
The Advance HE annual staff and student statistical report highlights that inequalities persist, with lower proportions of both UK and non-UK BAME staff than White staff on open ended/permanent contracts, in senior management positions, and on higher salary bands.
Our portfolio supports the addressing of barriers to career development and progression experienced by minority ethnic staff.
Our services are built on a legacy of expertise in race equality, drawing from our leadership of the Race Equality Charter, programmes to support the development of the next generation of leaders, including Diversifying Leadership, and highlighting and addressing barriers to career development and progression experienced by minority ethnic staff.
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Download our Race Equality Programmes and Events Brochure 2020-21
Diversifying Leadership Programme
Tackling the under-representation of BAME leaders in UK higher education institutions
There is a clear under-representation of from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds (BAME) leaders in HE institutions in the UK at all levels but particularly at senior levels. There is also documented evidence of the poor experiences of many BAME academic staff in UK HE including experiences related to leadership roles.
The Diversifying Leadership programme is designed to support early-career academics and professional services staff from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds who are about to take their first steps into a leadership role. It explores themes of power and influence, demystifying leadership, cultural identity and cultural capital, increasing your visibility and authentic leadership and features leadership stories from high-profile HE leaders.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Conference 2021
Courageous conversations and adventurous approaches: creative thinking in tackling inequality.
The theme of this conference speaks to the reality of EDI work in both HE and FE - a growing focus for attention internally and externally, ambitious, analytical, forward-looking, practical and increasingly complex. As EDI becomes more embedded in institutional values and strategy and becomes more of a measure for the student experience, institutional interest in creative responses to tackling inequality is growing.
Through forecasting emerging EDI topics and priorities in the sector, the conference will create space for reflection and capacity-building through exploring two sub-themes: ‘courageous conversations’ and ‘adventurous approaches’.
BAME Summit 2020 - Keynote session
Lord Simon Woolley CBE is the director and founder of Operation Black Vote (OBV), a commissioner for race on the Equality and Human Rights Commission and chair of the government's Race Disparity Unit’s advisory group.
Simon's keynote session at the BAME Summit focussed on how we can respond effectively to the present crisis so that the education gap in race doesn’t widen and how we can use the current climate to not only to mitigate the effects of COVID-19, but to rebuild and remodel what education should be and in this, the critical role of senior leaders, like VCs, as well as leaders of students and the BAME community.
Simon will also joning us as a keynote speaker at Transforming Governance for a new normal: Governance Conference 2020 on 20 November discussing 'Diversity and inclusivity: The governance imperative'.
News, views and resources
Reports and Publications
With over 15 years of resources to access and as convener of current thinking, knowledge and insight into the key sector opportunities and challenges, Advance HE’s exists to help higher education shape its future. Examples of our work in tackling race inequality include:
