Equality and diversity training online in the UK

What employers look for in an online equality and diversity certificate

Your employer decides the training your workplace needs, based on its own assessment of the roles and risks involved. When you show a certificate, a good one makes that decision easy to record. Employers usually look for four things.

1. A clear record. The certificate names the course, the hours of learning, the date you completed it and a recommended refresh date.
2. A way to check it. A unique certificate number and a verification link let a manager or HR team confirm it in seconds.
3. Content built on current UK law. For equality and diversity, that means the Equality Act 2010: the nine protected characteristics, the types of discrimination, reasonable adjustments and employer responsibility.
4. A refresh schedule. A recommended refresh date keeps your knowledge current and gives your employer a date to plan around.

Lift College's certificate does each of these. It is a PDF issued the same day you pass. It names Equality and Diversity Training, shows 2 hours of learning, your completion date and a recommended refresh date 3 years later, and carries a unique certificate number and a verification link.

What the Lift College course covers

Equality and Diversity Training explains the Equality Act 2010 in plain words and shows how everyday choices at work, from recruitment to team banter, can include or exclude people. There are 6 short modules, each followed by a knowledge check:

1. Equality, diversity and inclusion. What the three words mean at work and why fair treatment matters for people and for organisations.
2. The nine protected characteristics. Age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.
3. Types of discrimination. Direct and indirect discrimination, harassment and victimisation, with everyday workplace examples.
4. Reasonable adjustments. When the duty applies, common examples, and why a disabled person cannot be asked to pay for an adjustment.
5. Employer responsibility. Why employers are liable for what staff do at work, and the all reasonable steps defence in section 109.
6. Inclusion in everyday work. Bias in recruitment and decisions, inclusive language, banter and how to speak up or report concerns.

By the end you can name the nine protected characteristics, explain direct and indirect discrimination, harassment and victimisation, describe the duty to make reasonable adjustments, recognise unconscious bias and challenge or report unfair treatment safely.

The final test is multiple choice, 80% to pass, with unlimited free retakes. You can pick up where you left off on any device.

The law and guidance it is written around

• Equality Act 2010. Protects people from discrimination because of nine protected characteristics in England, Scotland and Wales, at work, in services, in education and more. The protected characteristics are set out in section 4. Northern Ireland has its own equality laws.
• Equality Act 2010, section 20. The duty to make reasonable adjustments. Employers must take reasonable steps to remove substantial disadvantages a disabled person faces, and the disabled person cannot be asked to pay for the adjustment.
• Equality Act 2010, section 109. Section 109(1) says: "Anything done by a person (A) in the course of A's employment must be treated as also done by the employer." The employer has a defence if it took all reasonable steps to prevent it. Training staff is one step an employer can take.

How Lift College compares

Competitor details come from each provider's own course page, checked 11 October 2026. "Check provider" means the page did not state it.

Who it suits

Equality and Diversity Training suits every employee, plus managers involved in recruitment, adjustments or complaints. It is a good fit if:

• you are starting a new job and your employer asks for equality training
• you interview, recruit or manage people
• you deal with customers, patients, pupils or the public
• you handle requests for reasonable adjustments
• you want a clear, practical refresher on the Equality Act 2010

It sits in Lift College's workplace compliance courses, alongside Sexual Harassment Training and Bullying and Harassment Training. Read our guides to sexual harassment training online and bullying and harassment training online if your role needs those too.

What you get for £19.99

• One payment for one learner, no subscription, nothing added at checkout.
• Access for as long as Lift College offers the course, and never less than 3 years from purchase.
• A free refresher when your recommended refresh date arrives. Lift College emails you 30 days before.
• 14-day money back: ask within 14 days of paying for a full refund.
• Age 16 or over. Buying for a team? Ask about team enrolment.

Start Equality and Diversity Training for £19.99, or see all CPD courses.