Member Article

High achievers recognised for E&D commitment

Twenty people from some of the North East’s leading organisations have become the first in the region, and among the first in the country, to achieve a new standard which commends commitment to equality and diversity (E&D).

The group of professionals, from both the public and private sector, have all gained the ILM 4 accreditation, which is seen as some of the most definitive evidence available of both an employee and their employer’s commitment to E&D policies, many of which became a legal requirement through the Equality Act 2010.

The achievers, who were supported in gaining their ILM4 qualifications by Sunderland-based Assessment North East, were acknowledged in a ceremony at Beamish Hall, at which the keynote speech was given by Vera Baird QC, who played a central role in developing much of the UK’s E&D legislation while in Government.

Among the 20 achievers is Dawn McIntyre, General Manager at CCTV specialist 2020 Vision, based in North Shields. Her daughter, Katie Meehan, has made global headlines through defying medical odds to be able to talk and smile after being born with a cystic hygroma, a condition which causes hundreds of cysts to develop in the head and mouth. Ms McIntyre, from Jarrow, has raised over £50,000 to fund her daughter’s pioneering medical treatment, and has supported her through 15-years of operations. Katie now attends mainstream college and is studying for her A-Levels.

“It has been a hard time over the years for me and Katie, but now we are both thriving. She is doing so incredibly well, and I am beyond proud, and this award is something really good for myself. I think it certainly shows that determination runs in our family,” said Ms McIntyre.

Mrs Baird, Labour’s candidate for the role of Police and Crime Commissioner in Northumberland and formerly Solicitor General and MP for Redcar, told the event how she constantly petitioned for E&D legislation to be made more business-friendly, saying: “Overwhelmingly, it is good for business to be seen to treat all people according to their needs and their interests, and to be seen to be doing so, because it is well proven that employees will be as loyal to their employer as he or she is to them and will pay back well.”

Robert Macleod, Managing Director of Assessment North East, said: “A high level of commitment to E&D is now something that is legally required from businesses, and ILM4 is something that can help prove that, especially with regard to providing evidence for public sector tenders.

“ILM4 is an extremely hard standard to achieve, and involves a huge amount of work and dedication, as well as a very high level of scrutiny of how individuals and their employers operate, so I am very pleased we have been able to support the first 20 people in the North East in achieving this accreditation.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Deborah Johnson .