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Dear colleagues (Please do pass this on to colleagues in Admissions, Student Services, Registry, Accommodation and any other colleagues with an interest) You may remember that I mentioned in a recent email that the DTI was redrafting their original guidance on the age discrimination regulations and their application to 'vocational training' (which for the purposes of the age legislation in the UK means all student provision at HEIs). That redraft has now been completed. See http://www.dti.gov.uk/employment/discrimination/age-discrimination/page2 6492.html for the revised article. ECU believes that the sector requires further legal guidance on these issues. Recent conversations with sector bodies and communications with individual institutions on the age regulations and student-facing issues have confirmed that feeling. We have therefore begun to explore the possibility of securing some legal advice specifically on questions relating to minimum and maximum age of entry to course/HEI; monitoring admission by age; the duties to under 18s in accommodation and elsewhere eg on field trips and placements; age-related funding practices; the issue of objective justification and the kind of evidence that might be acceptable; and the separate issue of the circumstances in which age limits or requirements can be justified on positive action grounds If there are other areas of uncertainty that you would like to add to this list please let me know within the next ten days. Meantime do use the FAQs on the website and our website links as a source of broad guidance on some of these items... I am working on a short Update for the sector on a checklist of action points for the period up to 1 October but I am not going to be able to get that out to you all until I come back again for my next week stint ie week beginning June 19. I apologise. I know it would be helpful to have it now not later but time is against me Im afraid... With good wishes Liz Sutherland Liz Sutherland Policy Adviser - Age Equality Challenge Unit Please note our new contact details: Direct tel 020 7438 1018 Fax 020 7438 1011 Email [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]> Equality Challenge Unit 7th Floor, Queens House 55-56 Lincoln's Inn Fields London WC2A 3LJ Switchboard 020 7438 1010 www.ecu.ac.uk <BLOCKED::http://www.ecu.ac.uk>