The Technological Higher Education Association (THEA) congratulates the teams in five technological higher education institutions who were responsible for achieving Athena SWAN bronze status for their institutions in the latest round of awards announced today, Tuesday 30 March.
The awards granted to AIT, DkIT, GMIT, LyIT, and IT Sligo follow awards to LIT in 2020 and IT Carlow and MTU Cork Campus (formerly CIT) in previous years. These institutions have proven their commitment to advancing the careers of women and trans staff and students in academia and research, professional and support roles in their institutions.
Activity around Equality Diversity and Inclusion has greatly increased in recent years in the technological higher education sector since gender equality statements and policies were first introduced and since the Gender and Diversity statement was published by THEA and adopted by institutions in 2018.
Today’s awards are particularly significant in that all members of the Connacht-Ulster Technological University Alliance are awarded bronze awards today and we congratulate the teams in LyIT, GMIT and IT Sligo. It is also significant that both parties in the midlands and mid-west Technological University consortia, Athlone IT and Limerick IT also now hold Athena SWAN awards, following AIT’s award today and the award to LIT in 2020.
Dr Jennifer Brennan, Director of Research, Development & Innovation and Athena SWAN National Committee member for THEA institutions commented on the awards: “Achieving an Athena SWAN bronze institutional award is a significant milestone, involving considerable commitment and work effort across institutional teams. We are particularly happy to see that the workshops and training sessions run by THEA recently on race equality and intersectionality, among others, have contributed to institutions’ Athena SWAN success. We are looking forward to assisting institutions as they work towards Departmental awards over the coming months and years.”
“It is particularly gratifying to see the work that is taking place in related areas across institutions. Institutional action plans to meet the challenges of sexual violence and sexual harassment have been submitted to the Department of Further and Higher Education Research Innovation and Science. These have been assisted by the THEA PROPEL project, which published the final report this week. These action plans will assist institutions to implement the recommendations of the national “Framework for Consent in Higher Education Institutions: Safe, Respectful, Supportive and Positive – Ending Sexual Violence and Harassment in Irish Higher Education Institutions” and will provide an important step change in the attitudes to sexual harassment and sexual violence in institutions.”
Victoria Brownlee, Head of Athena SWAN Ireland said: “Progress on gender equality right across higher education is essential for retaining talent and ensuring our institutions at all levels are representative of society. It is very encouraging to see so many applicants engage in improvements to support the spectrum of staff roles in the sector.”
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For further information, please contact:
Róisín O’Connell, Head of Communications, THEA: (087) 09193333, roisin.oconnell@thea.ie
Notes to editors
THEA is the representative advocacy body for the technological higher education institutions in Ireland
The Athena SWAN (Scientific Women’s Academic Network) Charter encourages and recognises commitment to advancing the careers of women and trans staff and students in academia and research, professional and support roles.
