Vacancy for "Ethnic Minorities"

[c00ky83]

I'm not trying to be controversial, but I've just seen such a vacancy.  What happened to equal opportunities?  If they just left alone, they'd surely get a balance of..."colours" which reflected who applied for the job.

[january_bug]

Apparently they're trying to make up for past injustices. 

Makes getting a job a total bitch if you're like me: white, female, straight, not yet a mother (and I'm an ancient 22), not disabled, middle class, grammar school educated.

Sometimes the ridiculousness of recruitment makes me wish I was in a minority. 

I know this is not my usual tone, but you've struck a chord with me, and though I'm ashamed to admit my views here, those are they! :-)

[El D]

Just curious - what job was the vacancy for?

Agreed it is ludicrous - long term it just exacerbates divisions in society.

[jake-the-peg]

That's the point. it doesn't happen.

When did you last see a chinese policeman on the beat?

People build their own stereotypes of who does what jobs and then don't bother apply so the stereotypes get reinforced.

Sometimes this works in surprising ways think of Irish policemen in America.

The idea is to encourage people who wouldn't think it would be "a job for them" to think that actually it might be so that a cross section does apply.

There are very few women in the building trade for example. My wife has worked specifically teaching women in this area. Many of them needed an awful lot of encouragement and help to realise they can do skilled work like this and that when they apply for a job they'll be taken seriously.

[WoWo]

Personally I'd apply and if you get rejected ask why. If they said it was on the grounds of race then you could take them to court.

As jake-the-peg say's this shouldn't be seen as a negative thing but equally it shouldn't stop you applying. I'd be suprised if it said anywhere on the advert "White's need not apply".

[andy6006]

A few years back I applied for a job with the London fire brigade, I received a letter back saying if I was from an Ethnic Minority background to come along to their open day. If not thank you for your interest.Bloody cheek, If there is a shortage of people willing to risk their life day after day does it matter what colour skin you have or where you are from.

[january_bug]

My friend had a similar experience with the Met.  She still can't get in.  Whites appear to have a longer waiting list.  I know there are many excellent non-white PCs, and many excellent non-white applicants.  Still, the current trend does suck for excellent white applicants today.  Treating whites badly today... does that really make up for treating non-whites badly in the past?

PS - If any of my 'terms' there were non-pc or offensive, I do apologise.  I'm sure you all know what I mean, and I honestly don't mean to offend by using the wrong words.  :-)

[El D]

Sure Jake but that doesn't mean discrimination is ever a positive step. Encourage them to apply, open the doors, make them want to join, but to specifically 'promote' them over and above every other citizen of this country is just wrong. Take your example - if I saw a chinese policeman now I might think he got the job ahead of a better white candidate simply because of his racial appearance, which is all it is. Does that encourage trust? Social cohesion? It's so short sighted.

[Hermia]

What was the job for? I know there are some jobs which are so sensitive that equal opportunities can be disregarded. I know an Asian lady who works for the local council in a post dealing with Asian women who have been victims of violence/domestic abuse. The post was advertised as only being open to Asian women as the abused women tended not to open up to men or women who weren't from their own culture.

I didn't realise that equal opportunities could be disregarded in other posts though. I mean, I know the police have been advertising in the ethnic press a lot which is fair enough, but I didn't know they could practise positive discrimination.

[andy6006]

Before we are robbed of all our Identities,history and traditions I would like to wish everyone a very happy Xmas,St Georges,Easter, Valentines,Pancake, Birthday and every other day we celebrate in our once Green and Pleasant Land.!!!!

[january_bug]

Which rules out anyone who's not Christian, and of course any Jahovah's witnesses! :-p

I'd like to wish the citizens of Birmingham a happy "Winter Festival"!! :-) :-p

[spinchimp]

Positive discrimination isn't legal in the UK. Promoting jobs and encouraging people from ethnic minority communities to apply for jobs is allowed (and good practice where they are under-represented in the work force). I have never seen an advert of the kind described and would like to know more.

[c00ky83]

Spinchimp - it was for the Civil Service, and described as a "Training Programme for Ethnic Minority Students".  I quote:

The winter training programme for ethnic minorities is a 3-day event running 11-13 November 2005. The programme is to increase awareness of the types of selection processes used in the graduate market (psychometric testing, interviews and written exercises, and enhances understanding of the Civil Service. Full details on website: www.diversity.faststream.gov.uk Closing date not specified.

Make of it what you will!

[spinchimp]

Well then it wasn't a vacancy was it? Its a training course aimed at helping a specific group of people get a bloody job. This is exactly how stupid stories about so called political correctness get out of all proportion.

This training course will be aimed at specific needs so is targetted on specific people. For Gods skae use your brain next time!