Pride Month: ICHEC launches its Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee
ICHEC has recently established an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Committee, the aim of which is to provide oversight and advice on decisions and policies, and to raise awareness and champion EDI at ICHEC. You can read the terms of reference here. The objectives of the Committee will be aligned with the EDI objectives of NUI Galway which reflect NUI Galway’s 2020-2025 vision to create a distinctively values-based culture, having excellence, ambition and the wellbeing of our communities at its core. To mark Pride month, ICHEC is also changing its logo on social media platforms to rainbow colours to support and celebrate our LQBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bi, trans and more) community. This is to demonstrate ICHEC’s promise to promote a diverse and inclusive environment where everyone has equity of opportunity and can be their authentic selves.
Although there has been some progress made, discrimination of individuals based on gender, skin colour, ethnicity and sexual orientation continues to exist. Within the STEM (Science,Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) field, women only represent 25% of the workforce in Ireland (1) . LGBTQ+ STEM professionals are also reportedly more likely to experience career limitations and harassment compared to their non-LGBTQ+ peers (2), (3) . It is everyone’s job to highlight and speak out about these unconscious and conscious biases, and hold ourselves accountable. ICHEC plans to look at its own practices and culture with the establishment of the EDI committee.
Dr Orna Fennelly, Chair of the ICHEC EDI Committee said, “At ICHEC, we value the diverse backgrounds and experiences of all our colleagues and the many organisations and people that we work with. We also recognise that we must go beyond diversity and equality, to create a strong sense of connectedness and belonging which allows everyone to feel confident in being who they are and empowers all of our staff to thrive with equity of
opportunity.
Taking steps to ensure recognition for EDI in the workplace not only supports fairness and amplifies the voices of often marginalised groups, but also benefits organisations tenfold in terms of performance, innovation, agility, achieving targets, and attracting and retaining talent” she concluded.
With the establishment of the EDI Committee, ICHEC hopes to lead and encourage its staff and the research, public sector and SME communities it engages with to realise not only the benefits, but the essential nature of a diverse, inclusive and equal environment for societal growth.
If you have any questions regarding ICHEC’s EDI Committee, please contact the Chair; Dr. Orna Fennelly at orna.fennelly@ichec.ie.
