Diversity, equity & inclusion

Unite Students’ three-year Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging and Wellbeing (DEIB&W) strategy, ‘We are US’, was praised by independent assessors for its development and named “a very good example” of providing accessible information that could be understood by those who may not be familiar with DEIB work. Awarding Unite Students with an application score of 90%, assessors described the business’ DEIB policies as “strong, practical and comprehensive”.

Its Living Black at University (LBU) report was highlighted as a “fine demonstration” of an organisation’s response to better understand Black experiences. Verifiers added there was also a clear senior leadership commitment to ensuring that the report’s solutions were found through partnership, to the benefit of the sector.

Assessors said:

“It’s great to see that the Living Black at University report has also provided further research in a field which is underserved. The inclusion of LBU resources is great to see, particularly the report’s research toolkit to assist others to replicate the research process with their own student bodies. Indeed, all the commissioned resources are appreciated and certainly have the potential to amplify DEIB across the sector.”

The feedback added the Living Black at University Conference – featuring the Unite Students Commission on Living Black at University, which was launched by the company to support the higher education and private student accommodation sectors’ response to its LBU report – had led to “useful and practical” takeaways.

Other highlights included Unite Students’ partnership with 10,000 Black Interns, which saw interns placed with the company to provide “real engagement” and support organisational goals. Plus, the company’s participation in National Student Pride, an event it is now a gold sponsor of.

Unite Students’ employee forum, Culture Matters, was labelled an “excellent example” of the business’ commitment to inclusive engagement and communication at all levels of the business. The company’s International Women’s Day employee stories were also commended.

Sam Kingsley, Head of Belonging and Engagement at Unite Students, said:

“Building a Home for Success requires us to think about belonging every day and our We are US strategy is the blueprint for our journey, reminding us of our ambition of being an instinctively inclusive organisation. There is still a lot of work to do but this achievement is a great demonstration of the progress we have made and an even bigger motivator for us to continue to create room for everyone.”