EDI Courses List

Being Aware of Our Biases - Unconscious Bias Awareness Training

This is an interactive and very practical workshop open to all UCD employees which begins by exploring what Unconscious Bias is, how it happens and why it matters.

Before presenting a three-strand approach to tackling Unconscious Bias, as a participant you will be provided with the tools to:

• Identify and work on your own unconscious bias
• Recognise and challenge unconscious bias in others
• Tackle organisational unconscious bias
• Current issues and affairs will be examined through the Unconscious Bias lens and there will be ample opportunity to discuss topics raised and to apply learning to self.

Unconscious Bias Awareness Training for Members of Interview Panels

This training, delivered by the Irish Centre for Diversity, is a key part of the Inclusive Recruitment Bundle (see below.)

We all have unconscious bias and it affects our thinking and decisions in relation to others who we will see in either a positive or negative way. Unconscious Bias training for recruitment processes is used to build awareness of diversity and individual biases that can limit the hiring experience. During this training we will explore unconscious bias, its impact on the recruitment and interview process and more effective inclusive strategies for the hiring process. 

This half-day session delivered virtually focuses on creating an understanding of Diversity and Inclusion whilst providing the foundational knowledge and awareness to begin building 'diversity literacy' for personal and professional growth. The session will create an understanding of the unconscious factors that can inhibit or enable greater congruency between personal and organisational values.

Inclusive Recruitment Training Bundle for Hiring Managers

EDI and Resourcing prepared a bespoke training and eLearning “bundle” aimed at hiring managers and members of interview panels. The training will provide this key cohort with essential guidance and information on UCD recruitment and selection procedures and inclusive hiring practices which will help to find excellent and diverse candidates. We want to ensure that hiring managers are equipped with the skills to deliver on the University’s EDI requirements. Hiring managers and members of interview panels should aim to complete this training and eLearning bundle in advance of their next scheduled panel.

The Inclusive Recruitment Training bundle includes:

• The “Inclusive Recruitment & Selection” module (part of UCD’s EDI in Higher Education eLearning programme) available online (45 minutes)
• Interview Panel Training for Hiring Managers delivered by UCD Resourcing (book on InfoHub under HR Professional Development)
• Unconscious Bias awareness training for members of interview panels
• LinkedIn Learning collection “Skills for Inclusive Recruitment”

 Find out more about Inclusive Recruitment under our Support section.

Cross-Cultural Awareness and Communication

This workshop is designed to introduce issues of cultural awareness to those who are interested in learning more and those who work in multicultural teams. The workshop will encourage participants to explore their own assumptions and preconceptions about other cultures, as well as creating awareness of their own cultural heritage and how it affects their world views, values and assumptions. 

The session also encourages participants to focus on their communication style, and how it is affected by culture, as well as the importance of non-verbal communication signals and the way these affect the communication process. The session is interactive and draws upon participants’ own experiences.

The aim of the session is to increase cultural awareness among those working in an intercultural environment, and to foster better interactions and communication between colleagues and in teams or projects.

Dignity & Respect Training for People Managers

Feedback

• "Excellent course. Nuanced approach to a complex area. Sent out a strong message that culture change in this area is a priority." 
• "Really informative, valuable and thought-provoking, excellently facilitated"
• "I’ve learned so much about behaviours which are not acceptable and how to navigate those situations and provide support to colleagues"

Overview

This face-to-face Dignity & Respect training for People Managers has been designed to give confidence and skills to those who may receive reports of bullying, harassment, or sexual misconduct. It often takes a great deal of courage to take the first steps to talk to someone about behaviours that are concerning. It’s therefore vital that those courageous first steps to talk are met with the right supportive approach and that the information given and subsequent actions taken are the right ones for the individual and situation disclosed. 

We are offering face-to-face sessions both in person and on Zoom.

The training day will cover the following topics and deliver the below learning outcomes:

• Building on knowledge of bullying, harassment, and sexual misconduct from the online training "Building a Respectful Culture at UCD" (pre-work)
• Roles and responsibilities of those receiving disclosures
• How to discharge support to those reporting person
• Creating the right environment  
• Support for you

Pre-Work:

Participants are asked to complete a 1-hour online course in advance to gain an understanding of key issues around bullying, harassment and sexual misconduct. To enrol, you need to register on InfoHub for "Building a Respectful Culture at UCD" and then follow these steps: 

• Open UCD Connect
• Click on the Brightspace icon on the top right (log-in required)
• Select the course "Building a Respectful Culture at UCD" from "My Modules" 
• Click on "My Learning" on the top left blue bar to start the training

The training was launched by Professor Colin Scott, UCD VP for EDI, on 26th May 2022. All People Managers should have received an email encouraging them to participate with a link to the available sessions. If you are a people manager with one or more direct reports and don't have this email, please contact edi@ucd.ie

International Women's Day 2023 

For International Women's Day 2023 EDI are delighted to bring you a bundle of sessions aimed at women on leadership, imposter syndrome, resilience, self-advocacy delivered with a series of workshops and a 4-part webinar programme in collaboration with DCM Learning.

Find out more on the International Women's Day page and register on the EDI Training & Events Calendar.   

Women in Leadership Mini Programme

8 - 15 - 22 - 29 March  

More women in leadership positions will help break down barriers by bringing about necessary changes to benefit people of all genders. This 4-part mini-programme aims to actively narrow the gap critical to career advancement, giving attendees vital leadership skills. Women have historically faced more significant barriers than men in the form of pay gaps and uneven opportunities for advancement. Overcoming these preconceptions and obstacles starts with more women in leadership, bringing about much-needed changes that benefit all genders.

Programme Information (PDF)

DCM Learning | Women in Leadership Mini-Programme Registration Link 

Maternity Matters - Return to Work 

1 March 10am - 1pm  

This session gives you practical tools and tactics to make a confident return to work following your maternity/adoptive/surrogacy leave.

Topics covered include:

• Check-in – what’s working well, what’s challenging?
• Values and priorities
• Setting boundaries between work and home
• Managing guilt
• Self-care

Women and Leadership - Don’t Let Imposter Syndrome Hold you Back

7 or 8 March 

The call for women to step into positions of seniority and leadership is widespread. Many women are aware that unconscious bias is still subtly affecting their career progression and that feelings of not being good enough – what we often describe as Imposter Syndrome feelings – stop them volunteering or going for positions of leadership. 

If not addressed the Imposter Syndrome can cause individuals to experience significant stress, anxiety and fear. It can drive them to burn-out or inhibit them from achieving their full potential, prevent them from making valuable contributions to projects or meetings and deprive an organisation from seeing the very best that their staff can give. 

During this workshop we will explore: 

• What is Imposter Syndrome 
• Who might experience imposter feelings and why 
• Solutions - Ways to move forward:
• How to manage feelings around success and failure
• How to manage our Inner Critic
• Powerful female archetypes to give insight to leadership skills and presence

International Men's Day 2022

19th November marks International Men's Day, which aims to highlight the positive effects that men bring to their communities, as well as raising awareness of men's health issues and wellbeing. EDI are delighted to bring you a bundle of sessions aimed at men looking to mind their health and wellbeing, including a webinar, a share & support sessions with members of UCD's , a yoga session focused on breath work and a collaboration with Platform 55 on Paternity Matters.

Find out more on the International Men's Day page and register on the EDI Training & Events Calendar.  

Webinar: Men Looking After their Mental Wellbeing

Friday 18th November 11am

Mental health is a normal part of daily life, in the same way as physical health. The stigma around seeking help for mental health is gradually declining, but there is still lots of work to be done, especially when it comes to men, who on average pay less attention to their health compared to women. This webinar develops awareness of the context and the positive impact small changes today can have on attendees’ quality of life today as well as in the future. The session will provide advice and tips for men on protecting and supporting their mental health and wellbeing. Relevant support internal and external to UCD will also be signposted to participants. 

Everyone is welcome to join, however the content is tailored particularly to men. 

Share & Support Session with UCD's Mental Health & Wellbeing Support Colleagues

Monday 21st November 11am

UCD’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Support Colleagues are hosting a virtual 'Share & Support' session for men. At this informal and fully confidential session, participants are invited to share their experiences, perspectives and insights so that we can support and learn from each other at this time. 

Breathe: Yoga for Men 

Tuesday 22nd November 2pm

Join qualified yoga instructor Tom for a virtual 1-hour Yoga class. The session is open to all levels including beginners and will focus on breath work. The yoga class will take place over Zoom and participants are welcome to leave their cameras on or off as they prefer. 

Paternity Matters

Wednesday 23d November 2pm

UCD have also secured a number of places on the "Paternity Matters" virtual workshop run by Platform55 on 23 November for those who have recently returned from paternity or adoptive leave, or who have a very young family. It gives you the chance to connect with other dads and parents who are at a similar life stage. Topics include values, setting boundaries between work and home, crucial conversations and working as a team at home.  If interested in a place, please email edi@ucd.ie  

Family Matters Series

UCD EDI are offering a number of expert-led and open sessions for parents and carers. See below for more information on each topic and register via the EDI Training Calendar.

Family Matters - You, Me and the Menopause & Menopause Coffee Morning

Peri-menopause and menopause can be incredibly challenging for many women. Yet until very recently, it was a taboo subject that was rarely spoken about. As a society, we're beginning to understand more about the impact of menopause, and how it impacts women's well-being. We're also learning the impact this has on relationships at both work and home. 

Maternity Matters - Return to work 

This session is for those who’ve recently returned from maternity or adoptive leave – giving you tools and tactics to make a confident return to work. Topics that we’ll look at include: our values; setting boundaries between work and home; managing guilt, and self-care. It’s a very interactive workshop that gives you the chance to connect with other Mums from UCD who are returning to work.  

Paternity Matters - Balancing family and work 

This session is for those who have recently returned from paternity or adoptive leave, or who have a very young family. It gives you the chance to connect with other Dads from UCD who are at a similar life stage. Topics that we’ll look at include: our values, setting boundaries between work and home, crucial conversations and working as a team at home.

Cyber Safety: Children, Christmas and Tech

Many parents find it a daunting process and worry about their children’s safety and digital wellbeing. This session is designed to support you and covers | 

• buying and setting up devices
• practical advice for parents on developing healthy tech habits in the home
• Things we need to be aware of to keep our children safe online 

Child Anxiety: Building confidence and self-esteem

Just like adults, children and young people feel worried and anxious at times. Children can feel anxious about different things at different ages. Many of these worries are a normal part of growing up. But if your child’s anxiety is starting to affect their wellbeing, they may need some help. Anxiety becomes a problem for children when it starts to get in the way of their everyday life.

Severe anxiety like this can harm children’s mental and emotional wellbeing, affecting their self-esteem and confidence. If a child is experiencing anxiety, there are things that parents can do to really help. This workshop covers what to look out for in your child and what you can do to help and support your child. 

Gender Identity, Expression and Diversity Training

This session explores the theory behind gender identity, gender expression and biological sex. We look in detail at how stereotypes and biases inform experiences of gender, and how we might work to break through processes of assumptions to create more inclusive spaces for gender diversity in the Higher Education space.

EDI Data 

EDI will deliver a number of data-related sessions over the course of the year. They would suit anyone having to work with EDI data or a School working on their Athena SWAN submission. 

How to Make EDI Data Work For You

This 45-minute workshop is a great way to better understand your school's data. With practical advice on where the data is located and how to better use the data for your Athena SWAN submission

Data Driving Diversity

Ever wonder what types of data the EDI unit is able to gather? How can you use this data to support your college/school or unit? If this sounds like information that would help you deliver data objectives in your area, this training is for you 

Does Personality Affect Stress Responses? Recognising and Minimising Workplace Stress with MBTI

No matter what the context – in work or in everyday life – the presence of stress can either undermine individual performance or propel individual success, depending on how you react to it. Over the last few years, workplace stress for many was exacerbated by adapting to new ways of working. 

For National Workplace Wellbeing Day 2023, EDI is delighted to offer one-to-one sessions for employees interested in finding out how personality affects stress responses and how to minimise workplace stress. 

Participants will be sent a questionnaire in advance, and will participate in a one-to-one session with a qualified MBTI practitioner. Afterwards, they will receive the Stress Management report based on their personality type. 

The MBTI Stress Management Report shows you how to recognise and handle workplace stress, and minimise its impact. It contains: 

• A summary of your Myers-Briggs results
• Your natural and stressed personality characteristics
• How your stressed personality is triggered
• Handling stress reactions and learning from them
• How others can help minimise stress