There is “no place for racism” in the education system, apprenticeships and skills minister Gillian Keegan has said.
In a letter to the Black FE Leadership Group, dated last week, she said the group had made “some very important and powerful comments about racism”, and she agreed “wholeheartedly that there is no place for racism of any kind in society or in our education system”.
She added: “I and the department are committed to continue working upon this important matter to eliminate racism and to address racial inequalities in our further education sector.”
The BFELG had written to the government in August, saying that racism in further education was undermining the sector’s ability to fully engage with its constituent communities. The group said that at a time of elevated advocacy for FE, “failure to recognise the insidious nature of racism undermines the sector’s ability to fully engage with all its constituent communities”.
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Ms Keegan said it was the government’s ambition for FE providers to offer “an inclusive, welcoming environment for students, teachers and leaders from all backgrounds”.
Tackling racism in FE
She added FE was fundamental to the government’s plan to level up the UK, creating opportunity for people from disadvantaged backgrounds, including those from the black, Asian and/or minority ethnic community. She said the government believed that all young people should acquire “a firm grasp of history, including how different events and periods relate to each other”.
Ms Keegan said the government was working with the Association of Colleges, the Education and Training Foundation, the Sixth Form Colleges Association and other representative bodies as it developed its strategy to strengthen FE leadership and governance, “including through greater diversity”.
“As you point out, as a first step it is important to have a robust picture of the ethnic make-up of the workforce. That is why I am committed to our new mandatory annual data collection in FE, which will uncover the full range of characteristics of the workforce, including ethnicity.”
Responding to the minister’s letter, the BFELG said it provided “a clear endorsement of the core messages contained in the BFELG’s recent call to action. “The minister’s commitment to ensure an inclusive FE system focused on addressing disadvantage, levelling up and getting individuals into high-quality jobs is particularly significant,” the BFELG said.
Black History Month
“BFELG fully concurs with the minister’s ambition for an FE system that is inclusive and welcoming for students, teachers and leaders irrespective of their background. We share her determination to ensure fair access, realise individual potential and ensure no communities are left behind. We also welcome the government’s commitment of significant additional investment into the sector to upskill the nation and FE estates to ensure the success of current and future skills policy and practice.”
However, the group said employers should be required to ensure equity of access to high-quality apprenticeships, T levels and the emerging retraining entitlement through the National Skills Fund. “We remain concerned about the lack of recognition of the need to review all post-16 curricula and qualifications to ensure that they reflect the importance of colonial history and its influence on society, and the contributions of black people to the arts, sciences and technology,” it said.
October marks Black History Month.
