At Wirral Met College we ensure that through inclusive policies and processes, we provide an equal platform for all. We are truly proud of our vision to be an inclusive, outstanding college, and of living this vision. On the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (3rd December 2019), we celebrate our status as a Disability Confident employer.
Pooja Furniss, Director of People and Organisational Development said:
“We are striving towards building a truly inclusive environment where we embrace diversity in order to build a sense of belonging. We are delighted to have successfully renewed our status as a Disability Confident Employer. As a College we are taking proactive actions to ensure that we recruit, retain and support staff with disabilities and health conditions. It is so important that we all work together to ensure our value of inclusiveness is at the core of what we do.”
The Disability Confident scheme is a key contributor towards the Government’s commitment to get 1 million more disabled people into work by 2027. As a Disability Confident accredited employer, we recognise the valuable role disabled people play in our success and are proud of our vision to be an inclusive, outstanding College.
Did You Know?
- 8.74% of our staff have a declared disability – that’s 3.49% above the sector average of 5.35% (SIR26 Data)
- The number of staff employed by the college with a declared disability has risen by 3.5% across the last 4 years
Getting the Right People
Wirral Met College is committed to providing a recruitment strategy that provides equal opportunities to all candidates, we do this through:
- Advertising positions across various platforms
- Any candidates who are shortlisted for a position that declare a disability are automatically invited for an interview, if they meet the minimum criteria for the role
- Adjustments are made and assistance is provided during interviews where required for those candidates that have declared a disability
- Registered with AccessAble, candidates are able to view access guides for campuses, prior to interviews
Keeping and Developing Our People
To ensure we continually work towards our vision to be an inclusive, outstanding College, retaining and developing our staff is important to us and we are working towards this via:
- A dedicated Occupational Health team who identify adjustments and/or additional support required for those staff with a declared disability
- Equality, Diversity and Inclusion committee meetings held quarterly to raise specific issues and identify suitable communication strategies
- All staff regularly completing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion awareness training
- All campuses being easily accessible, with free parking and close to public transport routes – reviewed regularly for both staff and students
- A Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan, which is a bespoke ‘escape plan’ for those with a declared disability that means they may not be able to reach an ultimate place of safety unaided, or within a satisfactory period of time in the event of an emergency
