Recently, our SIG inbox received a request from a colleague looking for tips on how to diversify their staff team in an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) department. Last year, I took a sideways step into a Human Resources (HR) role, an element of which allows me to contribute to some of the institutional initiatives linked to ‘Equity, Diversity and Inclusion’. So, when we received the request, I was approached to see whether I had any insights on the issue. My initial reply was brief but well-received and got me thinking that perhaps this was a topic worth exploring in a bit more depth. So, below are some personal musings, professional insights and useful resources shared in the hope of aiding us all to take sustainable action - at a societal, institutional and individual level - to further diversify our EAP community and create a more inclusive working environment to benefit everyone. Societal observations My first pondering may seem an obvious one; EAP is not happening in a vacuum. To be more specific, EAP is operating within societies, education systems and institutions which are built on structural inequalities. These structural inequalities exist because the system was built and continues to be maintained on what Anne Hathaway described in her speech at the 2018 Human Rights Campaign awards dinner as an ancient, inherited, habitual, damaging and widely accepted myth. “That myth is that gayness orbits around straightness, transgender orbits around cisgender, and that all races orbit around Whiteness” (cited in Bopaiah 2021, p19) In turn, this rigged system leads to a lack of equal opportunities which can appear invisible at first glance. However, hard evidence of the inequality and lack of diversity across UK higher education can be found in statistical reports from Advance HE and reports on the gender pay gap and ethnicity pay gap. There may be another school of thought that recognises the visibility of inequalities but succumbs to a sense of inevitability. The - ‘How can we possibly change the system?’ - argument. In this short opinion piece, Dr Robert Livingston, a social psychologist in the faculty of the Harvard Kennedy School, uses the analogies of staggered starts on a running track and providing different levels of support to different children in a family context, to exemplify that sometimes, it is absolutely necessary and appropriate to treat people differently to provide equitable opportunities for success. Whilst he discusses the issue with a lens on the inequalities experienced by Black and minoritized ethnic people, the principle can be applied across all protected characteristics and those not captured within the Equality Act 2010, such as socio-economic status and in our discipline, the issue of whether or not English is your first language. At this point, I’m reminded of the image of an apple tree presented by Maha Bali, on slides 15 to 17 of her Keynote talk at the BALEAP 2021 Biennial Conference, and also the myriad of ways that colleagues suggested this could be redrawn. Inequality of opportunity manifests in many ways for many reasons. The question remains, what can be done to address it? Institutional considerations At this point I’m going to move away from the societal issues to more pragmatic institutional considerations that could aid in removing barriers to access to the EAP profession. These are innovations that have become more apparent to me since moving into HR, and I would strongly recommend liaising with HR and EDI experts within your organisation to discuss options that may be beneficial within your specific context. They’ll provide valuable insights on what has and hasn’t worked well in the past and will highlight any legal considerations. As the recruitment landscape becomes increasingly competitive, there is a move towards the concept of hiring for potential and training for skill. This is leading to a growth in the use of apprenticeships across universities. Given that the cost of qualifications required to develop a career in EAP could be a barrier to entry for many people, perhaps degree apprenticeships could provide an alternative entry point into the field of EAP for people from a range of backgrounds and circumstances. Another opportunity which may be of interest to organisations who offer English Language Teaching qualifications is offering a proportion of scholarships to applicants from underrepresented groups as a form of positive action. The funded course could be followed up with a paid internship - perhaps over a Presessional programme - to provide further opportunity for the candidate to apply their learning and further boost their employability prospects. Another area of expertise HR departments focus on, is mitigating barriers of entry to an organisation. Consequently, they often develop institutional policies to support hiring managers in attracting candidates for the job. These policies commonly include advice on using, clear, simple, gender-neutral language in job adverts, removing candidates’ names from long lists and ensuring diversity in recruitment panels from longlisting through to interview. If you’re unsure of similar policies within your organisation, it’s worth searching your intranet or reaching out to HR colleagues to find out more. Individual Interventions Staying with the concept of attracting candidates for the job against a competitive recruitment landscape, there is much within your agency as a hiring manager that can be built into the recruitment process. Some initiatives we’re piloting at the institution I work for in both academic and professional services roles include:
Initial feedback from the hiring managers piloting some of these approaches seems to be that the interventions are creating a more positive application experience as well as leading to more diverse recruitment. A point of reflection is how many of the above do we or could we apply to provide a more equitable recruitment experience for EAP posts? And what other interventions could we introduce? Again, if you’re unsure of what you can reasonably enact within your institution, have a chat with colleagues in HR. You could also speak with colleagues in other departments who are hiring managers to find out what approaches that are taking to diversify their staff community. Could these be transferable to EAP recruitment? Summary Of course, I’m mindful of the limitations of this blog; these ideas and signposts predominantly touch upon better understanding the concept of equity in an effort to achieve diversity. Indeed, some of the suggestions may seem like quick wins. But as detailed in this report from consultancy firm McKinsey & Company, creating the conditions for inclusion is the long game and requires sustained mindfulness to enact system and behavioural change. This is a point that requires considerably more reflection and exploration. If there’s interest out there, perhaps it’s a conversation to come back to later in the year. I’m also aware that this piece has been written from a UK-centric perspective. However, I hope despite this that there are points that may be useful for experimentation and further discussion across different global contexts. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. What of the above do you already use in your institution? What have been the outcomes? Are there any you’re interested in piloting in your institution? What alternative initiatives are you using to good success? I’m sure our wider community would be grateful to hear your insights and experience too. So, feel free to share comments below. Reference Bopaiah, M (2021) Equity : How to Design Organizations Where Everyone Thrives. Berrett-Koehler Publishers. Oakland, California
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