LWETB team attend diversity event

Delegates from Longford and Westmeath ETB attended the annual ETBI education conference in Carlow. This year’s conference ‘An Open Door to Excellence: Why Diversity Matters’ focused on equality, diversity and inclusion across the sector.

It brought together 200 delegates to find solutions to make the ETB sector more inclusive and diverse and heard from ETB staff, learners and public figures from non-traditional backgrounds.

Results from a survey of the ETB workforce by the Education and Training Boards Ireland (ETBI) presented at the conference revealed that most staff and management are white, Irish, heterosexual, Catholic, and neurotypical, with no physical disability, while ETB learners are increasingly diverse.

Findings from the survey also indicated that over 90 per cent of ETB staff rate the promotion of EDI as ‘extremely important’.

The inaugural ETBI Diversity Survey is the first time that data on diversity in terms of ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability and religion among the ETB workforce has been collected.

The survey also assessed the equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) practices in ETBs across the country.

Paddy Lavelle, general secretary of ETBI, said: "Education and Training Boards want to provide inclusive education and training and it’s heartening to see that so many ETB staff across the country value equality, diversity and inclusion, but we recognise that there is more to be done.

"Ireland is now a diverse country, and our ETB learners reflect that, but our staff – like much of the education, public and civil service sectors – is not.

"We know that people working in education can be incredibly influential and be role models for the people with whom they work. We need to recognise the importance of diversity for those involved in education, training, and youth work.

"It is exemplified in targeting resources on those who need them and prioritising a culture of inclusion."