Equity, Diversity and Inclusion training now available
Find out how you can take the training, as well as answer some optional questions to share more about yourself.
We are excited to announce that we have now launched our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion training to all our volunteers. You can find the EDI training:
- on Learning Zone, if you have an RNLI email address
- under the training tab on the Volunteer Platform, if you have access. (This system is still being rolled out, so not all volunteers will have access yet.)
- through PageTiger, if you don’t have access to either of the above platforms yet.
- through our new Volunteer Zone EDI page.
The training is essential for all volunteers and should be done as part of the training for your role. We are asking that you aim to complete the training within the next 6 months, with support from you volunteer manager.
This is the start of our journey to become more inclusive, so we would love to hear your feedback on the training. There is a form at the end of the training to capture this and it will be fed into future reviews.
If you have access to the Volunteer Platform, you also now have the option to answer some questions to tell us a little bit more about yourself within your profile. We would love to hear more about you, as well as your skills and interests.
If you choose to give us this information, it can help us to understand more about our volunteers and become more inclusive. You can find more guidance on how to access these sections on the Volunteer Platform.
What if I don’t have access to the Volunteer Platform yet?
This a new system that’s currently being rolled out to all volunteers. Engagement and water safety volunteers can now access the system, and operational volunteers will be added later this year. You can read more about the system on the Volunteer Zone.
Why are we asking you these questions?
These questions ask about personal aspects of who you are (also known as protected characteristics). By sharing this information, you will help us understand our volunteers better and make sure we support you in the best way, so you can continue saving lives at sea.
As we welcome more volunteers to the RNLI, we want to become a more inclusive organisation and continue to embrace our One Crew pledge. Your answers will help us see which communities are not well represented, understand the impact of our efforts, and identify barriers that might stop people from joining. With this knowledge, we can work on removing those obstacles and making volunteering more accessible for everyone.
To keep our vital work going, we need to recruit new volunteers. That’s why we regularly review how we recruit people, making sure we reach a wide range of individuals, and create a welcoming space where everyone feels connected to and welcomed by the RNLI.
Who will be able to see my answers?
There is only one person, the diversity admin, who can see individual answers to the questions. Their access will allow them to provide anonymised data to help us understand how we are doing with our plans to widen our recruitment and welcome new people to the RNLI.
You will be asked to answer the diversity questions, and you can change your answers at any time. No-one else within the system will be able to access your answers, not even your manager. We will generate reports from all the data to help us understand more about our diversity. All the information in these reports will be grouped together based on the answers people give, and we will only report data if there are more than 10 people within any group. We will never report any of this information for individuals.Do I have to answer the questions?
We would love it if you did answer the questions if you feel able to. Sharing this information helps us understand more about our people. For each question you will also have the option to select ‘prefer not to say’. It is your choice whether to answer the questions or not.
How does this information help the RNLI continue to save lives at sea?
We want to welcome people from all backgrounds, with different perspectives and experiences, so we can support our people in the best way possible. Welcoming fundraisers, supporters, crew members and more with all kinds of skills and knowledge will make the RNLI more inclusive and better able to save lives at sea.
Getting to know our volunteers better helps us improve how we reach new people, advertise opportunities, and connect with the communities we serve. Your information can help us take a step towards breaking down barriers, making volunteering more accessible, and ensuring everyone feels welcome in our lifesaving mission.
How could providing this information benefit me or my local volunteer group?
By providing this information, you are giving the RNLI the opportunity to better understand who our volunteers are. This will enable us to improve the support we provide and make changes to be more welcoming and inclusive. It will also help us to build new and more meaningful relationships with different communities.
For example, giving us information to help us understand how many of our volunteers are disabled may help us to plan to make more of our roles accessible to disabled people, or help us to understand how we can make our facilities more welcoming.
Amy Russell - RNLI Inclusion Lead