To help all UK public bodies comply with the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED), the e-learning supplier, Engage in Learning, has released a new course.

The course – ‘Equality and Diversity in the Public Sector’ – offers a common-sense approach to how equality and diversity apply in everyday working life. It emphasises that behaviours that support equality and promote inclusion to underpin successful performance.

By law, all UK public bodies, such as councils and NHS Trusts, must comply with the PSED. Having been created by the Equality Act of 2010, the PSED replaced the previously existing race, disability and gender equality duties and came into force in April 2011.

The equality duty covers the nine protected characteristics: age, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. Public authorities must also eliminate unlawful discrimination against someone because of their marriage or civil partnership status.

Under PSED, people must eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation as well as other conduct prohibited by the Act, and advance equality of opportunity. They must also foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not.

“For large public sector organisations, this may be a complex issue,” explained Kate Carter, Engage in Learning’s Operations and Marketing Manager. “Training is required to ensure that all staff – regardless of their roles within the organisation – are aware of their responsibilities in terms of treating people fairly.

“That’s why Engage in Learning has developed its e-learning materials on ‘Equality and Diversity in the Public Sector’.

“With the public sector under intense scrutiny this training is essential in promoting diversity,” she added. “To work with others in a team means having respect for, and actively building trust with, colleagues – drawing out different perspectives, keeping an open mind and always looking for value in the different ideas and experience that each person brings to the table.

“Having the self-confidence to challenge non-inclusive behaviours means having the confidence to express your views assertively and in a non-confrontational way,” said Kate. “The Engage in Learning course addresses these issues and shows learners how to recognise people’s differences and get the best out of all of them by creating an inclusive workplace.”

The course aims to enable learners to understand:

• The meaning of ‘equality’, ‘diversity’ and ‘inclusion’,
• The essentials of the Equality Act and
• The individual, team and organisational benefits that diversity can bring

“To make a positive contribution to the workplace means being able to recognise issues of equality and diversity and be confident that you can do the right thing,” commented Chris Horseman, Engage in Learning’s CEO. “This course should enable this to be so.”

For further details about Engage in Learning’s growing portfolio of e-learning materials, visit: https://www.engageinlearning.com/