Is this descrimination legal?

CKhalvashi

Mishomeister wrote: »

Maybe it's the time for them to change their attitudes and culture if this makes you less competitive in the employment market. You can't change your race or gender but I would never tolerate a person who is saying that I did not chose to become a criminal etc but my parent's are guilty of this hence they were criminals though I did not have a choice.

But you would have had a choice.

I was born in possibly the worst place at the worst time (Abkhazia just as the USSR was coming to a close), yet I've used the experience that's given me to turn that into success.

It's not about where/which environment you've grown up in, but what you've done with your life that makes it important.

Southend1

theoretica wrote: »

To contribute to the legal question, the civil service appear to think something similar is legal
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/civil-service/about/equality-and-diversity

'We will not unlawfully discriminate in any aspect of employment[...]Summer Diversity Internship schemes to welcome in young people from diverse backgrounds. "

Welcoming people from diverse backgrounds is completely different from welcoming people from diverse backgrounds as long as they aren't white!

kwmlondon

Southend1 wrote: »

While the point about BAME people and women being underrepresented at professorial level is valid, I think you're somewhat misguided regarding the make up of the student and academic population. I work in a university and I can assure you it is extremely diverse. My department had over 100 postgraduate students this year and while there were a few white faces, the majority were black or Asian. The teaching staff in the department are pretty diverse too - until recently we had two professors in our group, both of whom were of Asian origin.

Totally - you're right. We have no problem at all with our student composition, well, actually we have an issue with over-representation of people from public schools but we're trying to rework our selection criteria to identify people with potential rather than just grades. It's really tough, but I digress.

My observation is that it's easy to find academics (and professors, especially) from Japan, China etc. so you see representation of Asian people in the higher echelons of education. It filters through into the aspirations of British-Asian pupils, and makes them believe that they can aspire to and achieve a successful career in a university.

I don't think we have the same visibility of BEM people at higher levels and that means that BEM students regularly feed back that they don't have the same role models and support that people from other background do and it shows in the abysmal numbers of black professors.

kwmlondon

theoretica wrote: »

I strongly suspect that this internship is not an opportunity which is being denied to white people - but rather an opportunity specially created for ethnic minorities. If they were not permitted to restrict the applicants I doubt anyone would get the funded internship.

As with the academic roles mentioned earlier, I can see that for some jobs an aspect of the job includes 'role model'. As we have not yet got to the stage where Patrick Moore is or was held up as a role model for girls interested in science gender, race and other protected characteristics may be very relevant and part of the job. In some cases it will be possible to recruit the best person from the applicants available for a senior job, but if good applicants with the desired characteristics are not applying then efforts further downstream are needed. One less controversial example is when a youth orchestras had a shortage of cellists so free cello lessons were organised in local primary schools. It isn't a perfect match as the kids of course had the option to choose free cello lessons or pay for trumpet lessons, but does show an example of addressing a shortage of applicants several years earlier in their careers.

I agree. I think that's a better way of looking at it than the perspective I've put forward. Thank you.

Southend1

kwmlondon wrote: »

Totally - you're right. We have no problem at all with our student composition, well, actually we have an issue with over-representation of people from public schools but we're trying to rework our selection criteria to identify people with potential rather than just grades. It's really tough, but I digress.

My observation is that it's easy to find academics (and professors, especially) from Japan, China etc. so you see representation of Asian people in the higher echelons of education. It filters through into the aspirations of British-Asian pupils, and makes them believe that they can aspire to and achieve a successful career in a university.

I don't think we have the same visibility of BEM people at higher levels and that means that BEM students regularly feed back that they don't have the same role models and support that people from other background do and it shows in the abysmal numbers of black professors.

Agreed. I do know of one black female professor who is an excellent role model for young black people (http://www.brad.ac.uk/management/about-the-school/our-people/profile/?name=ncorneli) but there is a long way to go before gender and race equality is achieved at professorial level

theoretica

theoretica wrote: »

To contribute to the legal question, the civil service appear to think something similar is legal
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/civil-service/about/equality-and-diversity

'We will not unlawfully discriminate in any aspect of employment[...]Summer Diversity Internship schemes to welcome in young people from diverse backgrounds. "

Southend1 wrote: »

Welcoming people from diverse backgrounds is completely different from welcoming people from diverse backgrounds as long as they aren't white!

If you look up the 'Summer Diversity Internship' and you will see it has very similar restrictions to the media internship in question.

SnooksNJ

Bantex wrote: »

No typing error. The OP refers to an organisation with a blatent "no whites" policy.

I do not agree with any form of official discrimination.

It's insulting to minorities that this charity feels they need special help in order to get a job.
Anyway, Does anyone know who monitors charities because I would like to complain about this one.

theoretica

SnooksNJ wrote: »

Anyway, Does anyone know who monitors charities because I would like to complain about this one.

The Charity Commission