The College’s mission is to invest in and provide excellence in education and training in support of local people, the regional economy and the national targets. In order to fulfil this objective, we have invested in the development of our staff, forming the basis of the College’s approach to equality of opportunity in employment.
Newham College wants to do more than just comply with the present legislation for equal opportunities. We intend to go beyond it to make our policies and practices fully inclusive, eliminating discrimination, promoting equality and embracing all aspects of diversity.
Action to promote equality and diversity is an integral part of Newham College’s business objectives. We can only have a supreme workforce if we remove barriers, eliminate discrimination and address any disadvantages.
Newham College will work with trade unions and employee representative groups to exhibit best practise as an employer and achieve a diverse workforce in which everyone has an equal chance of developing and progressing.
In July 2008, an LGBT+ Committee was established in response to staff demand. The purpose of the Committee is to:
We have set up an email address (LGBT@newham.ac.uk) for staff to refer any LGBT+ related matter, find out any information or ask questions. You can also use it to get confidential support and provide a forum for all staff to suggest ideas that might enhance the awareness of LGBT+ issues and events around the College. The email is available for all to use and the recipients are the Chairs of the LGBT+ Committee, and all the correspondence made through this account will be treated with the utmost sensitivity and confidentiality.
The LGBT+ Committee chaired by Olivia Besly, Head of the LGBT+ Committee and our Director of Human Resources. The Committee’s membership is made up of employees from business support and academic directorates as well as representatives from Newtec and the University of East London.
The College has undertaken a review of its HR policies to ensure that all terminology is gender neutral and that it is explicit within the policies that they are all LGBT+ inclusive to all employees.