This qualification was developed in response to a request from a 'Just Being Me' community group in 2019. By working in partnership, we were able to shape the content of the qualification which aims to encourage inclusivity and positive interaction with people who identify as LGBT in the workplace.
More than 120 representatives from the LGBT community contributed to the development work, with group members identifying their own sexual orientation, and gender identity.
As a regulated Awarding Organisation, it is hoped is that we can help to raise the quality and consistency of training in this area.
In addition, we conducted extensive research in 2020 to explore the extent to which people who identify as LGBT feel supported in their place of work.
The research comprised of interviews with 350+ LGBT workers and 1000+ HR professionals. Headlines from the research included:
43% of LGBT employees encounter issues with inclusivity at least once a week
30% of LGBT employees sometimes feel they must hide a part of who they truly are when in the workplace
72% of LGBT employees feel that their colleagues want to be more inclusive towards them, and 77% believe their workplace has strong inclusion values
61% of HR professionals believe there is a lack of knowledge on inclusion, while a further 11% report they encounter issues on inclusivity on a daily basis
77% of HR professionals admit they would like to know more about LGBT and inclusivity themselves
Following consultation with the 'Just Being Me' community group, we are confident that this qualification reflects their feedback and the findings from the research we conducted. It has been designed to make learners aware of LGBT history and culture and organisational policies and legislation affecting LGBT people in the workplace. It also explores the impact of language, stereotyping and assumptions and considers how learners can best contribute to maintaining a supportive workplace environment for LGBT people. This is an introductory qualification covering LGBT issues only.
The qualification could prove invaluable in terms of a learner's personal and career development and does not require any prior qualifications or learning.
