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25/08/11

Creating an Inclusive FE Environment for LGBT Learners

Research findings released this week show that the Further Education Sector has come a long way in how lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender learners are treated in Further Education. The Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Equality in Adult Learning research was commissioned by the Skills Funding Agency, to fill a knowledge gap in the sector as to how well the FE sector meets the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender learners, and also how the sexual orientation and gender identity of learners might inform the choices they make.

Early results show that there is much to celebrate in adult learning, with the experience of respondents, including past, current and potential learners, being mostly positive. When asked to rate how welcoming their college or provider is, the average score given by respondents was over seven out of ten. However, there are recommendations for change from the research that should make significant improvements to creating a more equal and inclusive environment.

Geoff Russell, chief executive of the Skills Funding Agency, who provides an encouraging personalised foreword to the research report, commented: “I very much endorse the recommendations in this report as an important milestone in realising the vision of a sector in which equality is fully embedded and where all learners feel safe and comfortable to be open about their sexual orientations and gender identities.”
Recommendations from the research include:

• encouraging providers who are confident that their provision is truly lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender friendly to recruit through attending lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender events
• examples of how bullying and harassment are not tolerated by providers and the mechanisms through which they
  can be reported, should be displayed prominently
• lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender learners should be encouraged to take an active role in the learning
  environment, and
• that providers may wish to consider setting up a mentoring system

tpm Director Brian Quinn commented: "tpm has long championed Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender equality in it's inclusion work and promotion, our compulsory staff and learner training ensures the opportunity to learn about LGBT issues and the Equality Act 2010 has made this work alll the easier for our sector. We welcome this important piece of research; it is so important that all learners feel safe to express their individual identities as they learn in our sector and that as professionals we provide an environment that says Welcome".

Download a copy of the research report here.

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