Employment Equity Advisor Pilot Program

The Employment Equity Advisor Pilot Program is an opportunity for faculty members, as well as staff members involved in faculty hiring, to develop their expertise in accessible and equitable hiring practices.

Employment Equity Advisors (EEAs) serve as a resource for leaders and hiring committees within their program or department and provide advice and guidance on promising equitable hiring practices. Accessibility, equity and inclusion is the responsibility of everyone involved in the hiring process, so EEAs leverage their training and experience on equitable hiring alongside that of the search committee.

Note: The pilot program currently focuses on faculty hiring, though we plan to expand it to staff hiring in the near future.

Program overview

The Equity & Inclusion Office (EIO) receives frequent requests to provide consistent central guidance when it comes to equitable recruitment and hiring across the university. This program is being piloted to support all Faculties with their search processes and supplement the resources that some Faculties have developed.

Hiring and recruitment practices are key components of the StEAR Framework and Roadmap to Change. The Employment Equity Advisor Pilot Program was developed to contribute to Objective 3.1 (in the Compositional Change Domain): Review and improve faculty and staff hiring processes to better integrate equity and anti-racism principles.

The components of the program include:

• A guide to equitable hiring practices for faculty recruitment and supplemental learning tools and materials;
• A full-day capacity-building retreat to deepen knowledge and gain practical competencies related to accessible and equitable hiring practices;
• Regular learning sessions with other Employment Equity Advisors to share questions, strategies, and resources, with the support of EIO facilitators.

The capacity-building retreat will be offered multiple times throughout the year in a hybrid format to ensure widespread accessibility. Continuous learning sessions will also be convened regularly throughout the year.

Program learning outcomes

• Understand and articulate the significance of the EEA role during a hiring/selection process
• Identify and mitigate biases and barriers that contribute to inequities in academic hiring   
• Consider and integrate strategies to address academic ableism and improve accessibility in hiring
• Discuss and advise on the appropriate and ethical use of demographic data
• Develop and apply a set of skills and knowledge to guide a more equitable and accessible hiring process 

Who can join

The Employment Equity Advisor pilot program is open to faculty and staff members who work closely to support faculty hiring processes. Program participants should have a track record of contributions to equity, diversity, and inclusion.

If you have questions about whether the program is a good fit for you, please contact one of the program leads.

Upcoming Capacity-Building Retreats

All retreats take place over a full day (9:00 am – 4:30 pm).

• Monday, March 18, 2024  – Registration closed.
• Monday, June 3, 2024 – Register here.
• Tuesday, October 22, 2024  – Register here.

Additional dates TBA

Program leads

For any questions about the Employment Equity Advisor pilot program, please contact one of the program leads.