Everyone at Brookes can expect respect and equality whatever their age. We are delighted that our university community includes people of all ages, from the youngest children at our excellent nursery to people past normal retirement age who are still studying or working at Brookes.
Initiatives undertaken by Brookes on staff age-related issues include our apprenticeship scheme and our internship scheme for new Brookes’ graduates. October 2011 saw the abolition of the default retirement age - so employees are now no longer expected to retire at age 65 and can voluntarily retire at a time of their choosing. Our main pension schemes now offer opportunities for flexible retirement, under which staff can reduce their working hours and/or grade and draw part of their pension benefits.
The Centre for Diversity Policy Research and Practice has a particular focus on Age Diversity. It has conducted research to understand the implications of the legislation on age discrimination and the removal of mandatory retirement for the Higher Education Sector in the UK. It has developed management resources in partnership with the Equality Challenge Unit for the sector to support change in this area (funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England).