Latest modern slavery legislation will impact higher education and other large institutions in the UK, particularly for staff working in procurement or sourcing suppliers
Hitting the headlines in January 2017 was news of the conviction of two brothers who trafficked 18 people from Poland to the UK and conned them into modern slavery.
The pair recruited the vulnerable men to work at the Sports Direct warehouse in Shirebrook, Derbyshire, but were caught after one of the victims reported his ordeal to police in January 2016.
The brothers have both been sentenced to six years in prison for modern slavery.
Stories like this show how modern slavery doesn’t just affect developing countries, but the UK as well. Now, new UK legislation is being brought in to tackle the issue of modern slavery.
The UK legislation that’s come into force is designed to ensure no UK business with a turnover in excess of £36 million will unwittingly use slave labour in their supply chains.
This also affects British universities which – like their commercial counterparts – must publish an annual statement that demonstrates they’ve taken steps to ensure no human rights violations have taken place in the supply chain.
The modern slavery legislation will impact higher education and other large institutions in the UK, particularly for staff members working in procurement or sourcing suppliers.
That’s why we’ve designed a Modern slavery training course, together with Liverpool John Moores University, to help UK higher education institutions to train their staff appropriately in how to produce the annual statement and spot modern slavery in the supply chain.
The course is designed for universities, specifically for those members of staff who are in charge of procurement or involved in picking suppliers. This could mean those involved in selecting catering suppliers, stationery, cleaning operatives, building contractors and clothing manufacturers.
The course is tailored to ensure learners can:
- Define what activities constitute human trafficking and slavery
- List the key features of the Modern Slavery Act
- Describe your legal responsibilities and the penalties for non-compliance
- Apply the key requirements of the Act to produce a viable report
eLearning content: delivered by Ciphr, powered by Marshalls
Find out about our eLearning courses
And how to order modern slavery training for your staff
This content was initially published on Marshallelearning.com (January 2017) and has been uploaded to and lightly amended on Ciphr.com as part of the brand amalgamation in August 2024.