Introduction: Planning for the Workforce of the Future

The UK workforce is undergoing significant and lasting demographic change. Our population is becoming more ethnically diverse, older, and more varied in lived experience, while expectations around fairness, flexibility and inclusion continue to rise.

At the same time, many sectors including health, education, local government, housing, policing and the voluntary sector face skills shortages, recruitment challenges and retention pressures that require long-term, strategic workforce planning.

Future-ready organisations recognise that Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) is not an optional add-on, but a core enabler of sustainable employment, service effectiveness and organisational resilience. As communities diversify, public-facing organisations must ensure that their workforce reflects, understands and can effectively serve the populations they support. Failure to do so risks widening inequalities, weakening trust and limiting access to talent at a time when competition for skilled staff is increasing.

This session supports organisations to plan proactively for the future of work, embedding inclusive recruitment, leadership and workforce development practices that respond to demographic change rather than react to it.

By strengthening inclusion now, organisations are better placed to attract and retain a wider talent pool, support an ageing and multigenerational workforce, and create environments where people can thrive, contribute and progress equitably.

Investing in EDI is therefore an investment in workforce sustainability, service quality and organisational credibility ensuring organisations are equipped not only for today’s challenges, but for the realities of the UK’s future labour market and society.

Course Aim

To provide leaders and people managers across public-sector organisations with the knowledge, tools and actionable strategies to embed EDI into day-to-day organisational practice, aligning culture with fairness, resilience, workforce effectiveness and broader mission impact.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this programme, participants will be able to:

Programme Structure

Foundations of EDI

• What EDI means in public service contexts
• Legal framework (Equality Act, Public Sector Duty)
• EDI terms, intersectionality and lived experience
  Outcome: Build shared language and understanding.

The Evidence-Based Business & Community Case

• Why EDI boosts performance, innovation and trust
• Sector-specific evidence (charity impact, public service delivery excellence)
• How EDI supports workforce resilience and community legitimacy
  Outcome: Leaders can articulate strategic EDI value.

Inclusive Recruitment & Workforce Development

• Minimising bias in job design, selection & promotion
• Inclusive talent pipelines, apprenticeships & progression support
• Data-driven workforce planning
  Outcome: Practical tools for equitable talent practice.

 Leadership for Inclusion

• Inclusive leadership attributes
• Psychological safety and effective team engagement
• Handling difficult conversations and micro-inequities
  Outcome: Leaders who can model and support inclusion.

Embedding EDI in Policy & Practice

• Inclusive organisational policies (bullying, harassment, accessibility)
• Accountability frameworks, objectives and KPIs
• Communication, role modelling and performance culture
  Outcome: Sustainable EDI strategy integration.

Action Planning & Evaluation

• Creating sector-specific EDI action plans
• Monitoring change (metrics, reporting, narrative evidence)
• Continuous improvement and feedback loops
  Outcome: Ready-to-implement organisational plans.

Tailored Sector Examples

Charity Sector

• Inclusive community engagement
• Representation of lived experience in governance
• Safeguarding and support for diverse beneficiaries

NHS & Healthcare

• Reducing health inequalities through workforce diversity
• Accessible service design and patient engagement
• Addressing disability and cultural competence

Police & Public Safety

• Strengthening trust with diverse communities
• Bias-aware operational practice
• Inclusive recruitment and retention of under-represented groups

Education (Schools & FE/HE)

• Inclusive curriculum and teaching practice
• Supporting staff and students from diverse backgrounds
• Reducing attainment gaps

Local Government & Councils

• Equitable service delivery
• Reflective workforce composition
• Policy coherence across communities

Housing & Social Care

• Fair allocation and maintenance practices
• Supporting diverse communities and lived-experience input
• Cultural competence and accessibility

Why Organisations should book on to the training

Delivery Options