AHEP’s commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion

AHEP has a long-established commitment to equality, as expressed in our values, especially our stance on:

• – Actively championing a professional culture of equality, diversity and inclusion;

• – Working to the highest standards of fair, ethical and transparent professional behaviour.

Our Diamond Jubilee Strategy launched in the Autumn 2020 reinforces this commitment with its references to diversity in membership and inclusive provision for members. AHEP takes a ‘whole organisation’ approach to EDI, encompassing all aspects of our activity from our Board and operations to our membership and professional communities. We know that our organisation and those of our members will be better places to work and grow our careers if they are genuinely inclusive and value diverse voices and experiences. 

As a membership organisation, AHEP is well-placed to support individuals to engage with EDI issues in their local context, as well as to contribute at an institutional / sector level to influence policy and practice for wider benefit.  We recognise that we can and should be doing more to actively address our shortcomings and those of the wider sector, and the AHEP Board of Trustees has agreed an Action Plan to drive improvements and embed good practice throughout our work.  The plan includes targeted actions to support our members, development of EDI professional resources, and a greater focus on accountability for EDI within our governance arrangements.  We will report our progress to AHEP members at the Annual General Meeting each year, and will continually update the plan as we identify new initiatives or concerns.

To be most effective in planning appropriate actions, we need your input, expertise and experience as AHEP members.  We want to know what you value and what we can do better – please share your thoughts and ideas about how we can ensure EDI becomes part of all we do in HE.  AHEP commits to doing all we can to adopt new practice and improve our programmes for an inclusive professional community.