diversity
| There has been much attention in recent years to the diversity of FE board members. There has been less attention to how individual board members are interpreting the concept. In recognition of this, the AoC commissioned IVR to conduct a study to explore governors' attitudes towards, and understandings of, diversity and representation. Based on a series of focus groups, the report concludes that while there is a general understanding across the sector of why diversity is important, there has not always been buy-in and some are still grappling with the concept. There is a tendency to think of diversity in terms of visible demographics, mainly ethnicity and gender, rather than a broader understanding of the value of 'difference' and diversity in terms of both wider demographic and experiential factors. There is also a tendency to perceive a tension between ensuring governors have the right skills and ensuring diversity. The increasing external pressure for boards to become more diverse may in fact be hindering progress as some boards react against what they see to be an audit driven approach which risks resulting in tokenism. The report concludes with a few recommendations to the AoC to help move the debate forward and to help colleges with their ongoing efforts to recruit new governors. A full copy of the report can be downloaded by clicking here |
