KWETB Celebrates Staff Achievement and Promotes a Culture of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Last Friday, Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board hosted “Celebrating a Culture of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion”, an event that brought together staff from across the organisation to recognise and promote its ongoing commitment to EDI values.

The celebration, held at the Merits Innovation Centre in Naas, marked a significant milestone in KWETB’s journey. A total of 67 staff members completed the IHREC e-Learning module on the Public Sector Human Rights and Equality Duty this year. Certificates were presented to participants during the event, which was attended by more than 50 staff from Schools, OSD, Further Education and Training (FET) programmes, and Quality Assurance. Members of the EDI Working Group organised and facilitated the successful occasion.

Led by KWETB Chief Executive Dr. Deirdre Keyes, the event featured an inspiring keynote address from Bernie Bradley, Public Sector Duty Training Manager with the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC). She highlighted the importance of equality, diversity, and inclusion, the responsibility of public bodies to uphold human rights, and the need to continue meeting the Public Sector Human Rights and Equality Duty. Ken Scully, Director of Schools, served as MC for the occasion, anchoring the proceedings to a celebration of our staff cohort’s completion of the IHREC e-learning module to our commitment to EDI throughout the ETB.

Dr. Keyes highlighted KWETB’s core values and reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to embedding the Public Sector Duty within its Statement of Strategy, ensuring that equality and human rights remain central to all operations.

The event also included a reflective contribution from our HR Manager, Gemma Whitty, who shared her experience of completing the EDI learning module. She emphasised the essential role that equality, diversity and inclusion play within HR practices, reinforcing how EDI principles are embedded in policies, culture, and day-to-day supports for staff.

Brenda Lynch, Chair of the EDI Working Group, extended her thanks to Bernie Bradley and IHREC for holding public organisations accountable in fulfilling their Public Sector Duty obligations, and for their ongoing work in eliminating discrimination in Ireland.

With this latest cohort, approximately 130 KWETB staff have now been certified, demonstrating the organisation’s sustained commitment to fostering an inclusive culture for staff, learners and service users.

The event was widely regarded as a resounding success, strengthening collaboration across departments and celebrating KWETB’s continued progress in advancing equality, diversity, and inclusion.