FREE* ESOL classes at Highbury College

Highbury College is running free English as a Second Language (ESOL) classes for Entry 2/3/ Level 1 students who want to boost their English language skills.

11th February – 15th March 2013

15th April – 17th May 2013

Five weeks

Every Monday to Wednesday & Friday at 12.30 – 2.30pm

Please come into Highbury College, Winston Churchill Avenue, Portsmouth, PO1 2DH.Telephone to 02392 728242 (Yvonne Lee) & ask for ESOL FREE CLASSES before the class and they will sign you up.

*£40 Refundable deposit on attendance over 80%

A call for authorities to do more to address disability related harassment

After its ground breaking inquiry into disability related harassment in 2011, which highlighted failings on the part of public authorities and transport operators to prevent such harassment, the Equality and Human Rights Commission has published a follow-up report. Although the report recognises that some action has been taken by some authorities to tackle disability related harassment, it also reveals that not enough, or in some cases nothing at all, is being done in this field.

The Commission makes recommendations in 7 strategies areas that need to be addressed to effectively tackle disability harassment. For more information see the full report ‘Out in the open: manifesto for change’.

New careers education resource for primary school children

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has launched a new educational resource, Equal Choices, Equal Chances, to help teachers challenge any stereotypical ideas which pupils may already have started to form around the world of work. The resource will help pupils explore different career opportunities and understand that race, faith, gender or disability need not necessarily stand in the way of pursuing their career choices.

The resource is available on the EHRC website.

Welcome to our Equality & diversity in Portsmouth blog

We hope you enjoy our new blog. Please let us know what you think about it by rating it on the right hand side of this page and / or posting your comment below.

How do you find information about independent living services?

Portsmouth Independent Living Network (PILN) and the University of Portsmouth’s PEOPPLE Project are carrying out a survey to find out what information people in Portsmouth need and where and how they would prefer to find it.

PILN is a developing network of people who are experts by experience and whose aim is to successfully represent Portsmouth’s diverse community of people who use health and social care services. What you tell us in this survey will help us provide an information service – both online and offline – to make sure you can easily find out what you need to know to help you live independently.

Whether you currently use health and social care services, look after someone who does or have tried to look for information on these services, we want to hear from you. Please take 5 minutes to complete the survey here http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PXQ96V9.

Third party harassment provisions in the Equality Act 2010 to be repealed

Currently, employers are liable for harassment of their employees by third parties such as clients or customers. Despite the wide discontent with the proposals to repeal these legal provisions expressed via public consultation, the Government has decided to implement those them. For details of consultation and the government’s response, go the Home Office website.