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Workplace Equality Fund Learning Festival 2020

Workplace Equality Fund Learning Festival 2020


WEFfest Article Header

Impact Funding Partners is pleased to announce our 2020 Workplace Equality Fund Learning Festival will take place from Tuesday 22nd to Wednesday 23rd September! 

Following on from successful festivals in the past, this free two day event will take place online via Zoom with a range of sessions delivered by projects funded through the Scottish Government’s Workplace Equality Fund. The Workplace Equality Fund supports private businesses to address long standing barriers, inequalities and discrimination faced by particular groups in entering and progressing in the workplace. Groups include minority ethnic people; disabled people; older workers (those aged over 50); people who experience gender based violence; and workers who are experiencing social isolation and/or loneliness; and women.

The sessions will include presentations, panel discussions, workshops, and animations giving a flavour of the work across the priority groups. We are delighted that Christina McKelvie MSP, Minister for Older People & Equalities, will join us live to open and close the festival. 

Take a look below at our full range of sessions each designed to promote and to share learning from the funded projects. Each session is pre-bookable and free to take part in!

You can register for each individual session here.

For accessibility purposes, all sessions will be live captioned.


Day 1: Tuesday 22 September

Christina McKelvie MSP

10:00 – 10:15

Christina McKelvie MSP, Minister for Older People & Equalities, joins us to officially open the festival. Christina McKelvie will be introduced by Impact Funding Partners Chief Executive, Keith Wimbles.

Panel Discussion: AAI EmployAbility, Scottish Engineering & Burness Paull

10:30 – 11:15

Our first panel discussion of the festival will see 3 very different projects discuss 3 very important issues facing women in the workplace. Experts from AAI Employability (fka Adopt an Intern), Scottish Engineering and Burness Paul will discuss a range of topics around BME women and employment, women in the engineering industry, and menopause at work.

Outside The Box

11:30 – 12:00

Outside The Box present their guide on how to support employers to become “mum friendly”. Listen and ask questions as the project talks about their ‘Mums Returning To Work Training Support Pack’ which guides employers to achieve their “mum friendly” status. This session will be followed by a Q&A.

Port of Leith Housing Association and Fife Centre for Equalities

12:15 – 13:00

Hear about how organisations from two very different commercial sectors address inequality in the workplace. Port of Leith Housing Association will give a presentation on equality in the construction industry followed by Fife Centre for Equalities who will talk about their work with Sky to help increase opportunities for minority ethnic people in the workplace.

This session is followed by a 30 minute break.

Age Scotland

13:30 – 14:15

Age Scotland will highlight the Age Inclusive Matrix which was given seed funding by the Workplace Equality Fund and show how the programme success developed with five-year funding from the National Lottery Community Fund into a Scotland-wide Age@Work programme. 

Workshop: Edinburgh Women’s Aid

14:30 – 15:30

Edinburgh Women’s Aid will be running a workshop on Domestic Abuse Awareness Raising for Employers. Learn about the impact of domestic abuse, the indicators of abuse and how to support survivors in the workplace

PiPA: Parents & Carers in Performing Arts in Scotland

15:45 – 16:15

To conclude the first day of the festival, join PiPA for a presentation with a Q&A summarising their pilot project in Scotland with performing arts organisations and freelancers. The presentation will share learning pre and post Covid where you can hear first hand how the pandemic has impacted on performing arts professionals.


Day 2: Wednesday 23 September

LGOWIT

10:00 – 10:45

The second day of the festival kicks off with a presentation from LGOWIT who will give an interesting insight into self management in the workplace for those living with a long term condition.

ENABLE

11:00 – 11:30

ENABLE Works and Diageo will deliver a short presentation on their partnership work to promote Disability Awareness within Diageo.  

Bridges Programme

11:45 – 12:30

In this presentation, hear about how Bridges Programme worked with Oakminster Health Care to bring together members of the migrant and refugee communities with job opportunities in the Social Care sector. This will include talks from Bridges Programme on why they approached Oakminster Health Care for this project. It will also include a presentation from Lissa di Giacomo, the CEO of Oakminster on why they agreed to work with Bridges Programme and the next steps. There will be a live Q&A at the end.

This session is followed by a 45 minute break.

Values Into Action Scotland – Building Organisations to Succeed & Shine

13:15 – 14:15

In this presentation, hear how Values Into Action Scotland partnered with ScotRail to improve how they attract, recruit, train and support people with learning disabilities and people on the autistic spectrum into employment.

Flexibility Works Workshop: Future Proof with Flexible Working

14:30 – 15:30

This session is fully booked.

This is an informal, facilitated discussion, designed to help your organisation on the journey to a truly flexible working culture.

Christina McKelvie MSP

15:40 – 15:50

And so the festival comes to an end. Christina McKelvie MSP, Minister for Older People & Equalities, rejoin us to officially close the 2020 Workplace Equality Fund Learning Festival. She will be introduced by Tricia Imrie, Impact Funding Partners Chief Executive Designate.


Get Involved

Register for all individual sessions here.

Get involved with the festival on social media by using the #WEFfest on TwitterFacebookLinkedIn and Instagram

Follow @Impact_Funding on Twitter to keep up-to-date with the festival.