Introducing
FIELDS
The essential certification
for leaders of people
FIELDS is a step-by-step methodology empowering
people to create inclusive environment strategies.
We designed it to address the frustrations and challenges that organisations face when approaching inclusive environments and culture building, such as misalignment with wider organisational goals, fragmented and reactive initiatives and overwhelming workloads.
Our unique fairness, inclusion & equity approach – proven and refined over almost 20 years across public, private, and higher education sectors – ensures your strategies are both valued and effective, aligning closely with your organisation’s ambitions for the best chance of success.
Preparing for REF 2029 Strategy, People, Research Environment (SPRE)?
If you would value a structured space to refine your institute (ILS) and unit (ULS) strategy into a panel-ready REF submission, our 2026 programme is for you.
Key takeaways
During five days of workshops, and 16 week supported practice period, your journey to scalable, robust strategy
takes you through the following:
- Understand the fundamentals of fairness, inclusion and equity from a sociological lens, in the context of your organisation
- Audit your organisation’s current EDI landscape and strategic goals, and identify which EDI initiatives bridge the gap
- Create a robust three-year strategy that complements the organisation’s wider strategic goals
- Create an action plan, governance plan and comms plan to ensure the best success for your strategy
- Become personally FIELDS certified
- Join a network of supportive strategy creators and change-makers
- Contribute to COBE’s vital research pools, which will shape the future of EDI in and out of workplaces
Our difference
A holistic look at EDI; using our unique Fairness, Inclusion and Equity (FIE) model to address problem areas that are often overlooked
Research-backed, empirically tested, methodologies
ensuring every strategy you develop is grounded in proven principles
True step-by step format, so if it’s understanding how EDI can foster success in your industry, conducting thorough audits, or differentiating strategy from plan – FIELDS will guide you through
Scalable whether you want to apply FIELDS methodology to an isolated team/project or org-wide
Contextual to your organisation’s existing landscape and goals
Co-produced, calling on voices from the people this will affect – at all levels
What we teach
Dive deep into a comprehensive curriculum that covers everything from dynamics of inequality, to organisational value alignment
3
Pillars of success
1. Value
2. Research
3. Co-production
4
Deliverables
1. EDI strategy
2. Action plan
3. Governance plan
4. Communication plan
5
Processes
1. Value mapping
2. Fairness Climate
3. Employee needs
4. EDI Maturity Level
5. EDI Risk Assessments
6
Knowledge bases
1. FIE approach
2. Power and Intersectionality
3. Community Engagement
4. Inequality Mechanisms
5. Systemic Analysis
6. Strategy
Testimonials
The Fairness, Inclusion & Equity (FIE) model that FIELDS is built on has proven successful when applied to strategy creation in a variety of contexts across many sectors. Here’s what our clients had to say:
The Centre of Behavioural Equality’s approach to EDI strategy has gone far beyond standard compliance or awareness-raising – it helped us integrate inclusion into the core of how we operate.
The strategy we developed aligned seamlessly with the University’s overarching goals and offered a realistic, resource-conscious implementation plan.
Read more
The structured, strategic lens to behavioural equity supported us to examine trust, power, and inequality as embedded features of our institutional culture. Initiatives like student-led EDI projects and inclusive training for both PhD students and supervisors have created space for genuine learning and culture change.
Supervisors consistently tell us that these sessions go deeper than any prior EDI training they’ve received. The impact has been significant- not only has our working environment become more inclusive and fair, but other CDTs have begun to adopt similar approaches.
The strategy created has been transformative, and the work continues to influence practice across the Faculty.
Dr Tom Shearer, EDI Lead, Advanced Biomedical Materials CDT (University of Manchester)
We have been impressed by the innovative and exciting ideas presented in your plans, and we eagerly await their implementation. The journey of developing the strategy is really strong and shows a significant commitment to learning, engaging and consulting and that decisions have not been made in isolation. The resourcing, level of engagement and co-production that has been undertaken and is planned for the future is commendable and one we would like to use as a good practice model.
Read More
It is good to see that a reflective approach has been taken to the strategy and a clear acknowledgement of areas that may be lacking or need further work with clear plans to improve.
Esther Mukuka, Head of Research Inclusion, National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)
The strategies created have had a transformative impact on our approach to equality, diversity, and inclusion at NG Bailey.
Taking the time to understand our organisational context, including our maturity level, growth ambitions, and wider strategic priorities helped achieve an evidence-based roadmap, aligned with our business objectives.
Read more
The FIE approach helped us recognise how fairness operates across different levels of our organisation and how to create conditions where inclusion isn’t left to chance. The implementation plan was practical and clearly structured, giving us the tools to embed behavioural equity into everyday decision-making. By linking fairness with strategy, this helped us move beyond performative action toward real, systemic change.
We now have a deeper understanding of what inclusive organisational behaviour looks like and how to sustain it. I’d recommend working with the Centre of Behavioural Equality to any business serious about embedding EDI in a way that is strategic, measurable, and facilitates meaningful change.
Gemma Concannon, Head of HR (Services Division, NG Bailey)
Clients
Companies we have worked with employing the FIE methodology
How you learn
Our experience shows that face-to-face learning facilitates greater connection, focus and application, so we currently opt to deliver FIELDS workshops in-person (however, practice periods are conducted in participants’ own time/place, with consultancy held online).
Inclusivity is paramount for us, and so we endeavour to make all of our sessions accessible whilst retaining the benefits that in-person learning can bring. If you’re interested in enrolling in FIELDS, but in-person learning doesn’t work for you, please reach out to us to discuss.
Individually
1
Join us solo to upskill and certify yourself, with the knowledge and support to create strategies that your current – and future -organisation need.
Dates: Our mixed cohort programs run on Fridays for four consecutive weeks, every other month starting 30 January 2026.
Location: Liverpool City Centre
Investment: £3130pp
With your team
4+
Teams are encouraged to take part in FIELDS to collaborate towards more cohesive strategy building and implementation.
Dates: Our split cohort groups run Monday – Thursday on the second week of each month, starting February 2026.
Location: Conference venue near you
Investment: £2900pp
As an organisation
12+
For larger collectives (up to 16), we recommend exclusive cohorts where learnings can be tailored around specific nuances.
Dates: Our full cohort groups run flexibly around your team’s availability.
Location: Conference facilities within your organisation
Investment: £25,000
Please note this investment reflects in-house training for all workshops including self-catering.
Certificate
Whether you’re learning individually or along with your colleagues, each FIELDS professional chooses their own certification level from our two tiers.
FIELDS Practitioner
Practitioner certification recognises that the participant has surpassed Theory level, and has demonstrated creation of their strategy over a 16 week practice period using FIELDS methodology, culminating in assessment.
Participants undertaking Practitioner certification are invited to fortnightly group consultancy sessions to support them though their strategy development.
FIELDS Theory
If achieving FIELDS Practitioner feels out of reach, your knowledge development should still be recognised. FIELDS Theory recognises that the participant has taken the workshops to understand fundamental Fairness, Inclusion and Equity concepts and what’s needed to create strategies that create inclusive cultures.