The Noon Centre for Equality and Diversity in Business, funded by Lord Noon (Kt. MBE) and supported by the Noon Foundation, is a transformational space for engaging and supporting students into industry networks, career development and self-employment. It is known for interdisciplinary research in workplace diversity.
Since its inception in 2012 the Centre has pursued the strategic goal of supporting and developing students from diverse backgrounds beyond their traditional degree programmes so that they are better prepared for workplace challenges. Our vision is to provide a robust forum for engagement, support and research in the interdisciplinary area of workplace diversity.
The Noon Centre enjoys a strong intellectual foundation based on rigorous research within the School of Social Sciences. Our programme of research is guided by the philosophy of ‘engaged scholarship’ aimed at re-drawing boundaries within the thematic areas of engagement and achieving an international centre of excellence status in an area of recognised need. The Centre is positioned to apply theoretically informed approaches to the challenges that individuals from various ethnic, race and gender groups face in entering and sustaining careers. The overarching aim of the Centre is to help focus a sensitive dialogue with employers. This is achieved by enhancing business–university collaborations and building bridges between our students and the competitive job-market, helping them to navigate the complex maze of labour market barriers and enhancing employability.