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Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Policy

At Kaplan, we are working hard to build a brighter future together. We are guided by our values (Act with Integrity, Grow Knowledge, Empower and Support, Create Opportunity, Drive Results Together) and we intend to create success for our learners, our customers, our people and for our organisation in a positive and sustainable way.

Contents

  1. Purpose
  2. Scope
  3. Responsibilities
  4. Responsible business
  5. Creating success for our people
  6. Environment
  7. Community
  8. Opportunity
  9. Document management and contacts

1. Purpose

  1. At Kaplan, we are working hard to build a brighter future together. We are guided by our values (Act with Integrity, Grow Knowledge, Empower and Support, Create Opportunity, Drive Results Together) and we intend to create success for our learners, our customers, our people and for our organisation in a positive and sustainable way.
  2. This policy sets out our commitment to have a positive impact through the way in which we do business, on our environment and in our community. Our governance structure is set up to support this, as well as our three 'Building Brighter Future' pillars: Environment, Community and Opportunity.

2. Scope

  1. This policy applies to all Kaplan Professional employees in the UK.

3. Responsibilities

  1. The Managing Director and the Building Brighter Futures Lead are responsible for reviewing and (if required) updating the Corporate Responsibility Policy at least every year in line with legal obligations, business objectives, and operational needs.

  2. All heads of department are responsible for being aware of this Policy and implementing the measures that are relevant to their teams.

  3. All Kaplan Professional employees in the UK are responsible for keeping themselves up to date with the current versions of policies as made available via OurKaplan.

4. Responsible business

We act with integrity, and we're proud to be conducting business the right way.

  1. Governance
    1. We are committed to strong governance which underpins the accountability, transparency, and integrity with which we conduct our business and provide education, training, and career services.
    2. Our management structure is set up to ensure we have independent oversight and support.
    3. Where areas are identified as important to governance we will aim to gain external confirmation and insights to give confidence in the quality of what we do.
    4. Our people are our business, we work hard to create and maintain a positive working environment.
  2. Education
    1. As an educator we take seriously our responsibility to ensure we raise awareness of all aspects of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability.
    2. Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability are included in the syllabi of many of our qualifications for learners and as part of the citizenship aspect of our apprenticeships.
    3. We provide information and guidance to learners on living sustainably whether learners are onsite or learning remotely.
  3. Health and safety
    1. We operate a Health and Safety Policy which is reviewed annually.
    2. We have one qualified British Safety Council/NEBOSH-certified Health and Safety manager and two Health and Safety trained practitioners in place, we provide manual handling training for Warehouse Operatives and Facilities Officers, and a Health and Safety induction guide is included within our induction programme for new employees.
    3. We have specific risk assessments, procedures and policies in place to cover our warehouse operation, first aid, fire marshals, and lone working.
    4. Our target is for 100% of our offices and teaching centres to have an external Health and Safety audit by the end of 2026.
  4. Ethics and compliance
    1. Graham Holdings Company, Kaplan's parent company, operates a group Code of Business Conduct, which employees must confirm they have read upon joining and every two years thereafter (or every year thereafter for employees in higher risk roles). All employees are required to complete training every two years.
    2. Kaplan operates an Anti-bribery and Corruption Policy and employees in higher-risk role categories are required to complete training annually.
    3. An up-to-date Modern Slavery Statement is published to our website annually. This statement outlines Kaplan's standards to ensure that all employees are treated with respect and dignity, are working under their own free will, and are being properly compensated for their efforts. We are committed to combatting slavery and human trafficking and ensuring that we are not complicit in any human rights violations. We support and respect the principles proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and believe businesses should ensure that they are not complicit in human rights abuses.
    4. Kaplan has put in place appropriate data protection policies and privacy notices. All employees complete data protection training upon joining and every two years thereafter, and information security training upon joining and then annually. . Kaplan Financial Ltd (the largest of the Kaplan Professional Education companies) is ISO 27001 certified, in recognition of its adherence to globally recognised best practice for data security and privacy.
  5. Labour practices
    1. We are committed to maintaining a workplace free from child labour, forced labour, physical abuse or discipline, the threat of physical abuse, sexual or other harassment, and verbal abuse or other forms of intimidation.
    2. We believe everybody should be paid a wage which is sufficient to live on, so all our employees receive a rate which is no less than those published by the Living Wage Foundation. We intend to become accredited as a Living Wage employer, and will work with relevant suppliers to pursue this.
    3. All of our teams are required to operate clear, fair pay structures which are made available to employees on our intranet and in a weekly internal vacancies email.
    4. Where possible, we engage employees on permanent employment contracts. We only use fixed term contracts for projects and other short/medium term needs. We use agency temps only for short term needs or for urgent cover (the exception being in our warehouse, where we engage operatives via a temp to perm arrangement without interviewing them, and reduce their probationary periods by the duration of the temp engagement). When we engage people on a casual worker basis, the flexibility works both ways - the individuals have the right to turn down work we offer, and to accept work from other employers or clients.
    5. We are committed to offering our employees an equal opportunity to build their knowledge, qualifications, experience, skills, and capabilities to be successful at Kaplan, as described in our Training and Development Policy. Our target is for all required training to be completed by at least 98% of employees each year.
  6. Inclusion and Equal Opportunities (I&EO)
    1. We operate an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Policy, and we aim to provide an environment that embraces inclusivity and promotes equality in a way which enables and inspires all our employees to succeed.
    2. All our employees and managers undertake Inclusion and Equal Opportunity training which was created in-house at Kaplan.
    3. Through measurement and data analysis, and by listening to our colleagues via our annual engagement survey, we seek to identify where any significant inequalities exist within our organisation and we implement strategies to reduce or eliminate them.
    4. We have set five measurable employee I&EO goals for 2025 and communicate updates to employees regularly.
    5. We operate a Learner Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy. We aim to provide an environment that embraces diversity and promotes equality and inclusion to make Kaplan a great place where every learner can succeed. We publish an annual Learner EDI Report.
  7. Procurement
    1. We aim to have a positive impact through the way we conduct our business; on the environment, and within our communities. To extend this impact throughout our supply chain, we operate a Responsible Procurement Policy, which incorporates a Supplier Code of Conduct that suppliers are required to accept.
    2. Procurement decisions are based on product, service, price and our Responsible Procurement Policy.
    3. Organisations with whom we spend or expect to spend more than £5,000 per annum are asked to provide information demonstrating their compliance with our Responsible Procurement policy.
    4. All members of our Procurement Team are required to complete training on Supply Chain Sustainability.

5. Creating success for our people

At Kaplan, we help create successful careers for our learners and customers - and for our employees too. Our values guide us to make Kaplan a great place to work where everyone can succeed.

  1. Act with Integrity: Integrity is engrained in the way we work, and everything we do is consistent with our purpose and values. We build clarity around how we will create success - the Kaplan Way.
  2. Empower and Support: We make sure everyone has the space and the tools they need to work together and continuously improve how and what they deliver to our customers - directly or indirectly.
  3. Create Opportunity: This is a place where people can become inspirational educators, grow into experts in our specialist fields and build leadership careers. Those who drive Kaplan's success, find their success at Kaplan.
  4. Grow Knowledge: Learning is in our DNA. Investing in our ever-growing knowledge of our customers, our markets and our individual fields creates success for our learners - and for ourselves.
  5. Drive Results Together: Focusing on what matters most, we collaborate and partner with colleagues, setting targets and measuring progress to turn ambitions into outcomes, which we all then celebrate.

6. Environment

We are committed to working together to continuously improve our practices so we can minimise our impact on the environment, as set out in our Environment Policy.

  1. We measure our Scope 1, 2 and 3 carbon emissions annually, following the GHG protocol. We report emissions under the 'Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting' (SECR) guidance, and to CDP.
  2. We have submitted emissions reduction targets to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and we are aiming to have these validated in 2025. We are working towards the following quantitative targets:
    • To reduce our Scope 1 GHG emissions 60% by 2034
    • To continue sourcing 100% renewable electricity
    • To reduce emissions from purchasing and business travel 35% by 2034
  3. We intend to engage with our top 50% of suppliers by emissions in 2025 to collect emissions data and encourage emissions reduction.
  4. We balance our annual direct emissions by investing in Plan Vivo certified community-based reforestation projects.
  5. We are committed to continuously improving our energy-efficiency and reducing the impact of our energy use.
  6. We are committed to minimising the impact of our waste and we have processes in place to reduce, reuse and recycle.
  7. To demonstrate our environmental commitments to our learners and to help them minimise their own environmental impact, the physical items we provide to them for example books and binders use certified renewable paper, and are labelled to encourage recycling. We continue to optimise our mix of digital and printed resources to offer an enhanced learning experience while also reducing our environmental impact.

7. Community

We empower and support our employees to contribute positively to their communities.

  1. We operate a payroll giving scheme to make it easy for our employees to donate to charities, and we pay all the administration charges.
  2. In addition to employee-led local fundraising drives, we run national events and initiatives annually.
  3. Employees are encouraged to take 15 hours (pro-rated) of paid volunteering leave each year.
  4. We seek opportunities to gift valuable but unused resources to good causes, and charities make use of our spare classroom space during quieter teaching seasons.

8. Opportunity

We broaden opportunities for people to develop the skills and confidence needed to build successful working lives. We are here to make a difference to every learner and inspire them to succeed.

  1. We partner with Career Ready sharing our expertise through mentoring and masterclasses to help people from disadvantaged backgrounds develop the skills, confidence and attitudes needed to build successful working lives.
  2. Working with Breaking Barriers, a charity that focuses on finding sustainable solutions to the barriers faced by refugees looking to restart their life in the UK, we support students to gain their ACCA qualification by covering the costs of tuition, exam and institute registration fees.
  3. Access Accountancy: Kaplan is a signatory of Access Accountancy, which signifies a commitment to fostering socio-economic diversity within the accountancy profession. As a signatory, we pledge to measurable outcomes, aiming to dismantle barriers and ensure that talent is recognized and nurtured, regardless of origin. This participation is crucial for building a more inclusive and representative accounting sector.
  4. We provide paid internships through organisations such as Career Ready and 10,000 Black Interns to give meaningful work experience.
  5. Mentoring: Kaplan actively encourages staff to volunteer their time to mentoring schemes in partnership with ICAEW, CIMA, and the Social Mobility Foundation. These programs connect aspiring individuals from less privileged backgrounds with experienced professionals. Mentors provide guidance on career pathways, skill development, and navigating professional environments.
  6. We raise funds for education charities that work with learners whose opportunities may be more limited than those of others, to help make a difference to those learners.
  7. We work with partner organisations to promote access to the professions, encouraging those with no direct links to accountancy, tax or financial services to consider it as a career opportunity.

9. Document management and contacts

  1. If you have any questions about this policy, your line manager or the HR team can help.
  2. The Managing Director and the Building Brighter Futures Lead are the owners of this document and are responsible for ensuring that this policy is reviewed in line with the review requirements described in Section 3.

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