Cardiff and Vale College re-accredited for prestigious Leaders in Diversity status

Cardiff and Vale College has been re-accredited for prestigious Leaders in Diversity status, reflecting the significant work it does to promote Fairness, Respect, Equality, Diversity, Inclusivity and Engagement (FREDIE) within the communities it serves.

The re-accreditation report by the National Centre for Diversity identified the College’s work to promote and foster good relations among all protected characteristics was exemplary. It gave the example of FREDIE related activities across the College for learners and staff, such as CAVC holding its first community Iftar to mark the last week of Ramadan, staff and student attendance at PRIDE, and lived experience training for anti-racism and transphobia.

It also highlighted how CAVC continues to be a beacon of good practice, carrying out outstanding work while always striving to do more.

An assessor noted that it was “inspiring to speak with the team at Cardiff and Vale College. Their commitment and enthusiasm to ensure that the highest standard of provision is made for learners and a positive and supportive work environment where colleagues are supported to develop and thrive remains undimmed”.

Cardiff and Vale College represents one of the most vibrant and diverse communities in Wales. It is also the largest provider of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) course in Wales, making it well placed to reach out to Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities across the Capital Region and beyond.

CAVC Group Chief Executive Mike James is Chair of the Colleges Wales Equality and Diversity Group and in 2022 the College became the first college in Wales to become affiliated with the Black Leadership Group.

In 2022 CAVC also won an Association of Colleges (AoC) UK-wide Beacon Award for its innovative work to embrace equality and inclusion, and a WorldSkills UK Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Ambassador Award.

Mike James said: “We are honoured to be re-accredited for Leaders in Diversity status.

“As the College that serves one of the most diverse and vibrant communities in Wales, we are hugely proud of this result. It means a lot to us because we believe ourselves to be at the heart of the communities we serve and that all students and staff are part of the CAVC Family. 

“This is a testament to the people right across the College who work so hard to ensure that CAVC takes an ell-encompassing approach to managing equality, diversion and inclusion across all we do and I’d like to thank them all for that.”