultant and the programme participants. With the client and college leadership as well at the accrediting body and subject specialist associates. Recognising that Coaching is one of the best methods leaders can leverage to unleash their full potential, and HDC adopted this approach as the key method to deliver support workshops. It also involves the coaching expertise together with the lived experience and leadership and diversity research interest of Dr Helen Deane. HDC has successfully developed a programme that supports the participants to be in touch with the reality of discriminatory experiences they have had and continue to have, understand their strength and weaknesses and to develop a mindset and strategies to turn these negative experiences and problems into opportunities.
Results
Being a relatively new programme, a full evaluation of the first year is not yet available, however all indications are that participants are progressing well and are motivated. One candidate has achieved a promotion into a leadership position, which they have attributed to the support from HDC and the programme so far.
