Colleges unite to encourage ethnically diverse staff into sector

Colleges across the West Midlands have joined together on a project to encourage people from ethnically diverse groups to work in Further Education (FE).

West Midlands Colleges support approximately 120,000 students each year, including full time 16–18-year-olds, adult learners and apprentices.

The purpose and direction of this project, set by Colleges West Midlands’ Racial Equality Project steering group, is to create a more diverse workforce through attraction and recruitment of new employees.

Through a series of videos, the project involved staff from a range of ethnic backgrounds talking about why they love working in Further Education, what attracted them to the sector, their career journey and the support they’ve had on the way. A series of videos will be released across participating college’s social media channels over the coming weeks, with the following video showcased on each college website.

Colleges are always on the lookout for people with industry experience to share that expertise with the next generation through teaching.

Alongside teaching, the Further Education sector offers hundreds of different job roles, including student support, finance, HR, Estates, IT, Management and many more. Working in FE provides continuous opportunities for professional development and encourages innovation, creativity and collaboration.

BMet College Principal and steering group lead, Pat Carvalho, commented: “Students at colleges across the West Midlands come from a wide range of ethnically diverse backgrounds, so this project is about the importance of increasing representation in our workforce too. FE is a rewarding sector to work in, where staff have the opportunity to make a difference and shape students’ lives every day.”

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