Armed Forces: Training

(asked on 13th October 2022) - View Source

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many decision body members are required to undergo unconscious bias training.


Answered by
Sarah Atherton Portrait
Sarah Atherton
This question was answered on 21st October 2022

In 2020, the Government Equalities Office commissioned the Behavioural Insights Team for a summary of the evidence on unconscious bias (UB) and diversity training. In light of its findings, Ministers concluded that UB training does not achieve its intended aims. In 2021, UB training was phased out in the Civil Service and the Armed Forces. There is no requirement for Service Complaints’ decision and appeal body members to undertake UB training.

To ensure we continue to build fairer and more effective workplaces the Diversity and Inclusion 2020 course has been replaced by Inclusion in the Civil Service. The Inclusion in the Civil Service course comprises of four modules (Equality, diversity and inclusion in the Civil Service; Our inclusive workplace; Our customers; and the legal framework) and has had the UB training elements removed. Completion of this course is a mandatory annual requirement for all civilians in the Ministry of Defence, and for military line managers of civilians.

All Defence personnel (civilian and military) complete mandatory annual diversity and inclusion training courses. In addition, a new Active Bystander course has been rolled-out to equip personnel with the skills to effectively challenge unacceptable behaviour.

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