Employment Equity Advisor Program

The Employment Equity Advisor Program is an opportunity for faculty and staff involved in hiring to develop their expertise in accessible and equitable hiring practices. The program supports both faculty and staff hiring and is designed to strengthen equitable recruitment and selection practices across the university. 

Employment Equity Advisors (EEAs) serve as a resource for leaders and hiring committees and provide advice and guidance on equitable, accessible, and inclusive hiring practices. Accessibility, equity, and inclusion is the responsibility of everyone involved in the hiring process. EEAs leverage their training and experience alongside the expertise of hiring committee members to support stronger, fairer recruitment and selection processes. 

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 in place to support Faculties and administrative units with their hiring processes and to supplement local resources and practices already in place 

Hiring and recruitment practices are key components of the StEAR Framework and Roadmap to Change. The Employment Equity Advisor 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 both faculty recruitment and staff recruitment, along with 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 faculty and staff 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 in hiring. 
• Develop and apply a set of skills and knowledge to guide a more equitable and accessible hiring process.

Upcoming Capacity-Building Retreats

All retreats take place over a full day (9:00 am – 4:30 pm) and are delivered both in person and online.

• Tuesday, February 10, 2026 (In-person: UBCV Campus; Online)

• Wednesday, April 8, 2026 (In-person: UBCV Campus; Online)

• Monday, June 29, 2026 (In-person: UBCO Campus; Online)

• Thursday, October 8, 2026 (In-person: UBCV Campus; Online)

Who can join

The Employment Equity Advisor Program is open to faculty and staff members who are involved in, or intend to support, faculty and/or staff 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. 

Program leads

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