Policy Statement

Excel Learn Ltd is committed to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion, eliminating discrimination to all job applicants, staff, clients, learners and members of the community. We are actively committed to advancing FIR (Fairness, Inclusion & Respect) among our workforce and our supply chain, where everyone is recognised for having their own characteristics, background, experience and abilities. With our learners we consider the diverse nature of communities when we make decisions to become more effective at attracting, recruiting and retaining a representative workforce. The Equality Act protects people against discrimination. ThereforeOur aim is to treat everyone fairly, openly, honestly, with dignity and to respect and value differences irrespective of and regardless of:

• Sex (including marital status, gender reassignment, pregnancy, maternity and paternity)
• Sexual orientation (including civil partnership status)
• Race or racial group (including colour, nationality and ethnic or national origins)
• Religion or belief
• Age
• Caring responsibility
• Disability

General Statement of Policy

We believe that our policy and practices are a means of maximising the effective use of human resources in our and the employee’s/candidates best interests.

All members of staff and learners will be given equal opportunity irrespective of their sex, religion/belief, race, age or marital status in all aspects of employment and training. Our commitment also extends to the promotion of equality of opportunity in all areas of our business.

The operation of recruitment, training and promotion policies to all individuals will be on the basis ofjob requirements, and the individuals’ ability and fitness for work/training.

Staff employed by this organisation and learners shall be made aware of the provisions ofthis policy. This may be done, for example, by means of advertisements, job descriptions, applicationforms, posters, training courses and handbooks for appropriate managerial and supervisory staff.

All key personnel involved in management, selection and dealing with the public shall be given trainingand guidance in the legislation and organisational policy. This includes their own personal liability under the law and thenature of discrimination.

Definition of Discrimination & Legislation

In this policy ‘discrimination’ means discrimination where a person is treated less favourably on the groundsof disability, sex or marital status, as defined in the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, or on grounds of race,creed, colour or age as defined in the appropriate Acts (see below).

We will take all reasonable steps to ensure that we and our staff and associates do not unlawfullydiscriminate under the Single Equality Bill which come into force in October 2010 as well as the followingActs;

• the Equal Pay Act 1970
• the Sex Discrimination Act 1975; (c) the Race Relations Act 1976
• the Disability Discrimination Act 1995
• the Employment Rights Act 1996
• the Human Rights Act 1998
• the Part-Time Workers (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2000
• the Fixed-Term Employees (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2000
• the Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003
• the Employment Equality (Religion or Belief Act) Regulations 2003
• the Work and Families Act 2006
• the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006; and
• any other relevant legislation in force from time to time relating to discrimination inemployment and the provision of goods, facilities or services

Nominated Person

Reashma Begum, will be nominated as the person responsible for monitoring the effectiveness of theequality and diversity policy with overall responsibility for its implementation and supervisionremaining with the Management.

All aspects of personnel policies and procedures shall be kept under review to ensure that they do notoperate against equal opportunities and analysis made of the sex, race, religion/beliefs or marital statusof employees in relation to their employment with this organisation.

Where it appears that any employees/applicants/learners are not being offered equal opportunities, thecircumstances will be investigated by management to see if there are any policies or criteria whichexclude or discourage employees and, if so, whether these policies and criteria are justifiable.

Appropriate action will be taken, where necessary, to redress the effects of any policy or criteria whichmay be found to have unjustifiably limited the provision of equal opportunities.

Our commitment

• To create an environment in which individual differences and the contributions of all our staff andlearners are recognised and valued
• Every employee/associate and learner is entitled to a working environment that promotes dignityand respect to all. No form of intimidation, bullying or harassment will be tolerated
• Training, development and progression opportunities are available to all
• Equality in the workplace is good management practice and makes sound business sense
• We will undertake planned reviews on all our employment practices and procedures to ensure fairness
• Breaches of our equality policy will be regarded as misconduct and could lead to disciplinaryproceedings
• This policy is fully supported and agreed by senior management, employees, Awardingorganisations, Consortium Leads and funding organisations
• The policy has, and will be reviewed annually against evaluations, feedback and changes tolegislation
• To raise awareness of policies and procedures to ensure that our services are accessible for a diverserange of clients and learners
• To promote the principles of equality and diversity with clients and learners/partners/subcontractorsand recruitment agencies

By implementing equality and diversity policies we have found the benefitsof not onlycompliance with the law, but also enjoy several other advantages including:

• Making full use of the talents of all members of the workforce and our candidates which helps toensure the best return on what is often a costly investment in recruitment and training
• An improvement in motivation and performance which, in turn, can reduce turnover levels
• A broadening of the “talent base” which develops individuals abilities faster and further whilstcreating the potential for new and flexible approaches
• Better two-way communications
• An improvement in the external view of the organisation, so that talented people will wantto join and also attract more candidates
• The implementation of equality and diversity policies stimulates a healthy and more productiveatmosphere and creates a better quality of working life

Recruitment and Promotion

Applicants for posts/training shall be given as much clear and accurate information about opportunitiesthrough advertisements, open days, inductions, job descriptions and interviews in order to enable themto assess their own suitability for the opportunity they are applying for. Information about opportunitiesshall also be placed and prominently displayed where it may reach individuals of all groups.

Recruitment literature shall not imply that there is a preference for one group of applicants. However,in accordance with Sections 47 and 48 of the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, we may encourage personsof one sex only to apply for vacancies where, during the previous 12 months, the number of persons ofthat sex employed on particular work is small in comparison with the number of persons of the oppositesex employed on that work by us. However, after encouraging such applications each candidate mustbe considered on his/her own merits and suitability for the post and their membership of an under-represented group shall not influence the appointment.

Advertisements and recruitment drives shall be aimed at as wide a group of suitably qualified and experienced candidates as possible.

All applicants shall be informed that we encourage equality and diversity. Such information could beconveyed in advertisements, job descriptions or application forms.

All personal specifications for posts shall include only requirements that are necessary and justifiablefor the effective performance of the job, as we understand requirements that are convenient rather than necessary maybe discriminatory.

All interviews shall be thorough, conducted on an objective basis and shall deal only the applicant’s

suitability for the job and ability to fulfil the job requirements. Where it is necessary to assess whetherpersonal circumstances will affect performance of the job (for example, where it involves unsociablehours or extensive travel), this should be discussed objectively without detailed questions based onassumptions about marital status, children and domestic obligation. Questions about marriage plans orfamily intentions should not be asked, as they could be construed as showing bias against them.Information necessary for personnel records can be collected after a job offer has been made.

All staff shall be encouraged to discuss their career prospects and their continued training needs andaspirations with their manager.

Vacancies shall be given as wide an internal circulation as possible to staff who are likely to possessappropriate qualifications or have relevant experience.

We will not discriminate on the basis of sex, marital status, age, religion or disability in the allocation ofduties or shifts between staff employed in any grade or grades with comparable job descriptions, exceptwhere night work restrictions apply, in which case exemptions may be considered.

Where appropriate and/or necessary, we with endeavor to provide appropriate specific needs ofemployees, clients and learners which arise from their ethnic or cultural background, genderresponsibilities as carers, disability, religion or belief or sexual orientation.

All new employees and associates are issued with either a Company Handbook or an Associate Manualwith details of all employment related issues.

All learners are issued with a Learner Agreement with details of all equality and diversity related issues.

Staff training / Development

It is our Policy that we will not discriminate in the provision of training and development courses.Appropriate training shall be provided to enable staff to perform their jobs effectively. Such trainingwill make provisions where necessary for individuals returning to work following a break for domesticreasons.

Age limits for entry to training schemes should not be unnecessarily restrictive to exclude certaingroups.

Clients and Learners

Excel LearnLtd is an Equal Opportunities Employer and Training Provider. Ourclients and learners are entitled to equal treatment irrespective of gender, race, disability, sexualorientation and civil partnership, religion or belief and age, taking into account the diversity of thecommunity that we serve. We feel it is our responsibility to ensure that our clients promote equality anddiversity codes of practice to our learners within the organisation, therefore we will promote awareness.

Excel Learn Ltd is committed to meeting the diverse needs of clients and learners.We will take steps to identify the needs of clients and learners in our community and develop policiesand procedures, setting out how we will meet clients and learners’ needs. We will ensure the services weprovide areaccessible to all. We will take into account the needs of clients and learners with adisability and clients and learners who are unable to communicate effectively in English. We willconsider whether particular groups are predominant within our client base and devise appropriatepolicies to meet their needs: including men and women; carers; children; the elderly; members ofreligious groups; ethnic groups or nationalities; and lesbian, gay or transgender people.

Our learning programmes include discussion about equality and diversity and further reading andresearch is encouraged.Signposting is undertaken to relevant uptodate sources of information.

Possible Pre-conceptions

In the application of this policy, it is essential that managers guard against discrimination on the basis ofpossible assumptions that individuals’ because of their sex, race, disability, religion or marital statuspossess characteristics which would make them unsuitable for employment or receiving training.Examples of such assumptions might be:

• Lack of commitment to work
• Have outside commitments which would interfere with work or training
• Possess poor mental/physical ability
• Produce an anticipated unfavourable reaction of other staff and members of the public
• Be unsuitable for the job/training because of a feeling that certain types of work are only suitablefor a member of the opposite sex or of single status
• Be unable to supervise
• Possess limited career intentions
• Be unwilling to undertake training
• Have poor standards of behaviour/conduct
• Have limitations imposed by so-called traditional female interests and experience

We emphasise that discrimination as a consequence of any such pre-conceptions is unacceptable

Any restrictions which are applied by management and which affect certain groups ofstaff/trainers/trainees more than others, may effectively result in indirect discrimination, and should bereviewed to determine whether they are necessary rather than convenient and removed if this is not so.

Community Partnerships

Excel Learn Ltdwill seek to develop community partnerships within the areas thatwe serve.Through working within the community we aim to ensure that we reach as wide an audienceas possible.

Disciplinary Procedure

Any member of staff or associate who does not abide by this policy will be subject to the disciplinaryprocedure as detailed in the Company Handbook and Manual. Excel Learn Ltd will fully investigate any reported incidents of discrimination by clients with whomwe work including learners and employers.

Grievances and Victimisation

Particular care will be taken to deal effectively with any complaints of discrimination and sexualharassment which should be perused by application and fully investigated.

Monitoring and Reviews

Reashma Begum will be nominated as the person responsible for monitoring the effectiveness of the equal opportunity policy with overall responsibility for its implementation and supervision remaining with the Directors.

Excel Learn Ltd will actively monitor equality and diversity data of our learners to ensure that we are recruiting to meet the diversity of our community and that achievement opportunity to equal to all.

Excel Learn Ltd will review the operation of this policy not less than once a year (ormore regularly if we identify any non-compliance or problem concerning equality and diversity issueswith clients, learners, staff or sub-contractors or changes in legislation). We will take remedial action ifwe discover non-compliance under this policy or barriers to equality and diversity.

This document sets out our policy. It must be strictly adhered to unless there are legal limitations onemployment to particular posts. Disciplinary procedure may be used in the case of a breach of ourPolicy.