SOLAS awarded prestigious Investors in Diversity Gold for leading equality, diversity and inclusion in the public sector

SOLAS/10.04.2025

SOLAS is proud to announce that it has been awarded a prestigious Investors in Diversity Gold accreditation, the highest accolade awarded by the Irish Centre for Diversity in Ireland for organisations achieving outstanding progress in Diversity, Equality & Inclusion.

SOLAS is just one of 29 organisations in Ireland to achieve this milestone, with the Gold mark awarded to in recognition of their significant efforts to drive equality, diversity and inclusion within SOLAS. This achievement builds on the progress made by SOLAS, across the last three years, to embed the Public Sector Equality and Human Rights Duty throughout every part of the organisation, and move closer to realising its ambition of becoming the most progressive public sector organisation in Ireland.

The accolade has been awarded just months after SOLAS won ‘Public Sector Organisation of the Year’ at the National Diversity & Inclusion Awards for their positive action on a range of D&I initiatives including staff training in Irish Sign Language, mental health, and a positive action recruitment programme. A further award was presented to SOLAS employee Gay O’Connor, who won the ‘Employee of the Year’ for her outstanding contribution towards creating a meaningful diverse and inclusive workplace culture in SOLAS.

'Investing in Diversity at SOLAS' - Pictured left to right are SOLAS staff members Charlie O'Reilly, Caroline Jones, Joanne O'Hara, SOLAS CEO, Andrew Brownlee (centre), Robert McCullough, Gwen Doyle, Yuliia Ghumman, Sinead Dooley, Sofia Forero-Gomez, and Evanna Craig, pictured with the Investors in Diversity Gold Mark at SOLAS Headquarters in Castleforbes House, Dublin.

To achieve the Investors in Diversity Gold Accreditation, SOLAS underwent a rigorous assessment process, and provided evidence of efforts made to drive and implement diversity and inclusion practices across the organisation. The evidence provided was assessed under five key pillars: Leadership, Policy & Practice, Recruitment & Retention, Monitoring & Data and External Impact.

Some of the positive diversity and inclusive practices that SOLAS is leading across the organisation include staff training in Irish Sign Language, neurodiversity, and unconscious bias; enacting a positive impact recruitment programme with the Irish Prison Service, a volunteering initiative with the Cavan Centre;  creating an equality programme and a Equality and Human Rights Working Group; driving staff wellbeing and community partnership initiatives including the SOLAS InHouse Harmony Choir, and Inclusive Leadership Training.

Commenting on SOLAS’ achievements, Andrew Brownlee, CEO of SOLAS said:

“We are so delighted to announce that SOLAS has achieved the Gold Investor in Diversity mark, thanks to the significant strides made to strengthen and drive equality, diversity and inclusion across the organisation. This achievement is testament to the hard work, energy, and leadership shown by the SOLAS People Team, who are at the helm of driving D & I initiatives and transformation in SOLAS.

“This work is underpinned by our SOLAS TRIBE values and commitment to be Transparent, Respectful, Innovative, Brave and Effective. This achievement further advances our ambition to become one of Ireland’s most progressive public sector bodies, and strengthens our commitment to be leaders in driving meaningful change, inclusion and transformation across the FET sector.”

Caroline Jones, People Engagement Manager at SOLAS said:

“SOLAS is delighted to receive the ‘Investors in Diversity Gold’ mark, Ireland’s premier D & I accreditation. It’s great to receive recognition for all of the efforts made by SOLAS to drive diversity, equality and inclusion in the workplace.

At SOLAS, we put the individuals and the communities which FET serves at the heart of everything we do, and strengthening diversity, equality and inclusion within the organisation and further afield is something we believe in whole heartedly.

This accolade recognises how D & I is a key driver of our transformation and success at SOLAS, benefitting staff through D & I learning and development initiatives, ensuring a more equitable recruitment process in SOLAS, and helping to realise our ambitions to be a leader in the D & I space in Ireland.”

SOLAS’ ambition is to become one of the most progressive public sector bodies in Ireland and we are working towards creating a diverse and inclusive workplace culture and supporting employee wellbeing through a range of initiatives.

Further SOLAS’ key achievements include:

  • Achieving the Investors in Diversity Gold Accreditation from the Irish Centre of Diversity, one of just 29 organisations in Ireland to achieve this accolade.

  • Winner of two awards in the National Diversity and Inclusion Awards 2025 – one for Public Sector Organisation of the Year and another for Employee of the Year.

  • Placed on IBEC’s ‘Ireland’s Leading in Wellbeing Top 100 Index’ 2024 - recognising the top 100 Irish employers of all sizes who have demonstrated an exceptional contribution to workplace social, mental, and physical wellbeing.

  • Fully in compliance with The Public Sector Equality and Human Rights Duty (‘the Duty’), a statutory obligation for public bodies in Section 42 of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Act 2014. Section 42(1).

  • Won a highly commended award for Advancing Social Inclusion at the National Diversity & Inclusion Awards in 2024 which recognised and celebrated progress on Diversity & Inclusion in Ireland.   

  • Achieved an Investors in Diversity Silver Accreditation from the Irish Centre for Diversity in 2024 which recognised SOLAS’ actions, policies and processes which look to embed equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in the values of the organisation.  

  • Awarded with Ibec’s KeepWell Mark in 2024, a national accreditation that recognises and celebrates organisations that put the health and wellbeing of employees at the centre of company policy. 

  • Won a HR Champions CSR Strategy Award 2024 for our important collaboration with the Irish Prison Service that's helping to support inclusion and widen access to education. 

  • Hosted an event in Mountjoy in May 2024 to celebrate 5 Years of the InHouse Harmony Choir, SOLAS Collaboration with the Progression Unit in MountJoy: By a lonely prison wall: how a choir in Mountjoy is unlocking prisoner potential – The Irish Times