If you’re interested in becoming a diversity equity and inclusion professional or you want to ensure your team members possess this essential leadership trait, consider enrolling in a course leading towards certification.
An equity and inclusion certificate can demonstrate to potential employers that you have completed readings, coursework or lectures on diversity equity and inclusion.
What is a DEI Certification?
No matter the role or industry in which you work, obtaining a diversity equity and inclusion (DEI) professional certificate can provide invaluable career-progressing opportunities while simultaneously improving employee morale and performance within an organization.
DEI training provides professionals with the skills they need to foster an inclusive workplace culture, identify and reduce unconscious biases that impede teamwork and collaboration, and create hiring practices that reach out to marginalized groups – increasing diversity within your workforce while simultaneously making your company more appealing to candidates, customers and enhancing overall business results.
There are various online colleges that provide DEI certification programs. Cleveland State University in particular provides a full curriculum for their DEI program that will equip you to handle all aspects of DEI work from power dynamics and understanding overt and unconscious bias to developing and monitoring DEI initiatives.
Purdue’s Inclusive Excellence graduate certificate program features a course on diversity management that’s specifically aimed at students from diverse backgrounds looking to lead in this new frontier. The four fast-paced courses can be taken either day or evening sessions; you can either enroll all four simultaneously for the certificate, or choose individual ones as needed.
Your professional DEI certificate could also come from a university specializing in your field. For example, University of South Florida has an intensive seven-week course on managing inclusivity within organizations; its curriculum addresses best practices for recruiting, retaining and engaging employees as well as how to address equity issues within workplace environments.
As the number of individuals with disabilities and religious and racial minorities continues to increase, so too does their demand on organizations to implement inclusive practices. A recent study discovered that 75% of job seekers consider workplace culture and values when considering prospective employers – this makes DEI training essential for businesses looking to boost morale while recruiting and retaining top talent.
Why Should I Take a DEI Certification Course?
Are You Seeking Diversity at Work? Take an DEI Certification Course. These courses can teach you how to create an inclusive culture in your company, leading to increased productivity and employee retention. They may also enable hiring practices which enable employees from marginalized groups to join your workforce – helping your company thrive by attracting the top talent.
Diversity and inclusion courses can be of great use to anyone, particularly HR professionals and those aspiring to managerial roles or those currently serving in managerial roles. By showing prospective employers their knowledge in this area, diversity and inclusion courses could help individuals land jobs or secure promotions more easily.
Courses like these also teach participants to recognize and manage unconscious biases – those subconscious tendencies we all possess that skew our perceptions of reality – including stereotypes such as racism or gender inequality or other types of discrimination. By learning to recognize these biases and overcome them, leaders in your organization will become more effective leaders while creating a better working environment for all employees.
A quality diversity and inclusion course will also equip you with an understanding of the history of racial discrimination in America, and ways it should be addressed. This can provide insight into our current state and how we can move towards an equitable future; additionally, these courses may equip participants with tools necessary for communicating about these topics with others in a sensitive manner.
A comprehensive diversity and inclusion certification course should cover all the major aspects of workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion; including research findings and strategies in this field. Some courses may have more advanced topics than others; all should aim to help you apply what you learn in your work environment – leaving the course with confidence that you possess both skills and knowledge necessary to make a difference at work.
What Can I Expect to Learn in a DEI Certification Course?
Participants of these DEI classes will not only gain an understanding of its tenants but will also discover how to apply these principles in their workplaces. Participants will be instructed on how to identify and manage unconscious bias, understand microaggressions’ effect on an organization’s culture and create a safe and inclusive workspace for employees.
This course is perfect for HR professionals looking to expand their skill-set and build careers in diversity, equity and inclusion. Additionally, leaders who wish to ensure that their organizations promote an optimal culture for inclusive teams and individuals may also find this course invaluable.
The curriculum has been tailored to be flexible so participants can complete all four courses as their schedule allows. Each of the eight weeks-long courses will meet either two afternoons or evenings per week for eight weeks; students can take them in any order they choose and each one lasts two hours; covering topics like employee engagement, unintended bias in the workplace and how to build an effective diversity and inclusion business case.
Diverse workforces can have a positive effect on company performance and foster innovation. By designing an inclusive training program that encourages all types of employees from marginalized groups to more privileged ones to feel comfortable and contribute their ideas towards company success, diversity is not merely lip service. Employers looking to develop effective training programs and give their employees the necessary skill sets in an increasingly diverse world may benefit from obtaining DEI certification. Future jobs that focus on diversity and inclusivity will only become more prevalent, so it’s vital that your professional development toolkit contains an understanding of these concepts to enable you to lead this field and make a real difference within the world of work. No matter your level of leadership experience, having this credential will demonstrate to potential employers that you possess the necessary skills for advancement in your career. By submitting this form, you consent to receiving People Managing People emails in your inbox – these can be unsubscribed from at any time.
How Can I Get a DEI Certification?
No matter if you are an HR professional working in diversity and inclusion or simply curious to expand your knowledge on the topic, there are courses available to advance your career in diversity and inclusion. From brief introductory overviews that require minimal investment of both time and money to comprehensive programs leading to professional certification or even a full degree, these can all help advance your knowledge on this field.
One option available to HR professionals and senior executives alike is Cornell University’s Diversity and Inclusion certificate online course, designed for both HR professionals and senior executives. This self-guided program supports practitioners at all levels to create, measure, and sustain successful diversity and inclusion practices within their organizations while also offering guidance on making a business case for inclusion as a strategic imperative.
This course content encompasses an array of topics, such as recognizing one’s own biases in the workplace, creating and fostering an inclusive culture, and initiating and executing inclusion initiatives. Furthermore, best practices are offered for managing DEI efforts within organizations as well as for mobilizing internal and external champions/partners of DEI initiatives. Finally, graduate and undergraduate level programs are offered.
Purdue University also offers an outstanding Diversity and Inclusion Management online graduate certificate that offers in-depth education on this subject matter. Intended primarily for human resource and business professionals, it welcomes anyone with an interest in diversity issues to enroll. Topics range from systemic oppression to social justice issues in the workplace as well as ways this knowledge can act as an enabler of positive change.
Catalyst provides another viable option with their Professional Certificate in Inclusive Leadership course, open to all employees. This course covers inclusive communication and how to leverage core leadership traits like humility and accountability for building an engaging work environment where all perspectives are valued equally. Furthermore, this program covers how to address common barriers such as unconscious biases and emotional taxes within workplace settings – making this flexible option suitable for busy professionals.