Providing an Inclusive Approach to Training and

Development at MoCo Development Ltd

Life-long learning is an essential part of today’s personal and professional
developmental mix. People are encouraged to drive their own
development, taking ownership for moving towards their aspirational
goals. The range of opportunities to learn has also evolved to meet this
increasing demand; as part of this evolution, it is recognised that there is
a need to ensure that everybody has access to the training and
development they desire.

These needs can only be met by ensuring that training providers follow
specific guidelines to ensure that potential learners have equal access to
the courses and facilities through which they can drive their development.
Adams and Brown (2006, p 1) suggest that one of the catalysts for
change, internationally, has been the emergence of Government Policies
to widen participation in higher education generally. This has resulted in a
drive to ensure that people have access to the training they need.

Inclusive learning means ensuring that the needs of all learners are
recognised, accommodated and fully met. In doing this the learning
provider must acknowledge that learners have a range of learning needs
and will come from a diverse range of communities. Inclusive learning
ensures that all criteria are treated on their own merits and that learners
are not ‘pigeon-holed’ into a specific and predictable group (Open
University).

When incorporating an Inclusive approach into the programmes offered

through MoCo Development, it is important to acknowledge that there are
no fixed boundaries, rather a concept of “Inclusive Learning”. Nind et al
(2003, p.2) refer to the topic of inclusion as a ‘fluid concept’, meaning that
ideas for inclusion strategies develop based upon people’s experience of
inclusive learning.

Following this direction of thinking it is important to ensure that any

training programme development relating to inclusion is both pro-active
and anticipatory; in other words each programme and set of learners must
be assessed upon their own merits and requirements foreseen prior to the
learning. Florian et al ( 1998, p. 2 ) described the ‘special education
policy’ as being “based on a deficit model of individualisation which
regards people with disabilities as being inherently flawed”. The antithesis
of this is ‘inclusive learning’ which, based on a social model, understands
the real value of people with disabilities and the positive contributions
they bring to their environment.
Equal opportunity, as defined by the Free Dictionary
(thefreedictionary.com) refers to the absence of discrimination, based on
race, colour, age, gender, national origin, religion, or mental or physical
disability. In the context of Business / Industrial Relations and HR, it
makes reference to the offering of pay, employment or promotion equally
to all, without discrimination as to sex, race, colour, disability etc.

In a training context this will refer directly to learners, with reference to

the opportunities they have to access and complete relevant training
programmes. Equal opportunities follows a similar theme to inclusive
learning in its objectives, but it is supported by a far more specific set of
guidelines to the extent of forming the basis for various acts of parliament
relating to inclusion. Clements (1994, p.4) identified this as being a
potential problem when applying the theory in practice. His research
identified that many people saw the subject of “how to be fair” as a
complicated minefield in which it was necessary to have a detailed
understanding of the rules and regulations. This apprehension led to a
fear of ‘getting it wrong’. Clements went on to argue that although there
are specific rules “by equipping yourself with certain transferrable skills
and general ways of thinking and behaving, you will still be able to extend
fair treatment to all individuals and groups”. This approach provides us
with some practical tools for constructing a set of behaviours to ensure
equal opportunities are extended to learners in MoCo programmes.

The ‘Dearing Report’, reporting its findings in 1997, formed a turning

point, from which many learning institutions began to focus on equal
opportunities. Woodward (2000, p.2) identified that uptake of the equal
opportunities philosophy was not consistent with some institutions
delaying the process. She makes a compelling argument that there are
not only moral advantages, but also measurable business advantages to
instilling equal opportunities policy within a learning establishment. This
provides business with both a social and a financial rationale for
implementing robust schemes. This applies to MoCo; in order to compete
and excel in an ever-increasingly competitive market, we must ensure
that we offer a complete service providing outstanding outcomes to all.

When applying the concepts of ‘Inclusion’ and ‘Equal Opportunities’ into a

training environment, Taylor and Garrett (1993, p.15) suggested that it
important to understand the difference between prejudice and
discrimination. They proposed that whilst prejudice is a commonly
defined belief (often generalised) that other people are inferior based
upon colour, race, religion, sex etc; discrimination is the systematic
application of these beliefs.
At MoCo Development Ltd, we are passionate about delivering learning to
all. We have identified that successful training of knowledge, skills and
attitude is both an art and a science. The science behind a subject will
often remain the same no matter who your target audience. The art of
how you transfer the knowledge must be tailored towards the target
audience. This approach takes into account inclusive learning and equal
opportunities; indeed it goes further. This philosophy enables us to also
take into account existing experience, the dynamic of any group, the use
to which they wish to apply the information and their level of buy-in to the
learning (are they there on their own behest or have they been sent on a
training course?).

It is by adopting the correct mindset to inclusion (as suggested by

Clements), that we will achieve excellence in ensuring that we have an
inclusive approach to learning. Understanding people’s needs in
conjunction with the desired learning outcomes and adopting a flexible
approach to development techniques are the keys to success.

It is this approach that enables the inclusion of literacy, language and

numeracy skills to be delivered at the right level and in the most
appropriate way for the learners. In these key areas it is essential to
gauge the learners’ existing level of competence whilst also addressing
their preferred learning styles in order to develop these specific skills.

Supporting learners through this process and regularly assessing progress

through formative and summative assessments ensures that the progress
towards specific outcomes are tracked equally for all learners.

Word Count: 1082

Bibliography:

www.thefreedictionary.com/Equal+opportunities

http://www.open.ac.uk/inclusiveteaching/ Information accessed on

09/12/2009

Garrett H. and Taylor J; 1993. How to Design and Deliver Equal

Opportunities Training. Kogan Page. ISBN 0 7494 0848 0

Adams, M and Brown, S; 2006. Towards Inclusive Learning in Higher

Education. Routledge. ISBN10: 0 203 08862 X

Nind, M; 2003. Inclusive Education: Learners and Learning Contexts. David

Fulton Publishers. ISBN 1 84312 066 6
Florian, L., Tilston, C. and Rose, R; 1998. Promoting Inclusive Practice.
Routledge. ISBN 0 203 22078 1

Clements, P. and Spinks, T; 1994. The Equal Opportunities Handbook. How

to Deal with Everyday Issues of Unfairness. ISBN 0 7494 4482 7

Woodward, D and Ross, K; 2000. Managing Equal Opportunities in Higher

Education: A Guide to Understanding and Action. SRHE, Open University
Press. ISBN 0 335 19560 1