The theme for this Equality Forum is- Fit for employment? The University as educator and employer

The Forum will explore strategies to address inequality and unfairness in education and employment.

Our keynote speaker, Eleanor Mills is Associate Editor of The Sunday Times and one of Britain’s most high profile commentators. Her weekly columns in the Sunday Times are a must-read for her pithy, no-nonsense take on social affairs and she is particularly loved for her writing on women, work and the on-going gender revolution. She was one of only four journalists in Europe to be shortlisted for Journalist of the Year at the European Diversity Awards 2012.

Eleanor’s talk aims to give practical tips for both sexes on how to negotiate promotion, careers and the long hours’ culture and create the kind of life that will work for you in the long run. Drawing on her wide experiences as a woman in a man's world and new research from the Centre for Talent Innovation (the top think tank in the diversity field, where Eleanor Mills is a director) she will outline what is required now to get ahead, whatever your background.

Senior management from both the University of Bath and Bath Spa University will provide an update on internal equality and diversity developments over the past year.

New this year, we have introduced a fast-paced session which will give everyone the opportunity to react to a wide variety of statements as we together learn from, and challenge, one another.

In the afternoon we will have local and national workshop leaders on a number of higher education equality and diversity hot topics:

• Black and minority ethnic student attainment – issues from a national report “Race to the Top”: facilitated by Barbara Kasumu from Elevation Networks
• The 'glass ceiling' in the 21 century: facilitated by Helen Jones, Senior HR Advisor, Bath Spa University and Hanna Wade, Vice President Community and Diversity, University of Bath
• Improving Employability for Widening Participation Undergraduates – The Benefits for Universities, Employers and Society: facilitated by Henry Morris from UpReach
• Mental health and Me (at study/work): facilitated by Sylvia Hailstone from Bath MIND.

Participants will be given the opportunity to choose one workshop on the day.

There will be several occasions throughout the day to network and discuss these important topics with the presenters or other participants at the Forum.

This Forum is jointly-run by the University of Bath and Bath Spa University and the student unions of both institutions. This year the event is being hosted at Claverton Down.