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Opportunity NOW: Notice

[Note: please refer to the printed edition of this Reporter for the tables accompanying this Notice, which are not reproduced online.]

This is a report on the fifth year of progress under the University's membership of the Opportunity 2000 Campaign. The Campaign, in considering the progress which has been made towards an increase in the quality and quantity of women's participation in the workforce, has recognized the need for its work to continue into the next century, revised its mission, and renamed itself as Opportunity NOW. The key focus areas for the Campaign are set out in Annex A.

In November 1994 the Council and the General Board, on the recommendation of the Assistant Staff and Work and Stipends Committees, agreed thirty long- and short-term goals in order to develop the University's Equal Opportunities policy, in the light of the objectives of the (then) Opportunity 2000 Campaign, of which the University became a member in 1993. Membership of the Campaign entails the setting of clear, achievable, and measurable goals in order to increase the quality and quantity of women's participation in the workforces of its organizations at all levels.

Last year's report took the form of a review of the original goals and the publication of a revised statement of thirty-one goals. Progress towards the achievement of these revised goals, many of which are long-term and ongoing, is reported below. The revised goals are set out in Annex B.

This is also the appropriate place to report on a number of other initiatives related to implementing the University's Equal Opportunities policies. In his address in the Senate-House on 1 October (Reporter, pp. 24-26), the Vice-Chancellor emphasized his commitment to increase the representation of women at the highest levels of the University. In connection with this commitment, proposals are being developed for an audit of the University's policies and procedures in the whole area of Equal Opportunities, including gender, race and ethnicity, and disability issues, which will help to inform work on the goals reported below.

The appointment from 1 November 1999 of a Director of Personnel who will oversee the integration of the personnel function for all groups of staff is another development which will assist in the strengthening of work on the University's equality goals.

Monitoring and collection of statistical information

Discussions have begun on proposals to improve the presentation of statistics and on ways in which statistics can be better focused to inform future work. The proposed audit will also consider this vital area. In the meantime the quality and scope of statistical information available for monitoring purposes continues to improve as the work of the Planning and Statistics Section of the General Board Division, derived from the SECQUS personnel system, is developed and refined. The key findings in relation to academic and academic-related staff are:

Parallel work has been undertaken in the Personnel Division (Assistant Staff Section). Data held on the ethnic origins and disability of assistant staff was patchy, and in 1999 a verification survey was undertaken to improve coverage. Ethnicity data are now held for all but 18 per cent of staff. Disability data are held for all but 10 per cent of staff; of those for whom data are held nearly 6 per cent report a disability. Given that this is based on self-reporting and that the definition of disability under the Act is still fluid, this figure is bound to be impressionistic. Certain kinds of problem, for instance mobility loss, may be over-reported for reasons such as the fact that car parking spaces are at a premium; it is likely that mental health problems are under-reported. However the survey has been useful if only in that in a few cases action which was needed in respect of unreported individual needs has been triggered.

Data continue to be collected for discretionary pay awards to assistant staff. The figures (Table 4.3) show that, overall, women are a slightly higher percentage of recipients than their representation in the staff group would predict, and nowhere are they significantly under-rewarded in comparison with men. Interestingly, in 1999 when for the first time it was possible for staff to apply personally for these awards, in addition to the existing procedure whereby Heads of Department make recommendations, the percentage of women receiving awards rose from 56 to 63 per cent. This year, with the introduction of a new system for processing requests for the regrading of posts, data on the outcome of the process by gender is included.

Recruitment and selection

In the second half of the year considerable effort in the Personnel Division (Work and Stipends Section) was put into preparations for a major project which will come on stream in 1999-2000: this is the review and revision of guidance on recruitment, selection, and promotion procedures for all academic and academic-related staff (including contract research staff).

Membership of Appointments Committees has been monitored and though not all Committees always include members of both sexes, most do, most of the time.

Support and assistance in recruitment and selection from the Personnel Division (Assistant Staff Section) is available to institutions; guidelines are promulgated in the Assistant Staff Manual.

Childcare

Demand for the play scheme programme remains buoyant. Three schemes run on different sites during each holiday (with the exception of Christmas). Feedback from users (parents and children) is positive and all suggestions for improvements are carefully considered and implemented where possible.

There have been disappointments over the progress of increasing nursery places, due to planning difficulties. Major effort has been directed at the development of a nursery on the West Cambridge Site. In the meantime, in order to increase the provision of pre-school childcare, places are being reserved in an NHS Trust nursery (to be run by Kids Unlimited who run the University Nursery) in Fulbourn which was due to open in September 1999, but will now open in March 2000. Places are also available to University Staff in the APU nursery.

Employment measures

A project to devise materials and provide training in the requirements of equal opportunities and other employment legislation for all academic and academic-related staff is nearing completion in the Work and Stipends Section. The first tranche of the delivery of training is planned for 1999-2000.

A review of flexible working arrangements for academic and academic-related staff has led to the introduction of a scheme for graduated return to work after maternity leave and further developments are being planned, for announcement in 1999-2000.

Proposals for an increase in the provision of training for those involved in the recruitment of assistant staff are being actively developed in the Assistant Staff Section; one question to be resolved is whether training should become mandatory for selectors and whether it should be accredited.

Changes in institutional culture

Women in Science, Engineering, and Technology

A major project, the Women in Science, Engineering, and Technology (WiSET) Initiative, has been set up, funded by the University. The aim of the initiative is to increase the representation of women in science at all levels, with a focus on retention and progression. The Project Director, Dr Nancy J. Lane, is working under the guidance of an Advisory Committee to take forward projects in four areas. Two projects are under way:

Two projects are at the planning stage:

The Advisory Committee for the WiSET Initiative will work in conjunction with the Academic Performance Committee.

Springboard Women's Development Programme

There are now four in-house trainers for the women's PDP, the Springboard programme, which is offered to all women graduate students and staff. Demand remains buoyant. A parallel programme for men, Navigator, has been introduced and the first programme, for male assistant staff, ran in 1998-99. Like Springboard it has been well received.

Teaching and learning

In February, the General Board received and approved the report of the Transferable Skills Working Party, together with guidelines for good practice. The report was also approved by the Senior Tutors' Committee and by the Careers Service in the Lent Term. Two sets of skills were identified:

ANNEX A

The Opportunity NOW Campaign has set out the following key focus areas:

ANNEX B

Revised statement of goals

Monitoring and collection of statistical information

New and reformulated goals for this area are:

(i) Monitoring of appointments should include all categories of academic, academic-related, and assistant staff. The system of monitoring applications, short-lists, and appointments of established academic and academic-related staff, appointed by Appointments Committees, should be extended to cover appointments to all unestablished posts, including contract research staff.
(ii) Monitoring of promotions should include all categories of academic, academic-related, and assistant staff. Monitoring should include promotions from University Assistant Lecturer to Lecturer and all subsequent promotions of academic staff, and all promotions of academic-related staff. For assistant staff monitoring should include promotions to higher grades within Departments and on transfer between Departments, upgrading of posts, and promotions to University offices.
(iii) The award of discretionary payments to all categories of staff should be monitored.
(iv) Monitoring of research student numbers should cover comparison of male and female research student statistics relating to applications, places offered, places taken up, fee source, admission, and completion.
(v) A small project should be established to streamline the presentation of statistics for monitoring in all the goals in this area, in order to achieve consistency and clarity.

Recruitment and selection

(vi) Guidance on good recruitment and selection practice for all categories of staff, based on existing good practice in the University, should be kept under constant review, especially in relation to the requirements of anti-discrimination legislation, including European law.
(vii) Guidance on good practice in relation to promotions of all kinds and for all categories of staff, especially the criteria used for promotion and the award of discretionary payments, should be kept under constant review. Procedures should be periodically reviewed for effectiveness and transparency.
(viii) Results of monitoring of the gender balance of all groups and committees (formal and informal) involved in the recruitment, selection, and appointment of all categories of staff should be analysed and the outcome published annually in the Opportunity NOW progress report. Any lack of consistency or balance should be drawn to the attention of the groups or committees concerned.
(ix) Where women or men are under-represented in a particular staff group, advertisements for posts should state that applications are particularly welcomed from the under-represented gender, and that selection will take place on the basis of the criteria for appointment for that post.1

Childcare

(x) The operation of the holiday play scheme should be kept under review, in particular to ensure that it can continue to meet growing demand.
(xi) Work should continue towards the provision of additional day nursery places.

Employment measures

(xii) The arrangements for flexible working for established academic and academic-related staff should be kept under review and further steps should be taken to understand better why take-up of the scheme has been low. The scheme should be formally extended to unestablished academic-related staff. The existing arrangements for part-time working for assistant staff should be kept under review and implemented wherever feasible.
(xiii) Further steps should be taken in devising a career break scheme for academic and academic-related staff.
(xiv) A survey of present and anticipated caring responsibilities amongst all categories of staff should be undertaken, with a view to further development of family-friendly working policies.
(xv) Consideration should be given to the provision of an appropriate infrastructure to support these policies (e.g. a policy to ensure that effective arrangements can be made to cover the jobs of academic and academic-related staff on maternity leave).2
(xvi) The effectiveness of the flow of information about equal opportunities issues and policies should be kept under review and where necessary new or additional means of communication should be introduced.
(xvii) The policy on bullying and harassment should be kept under review and monitoring should be introduced in order to assess the level of problems in this area, and to ensure that complaints are dealt with effectively.
(xviii) Steps should be taken to ensure that all those involved in recruitment, selection, and appointment of all categories of staff understand the legal requirements of equal opportunities legislation. Training should be available to all, and only trained individuals should take part in these procedures.

Changes in institutional culture

(xix) The 'Springboard' programme for women staff and graduate students and the new version of the programme developed for undergraduates should be continued for as long as there is a need.
(xx) The possibility of devising a development programme based on 'Springboard' principles for women in senior grades for whom some of the 'Springboard' material is inappropriate should be kept under investigation.
(xxi) All documentation, procedures, training, and advice should be kept under review to ensure that good practice in relation to equal opportunities is incorporated.
(xxii) Information about the University's Opportunity NOW goals and any subsequent policies or reviews should be effectively and fully communicated to staff and students.
(xxiii) The organization of responsibility for equal opportunities issues in the University should be reviewed so as to develop a system of subsidiarity with devolved responsibility through the Councils of the Schools.
(xxiv) Special initiatives should be set up to address the under-representation of women in science in the areas of access (a focus on recruitment of undergraduates and admissions), participation (a focus on retention of women graduate students and post-doctoral workers), progression (a focus on the career progress of women post-doctoral workers into permanent posts and their retention if they choose to have children or undertake other caring responsibilities), and performance (a focus on whether women scientists are required to out-perform men in order to win research funding or appointments).
(xxv) The experience of women (both staff and students) in the University should be investigated, with the help of outside consultants, in order to inform training and guidance on good practice in all areas of relevant activity (recruitment, selection, appointment, promotion, teaching, and management).
(xxvi) Research should be undertaken into the career histories and career progression of women and other under-represented groups.
(xxvii) Action should be taken to develop general awareness of the importance of equal opportunities, and of the need for cultural diversity and specific good practice, through training programmes.

Teaching and learning

(xxviii) Providing more comprehensive guidance to supervisors of undergraduates about teaching skills and the criteria for judging essays and other undergraduate supervision work. The criteria should be explicit and should be made clear to students.
(xxix) Ensuring that the criteria used in the assessment of examination scripts are made explicit and that examiners are given a clear description of the qualities held to be reflected in a particular mark or range of marks. Ensuring that all such information is available to examiners, teachers (including supervisors), and students.
(xxx) Investigating the utility and the efficacy of existing systems of secure number codes for examinations.
(xxxi) Defining, in consultation with the University and the Colleges, a set of transferable skills (which can be subdivided into categories as appropriate) which the University would expect its graduates to possess on graduation, and to develop guidelines on good practice for the acquisition of these skills.

1 This procedure is permissible under anti-discrimination legislation, and is designed to increase the pool of candidates from the under-represented group, from which pool the best candidate is selected. It is recommended by the CVCP's Commission for University Career Opportunity.

2 Provision has already been introduced for maternity leave cover for assistant staff.


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Cambridge University Reporter, 8 March 2000
Copyright © 2000 The Chancellor, Masters and Scholars of the University of Cambridge.