Community and Social Responsibility
Across the Bloomsbury Colleges, departments and services are committed to improving the the lives of people living in the local community but also further afield. From widening access to higher education in disadvantaged boroughs, to compliance with ethical procurement standards, and embracing standards of equality - each institution has a part to play.
Here are some of the initiatives taking place across each institution;
Access and Engagement
The Access and Engagement team focuses on Birkbeck's commitment to improving the access and success of non-traditional students in London. The innovative and award-winning widening access provision is designed to target potential students who would otherwise feel precluded from taking a step into higher education.
Projects and initiatives include;
> The Compass Project
> Further Education College Workshops
> Bridges to Birkbeck activities
> Birkbecks Big Ideas lecture series
> BBK Chat mentoring programme
For more information visit the Access and Engagement web page.
Procurement
Modern Slavery
Birkbeck, University of London has a zero-tolerance policy in relation to modern slavery and is committed to protecting and respecting human rights through continuous improvement of practices.
View Birkbeck's Modern Slavery Statements here.
Electronics Watch affiliation
Birkbeck is a member of the London Universities Purchasing Consortium - a not-for-profit professional buying organisation. Their sole aim is to secure best possible value for its members in the procurement of goods and services, without causing harm to others.
Through LUPC, Birkbeck is an automatic affiliate to Electronics Watch, an independent monitoring organisation whose mission is to help public sector organisations work together and collaborate with civil society monitors in production regions to protect the rights of workers in their electronics supply chains.
Equality and Diversity
Athena Swan
In 2017, the Equality Challenge Unit (ECU) renewed Birkbeck's Athena SWAN Bronze Award, recognising the College's commitment to achieving gender equality across the institution and the progress that it is making in this area.
Equal Pay report
The 2018 Equal Pay Audit Report can be viewed here. This is the fourth Equal Pay report at Birkbeck and sets out the statistical analysis of the vertical pay gaps (overall) and horizontal pay gaps (within pay bands) on four key grounds: gender, ethnicity, disability and sexual orientation.
Change Please
Birkbeck is partnered with Change Please, a not-for-profit organisation who provide barista training to those who have recently become homeless. The staff will earn the London Living Wage, and are given support with housing, bank accounts, and mental well being.
Astrea network
Birkbeck Astrea is a professional networking group, specifically for women working in professional service (as opposed to academic) roles at Birkbeck. It exists to identify the professional development needs these women want and provide opportunities for them to develop them, as well as call for development opportunities for professional support staff.
For a full overview of the Equality and Diversity initiatives at Birkbeck please click here.
