60 Virtual Brochure – March 2025 Training and awareness raising Staff, students and stakeholders more broadly may be insufficiently trained to identify and respond to the risks of modern slavery, including where and how to report these. We have observed: • An absence, or lack of detail on the training delivered and to whom in institutions’ statements. Where training did exist, this was often limited to procurement staff and did not extend to other targeted/ specific departments and staff. The aforementioned risk assessment should be used to identify the business areas and operations that give rise to modern slavery risks and recipients of defined and structured modern slavery training. Also consider extending the level of training and / or awareness raising to all staff (professional support and academic), students and stakeholders more broadly. • Optional, rather than mandatory, training, or no requirement to re-complete it cyclically. Consider incorporating training as part of induction arrangements and periodic refresher training to ensure knowledge is up to date. • Low completion rates, particularly for optional training and due to a lack of awareness around its existence. Institutions should communicate / recommunicate the availability of training to raise awareness. • Training / awareness raising should cover the principles of what modern slavery is, how to identify the signs and what to and how to escalate concerns. Periodically review training material to ensure it is sufficient and continues to address modern slavery risks, identification and reporting procedures. • Consider the most appropriate methods and approaches to training / awareness raising. For example, e-learning modules, electronic communications and provision of information, as well as directing recipients to sources of more information, for example, on institutional webpages. • Institution provided training events to suppliers is by exception rather than the norm. Consider extending training / events to members of institutions’ supply chains, given this is where the risk of modern slavery is probably highest Measuring and monitoring year-on-year progress and Key Performance Indicators We have observed: • Most statements lack specific goals and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). There are opportunities to develop KPIs and targets to monitor and measure performance and progress in mitigating modern slavery, including through linkages with existing KPIs, for example, training completion rates in this area. • Little reference to the effectiveness of activities captured in statements. To report on performance, statements should include sections on the work carried out in the previous year and narrative on in-year progress and achievements, as well as objectives, priorities and actions for the coming year(s). • Launched in July 2021, The Slavery-Free Campus – A blueprint for university action against modern slavery, details the areas of risk and practical steps on how to tackle them. It provides a model for evaluating an institution’s maturity and measuring progress and performance, which can be reported against as part of the statement. Consider its adoption and use as part of the annual workplan for tackling modern slavery risks.
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