Does Equality Training Really Make a Difference

Many, perhaps most, public sector organisations offer equality and diversity training to staff. Whether provided by internal or external trainers, it’s an expensive business. The question to be asked, I suppose, is whether that huge expense really makes a difference, in terms of sustainable, measurable and desirable outcomes. The short, and somewhat disappointing answer, is often “no”.

This is, of course, a qualified “no”. By itself, putting huge numbers of staff through a “sheep dip” of “off-the-shelf” equality training (and a surprising number of organisations do this) is unlikely to produce amazing results.

In order for training to be successful in contributing to real, sustainable improvements in employment practice and service delivery, two things need to happen.

1. Context.

The training needs to sit within a context of genuine organisational commitment to equality and diversity. The following features can help to identify such organisations:

  • Visible commitment from leaders;
  • Appropriate policies and procedures;
  • Principles of equality and diversity best practice underpinning every activity (performance management, business planning, recruitment etc.)
  • Appropriate resources;
  • Consultation activities.

2. The Training.

Assuming, for a moment, that the organisation has, or is striving to have, all of the above in place, what kind of training would help staff to make real change?

Equality training, known by a variety of other names over the years, has always had good intentions. However, as we know, good intentions don’t automatically translate into improved practice.

The worst examples of Race Awareness Training (very popular a few years ago), although powerful, sometimes left delegates feeling a mixture of guilt, shame, defensiveness and resentment. Not emotions one would normally associate with empowerment, learning and motivation.

Other “Equal Opportunities” training focused on either the moral or ethical approach (“we have to be nice to the poor disadvantaged people”), the legislative approach (“what do we have to do to avoid being sued?”) or on what became know as the “political correctness gone mad” approach (“you can’t ask for a black coffee, it’s racist”). Again, although ethics, legislation and language are important, by themselves they don’t necessarily help delegates engage with the real issues.

Successful training needs to lead to permanent changes in thinking, attitudes and behaviours. Thankfully, although this sounds like a pretty tall order, it is achievable. Ideally, it would:

  • Focus on the organisational benefits of genuinely achieving equality;
  • Be tailored to address the real live issues for that organisation (whether it be European migrant workers, asylum seekers, or issues around rurality, deprivation or religious and cultural issues).
  • Be relevant to the work roles of staff being trained. Going into depth about recruitment issues will be less relevant to those not involved in recruitment. Exploring fairness in performance management will be less relevant to those not involved in managing performance (I did say less relevant, not irrelevant).
  • It practices what it preaches – appealing to the diverse range of people being trained. Among many other factors, this includes learning styles, working patterns, levels of existing knowledge.
  • It takes a flexible and blended approach, including, if appropriate, workshops, e-learning, project work, action learning, forum theatre and many other learning methods.
  • It leaves individuals equipped with the skills, knowledge and motivation to be responsible for the contribution their job role has in helping the organisation achieve these benefits.

To sum up, then, unless the training you are planning sits within a culture of inclusive practices, and is tailored to the specific needs of each delegate group, it is unlikely to make a real, sustainable difference in the way your organisation manages its staff or delivers its services. In which case, I’d recommend you save your money.