Diversity schemes for young people - mixed race child.

If your son feels his heritage has not disadvantaged him then he probably shouldnt apply. However - his skin is pale but you say he might be taken for Spanish or Greek. His school will have known of his heritage and he may have met some prejudice because of it. Does his name also suggest a different heritage?

If he feels he has suffered some disadvantage then he can apply and talk about it should he get as far as an interview. It's always possible that if he gets a foot in the door by utilising this scheme they may give him another job that is not part of this scheme.

This.

I suspect he has been though - indirectly via you and the family finances even if not directly.

What I am trying to say here is that if you were discriminated against then that would impact the finances of the family he grew up in.

You can't create a level playing field by creating an unfair un-level playing field. I agree it should be equal. By the very nature of this scheme makes it unfair for white people and any other people who may be suitable for the position.

A level playing field is attained by making the job vacancy OPEN and then choosing the BEST most capable candidate, regardless of their colour or heritage. To assume that people hiring will be racist is nonsensical. It's in their own best interest to hire the the most competent person for the position.

My Chinese DH was outright told “We don’t have anyone like you working here”. Hope that helps.

I'm not sure if you're naive and wildly ignorant of how much inequality still exists, or whether you're just choosing to play dumb. There is plenty of reading material out there if you genuinely want to learn.

Yellow, pink and orange people? WTF?

We do all have equal rights under the law. Unfortunately, there is abundant research which shows that those rights cannot be equally accessed or enforced by all.

You might not want to acknowledge that there is inequality baked into virtually every aspect of our society but it is real, even if you choose to look away or stick your fingers in your ears and stop listening. I find it rather sad that you are so resentful about the very small number of schemes which exist to try and make a tiny dent in that inequality.

White people really aren't being disadvantaged here.

How though, I understand all too well why they say these schemes exist. My point is that there is no evidence of what they claim. Our laws address this specifically in giving everyone an equal opportunity. This scheme only offers opportunity based on an outcome where the only person getting the job is already determined to be someone of a certain skin colour.

Because we live in a capitalist society I actually believe if a company wants to be racist in their hiring practice go ahead. They'll naturally fail on their own as they're cutting out a large portion of the available talent.

People are at an unfair disadvantage due to characteristics that they have no choice over without these schemes, though. That's the whole point.

Taking positive action to create a level playing field is not putting white people at a disadvantage. It's about trying to even things out.

Black people, or brown, yellow, pink, orange and whatever colour they may be, ALL have equal rights under British law. That's the way it ought to be. There is NO justification for these schemes. They create jobs for those that may not deserve them.

What rights do white people have that any other rece doesn't in the UK?

Why are jobs not given based on ability anymore? Since when did this become a thing ( I’m mixed race btw - so are my kids) has your child been disadvantaged in anyway that you feel they would need to apply for this?

I've seen all the apparent 'research'. There's no research by any reputable organisation that haven't got an agenda from a political perspective.

Besides I've asked if you think it's fair, therfore to hire based on heritage or skin colour above merit which you seem to think it is? This puts people at an unfair disadvantage due to characteristics they had no choice over. That's never good.

A level playing field is exactly what we want. What we need to recognise is that we don't have that right now, which is why these schemes exist.

Treating people fairly does not necessarily equate to treating everyone in exactly the same way.

I think it is a very personal decision. I agree with the pp who suggests that he should reflect honestly on whether or not he feels that he has been disadvantaged by his heritage. If he feels that he has, then I see no harm in him applying for the scheme, assuming that he fits the criteria. If, however, he doesn't really believe that he has been disadvantaged in any significant way, then he should probably leave the place for someone who genuinely needs that step up simply in order to compete on a level playing field with everyone else. I don't think strangers on the Internet will be in a position to judge this.

My gut response is that, if it feels wrong to him to take advantage of the scheme, then it probably is wrong. But you may have a different perspective, as obviously, the disadvantages that someone can face are not always immediately obvious.

Is it an even playing field at the moment, has it ever been?

The criteria isn't brown skin, it's Carribean heritage which he has.

This is well known. The evidence is already there if @Alicealig cares to do her own research, which no doubt she won't, but will deny that this happens.

I think that these programmes exist is a terrible idea.

And even if you think it’s a good idea in what way do you think he would otherwise be discriminated against - his looks, his name? By your description no-one would even think he had black heritage. Does your conscience think it should go to a child who fits the programme more than your DS?

Jobs should be awarded on merit only. Surely that's what we all want ... an even playing field.

I think it's fair to ask yourself if he's suffered discrimination because of his background as that would affect my decision. And think about general level of privilege. It can be easy for these schemes to look like they are addressing racial problems but really they are picking kids who've had a relatively easy ride in life. Of course those big societal issues aren't something you can fix as a single employer.

The other thing you could think about is is this an employer that has a bit of a narrow set of people it employs and would your son help balance that in some way? Not saying it's his job to, but it might be a reason why he would feel more justified in applying as it would be in the spirit of the scheme.

In any case I salute his sense of fairness and thoughtfulness.

Correct, they should be. That is not what has always happened though is it?

Research confirms that white bias exists in UK hiring practices.

He has Caribbean heritage so if that is what is required then that is what he has. I think he should definitely go for it. This is about widening diversity and about not just having white people in the company, it's not reserved only for those who have experienced a specific amount of god awful racism in their lives. 'Not black enough' is pretty god damn offensive IMO.

I'd encourage him to apply for a couple and see how he feels/how it goes. It could be a fantastic opportunity for him. DS has Asperger's syndrome and was very reluctant to tell anyone when he was applying for things, but actually it got him the perfect place where he really fitted in. He learned a lot about companies from the process and seeing how he was treated. Your son might find the same.

This. Jobs etc should be handed out on ability, nothing else.🤷‍♀️

What barriers have they faced? And if they have, you are advocating that this is the right way forward. Surely two wrongs don't make a right and it discriminate against young people who had nothing to do with any of that. Surely today we should be pushing the fact that skin pigmentation plays NO part in job hiring.

I've never seen this. Could you provide any evidence of this to get a further understanding of what you're on about. I've had many jobs and not a single one have ever specified anything whatsoever even relating to race or skin colour.