RMIT is the first Victorian University to be awarded a second SAGE Cygnet Award, as it continues to progress towards its silver Athena SWAN accreditation.
The SAGE Cygnet has been awarded to RMIT in recognition of its work to remove barriers to the participation and career fulfilment for parents and carers across the organisation.
In recent years the University has implemented a range of initiatives to focused on three core areas: culture of care, entitlements and ways of working, and career progression, to support parents and carers to have well-rounded and impactful careers while balancing their other commitments.
Professor Kay Latham, Dean of STEMM Diversity and Inclusion said she couldn’t be more delighted to have received the second Cygnet award, marking the University’s progression towards its silver Athena Swan accreditation.
“We’ve had a focused and concerted effort on removing barriers and supporting parents and carers within our RMIT community, and this second Cygnet is wonderful recognition of our ongoing commitment to being an inclusive, values-led employer,” she said.
SAGE CEO Dr Janin Bredehoeft congratulated RMIT on its achievement and said the award recognised the University’s deep action to build a workplace that values parents and carers
“By offering more flexible working arrangements, improving leave entitlements and making promotions more accommodating of caring responsibilities, they’re embedding a culture of care. That’s had a powerful impact for all parents and carers, with a notable improvement for those with a disability,” she said.
“RMIT has shown that it’s possible to hand parents and carers more control over their workloads while not damaging their opportunities for career progression. Congratulations to the team that led this work, and to everyone in the university who embraced the change.”
