IPA Launches New Diversity and Inclusion Qualification

The IPA has today (11th January) launched a new qualification, the Diversity & Inclusion Essentials Certificate, in collaboration with The Hobbs Consultancy, to ensure that everyone can contribute to a more diverse and inclusive workplace.

The online qualification will help people gain a deeper understanding of the challenges we need to overcome and the behaviours we need to change to become a more diverse and inclusive industry. It will support the IPA’s new diversity and inclusion report, A Future of Fairness, due to be published later this month and explored in detail at a February webinar.

The IPA Diversity & Inclusion Essentials Certificate consists of 10 hours of online learning across seven modules which cover:

• Race and Ethnicity

• LGBTQ+

• Gender

• Masculinity

• Disability

• Neurodiversity

• Age


Says Louise Hinchliffe, associate director, professional development, IPA: “Changing corporate policies is a great first step but it is not enough. On top of this, we need to open people’s eyes to their own potential personal unconscious biases and provide ways we can all become the facilitators of positive change. The IPA Diversity & Inclusion Essentials Certificate will give people access to information and tools they can take into their personal and professional lives to make our world a fairer place for all.”

Says Roxanne Hobbs, founder, The Hobbs Consultancy: “2020 saw people take on personal responsibility for contributing to a more equitable society and also for creating a more welcoming workplace for everyone. However, put simply, there is still more 'work' that everyone needs to do in order for us to truly change the system. We are therefore delighted to be partnering with the IPA to make this information available to as many people as possible.”

The qualification will be explored in detail in a free webinar ‘The Importance of Inclusion and Diversity’ on Tuesday 12th January.

The IPA Diversity & Inclusion Essentials Certificate forms a part of the IPA’s range of Essentials-level qualifications, alongside the Commercial, LegRegs, Digital Performance and Effectiveness Essentials Certificates. The IPA will be making the IPA Diversity & Inclusion Essentials Certificate available to its staff as a part of its commitment to improving diversity and inclusion in our industry.