London South East Colleges recognised as ‘exemplary’ in its ethnicity agenda journey

London South East Colleges has been recognised as an ‘exemplary employer’ for the second year running by Investing in Ethnicity – an organisation set up to encourage a stronger focus on the ethnicity agenda in workplaces.

The College is one of 25 top employers, assessed via The Investing in Ethnicity 2023 Maturity Matrix. This has been designed with the backing of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Governance and Inclusive Leadership and establishes where organisations are within their ethnicity agenda journey.

A special parliamentary reception was held last night to recognise these 25 outstanding employers and to celebrate their commitment to this important agenda. A range of industries were represented, with organisations including HSBC, KPMG, Legal and General, Freshfields, Experian, Lloyds Banking Group, Paramount, UBS, BP and Channel 4. 

Attending on behalf of the College were Chief People Officer, Janet Curtis-Broni and Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Leah Stone.

Janet said:

“We are really proud to once again be named as a top 25 employer in Investing in Ethnicity’s 2023 Maturity Matrix. This is a fantastic accreditation to receive.

“Our College is committed to having a diverse workforce, which we know is fundamental to successfully meeting the needs of our students and our community. While we still have work to do, we have made great progress so far and this is thanks to the dedication and support of our fantastic staff.

“Hearing tonight about the work other organisations, from a range of sectors, are doing is inspiring. We look forward to continuing our efforts to effect real change and achieve real impact.” 

Sarah Garrett MBE, CEO of Investing in Ethnicity

“It is great to see London South East Colleges recognised once again. We are pleased to see an employer within the education sector recognised for its work in ethnic inclusion. It’s great to see the college leading the way in higher and further education, in ensuring that it is not only an inclusive place to work, but is also reflective of its student population.”

For the second year running, the College received a Level 4 Accreditation, which is the highest available, having completed 128 out of the 151 recommendations on the Matrix.

Categories in the assessment included Culture and Inclusion, Employee Life Cycle, External Impact and Leadership and Commitment. Areas in which the College excelled included: customers and clients, insights, early careers, retention and recognition.

For more information about Investing in Ethnicity and its Maturity Matrix, visit here.