To Think that Grad & Apprenticeships are now only for Diversity Candidates

[reallyreallycrazy]

Slight hyperbole but not far off.

Yes, of course I suppose my DS should be appreciative of his 'white privilege' (I do detest the term though), but he's been applying to over 100 x spring & summer internships and apprenticeships.

Invariably, he finds that lots of programmes are only open to black/female/social mobility/ND candidates. In one recent case - a global consultancy - there were NO openings for anyone outside of these categories.

And today, on LinkedIn, he forwarded me several links from leading banks reaching out about apprenticeships etc. In most photos, you might be lucky to spot 1-2 white males and in the video of one, there were not a single white male (or female for that matter).

I get that these firms need to do outreach to disadvantaged groups but if you look at the population level percentage of the various group categories, this really has swung too far the other way.

I get that many of these organisations have years to catch up with diversity hires but to try to rebalance in such an aggressive way and in a short space of time, makes it very difficult for young, white males (unless they have qualified for 'free school meals') to get a foot in the door which is especially tough in an incredibly tough grad market as it is.

It's everywhere unfortunately now and it isn't necessarily doing anyone any favours.

I recently went through a process for a very senior role. It the sort of role that only very small number of people are appointed to nationally. Over 1000 people applied and went through a very detailed and rigorous 9 stage process. I got down to the last three. I was then told that it was effectively tie break and diversity criteria would be applied. I then got through to the last two (presumably on the strength of being female) and then I didn't get through the final diversity screen so presumably there was another criterion applied. Its ridiculous. I shouldn't even have been awarded additional points for being female since it very much isn't a role that required the use of my vagina. It should always be the best person for the job. If that person is a white male then so be it.

My son experienced the same. He applied to many highly competitive graduates roles after graduating (from one of the worse unis, ), and did really well getting to the final stage for three roles.

He said that during the interview, the majority of candidates were white males, but when you look at the pictures of the new recruits, they only represent 20%.

You can turn it around as one wished but they are proportionally less likely to be offered the role every else is equal.

Like someone upthread said, there are tick boxes. Some would say that it's HR who are merely monitoring intake but I have insider knowledge that it doesn't seem to be just for this. Might be wrong.

But, yes, there are lots of programmes closed to certain groups - you can see many listed here:

https://app.the-trackr.com/uk-finance/spring-weeks

Of course, that still leaves many opportunities but it just seems that it's swung a bit too far and the whole AI selection is very demoralising too.

A couple of senior people said they get so many applications that all successful applicants are high achieving, but that there is definitely less holistic candidates now - i.e. those with other interest outside of academia and made in their view for less diverse teams (not in terms of gender/colour etc) but in terms of experience and personality!

That does seem rather unfair. Does the ND requirement require medical evidence? ND is a very vague and broad term these days and many people seem to self identity as it.

What are your son's grades please?

But grades are only a part of it. My son got rejected from many grad schemes because he didn't fit the work culture. Or the personality tests. It is a lottery and people with very high grades often do not make it.

I might add we are not disadvantaged or working class in any way except for colour of skin.

Astar Astar A plus EPQ Astar but in STEM and top humanities subjects. But as I say, no issue if others are better it was just today seeing on the website of this big consultancy firm that they only had programmes open for first year uni students for black/women/social mobility.

That's a fair point, I do think there are issues with the nuances of diversity schemes. I know an Indian young woman who I would consider quite privileged - her father is a professor, she went to Henrietta Barnet school - who is on an access scheme for a competitive profession. However I think in the main they are a good thing overall.

So he's managed to apply to 100+ schemes but also so many schemes are only open to Black/refugee/ND applications? Both of those things are true?

Organisations only set up those schemes if their intake doesn't reflect the general population, or if they think they would benefit from a more diverse workforce. Often, it's that an organisation sets aside 1 or 2 places for applicants from these categories who might otherwise be deselected via interviews or applications, sometimes because of unconscious bias (e.g. the ND candidate makes less eye contact so appears less confident in their material).

I'm also sorry that your son felt discouraged at not being able to see himself in an advert. When he gets the job, they'll likely be lots of white faces in the room, if that's a worry for him. Though 25-30% of UK students are Black and Global Majority, so cohort demographics are rapidly changing and 20% non-white grad intake would be reflective of this if not a little lower than demographics.

The grad market is tough. It's even tougher if your parents don't know what a global consultancy is. Your son is still starting from a position several strides ahead of others on the starting line. I can fully appreciate that its a demoralising process, but I'm not sure saying "it's so much easier for students from xyz background look at all these schemes for them" is the right response. Maybe he could think about joining a union and trying to improve rights for workers and reduce the power of large employers?

What do you mean by 'a huge problem in getting disadvantaged students in'?

In what way is it a problem?

My son has 4 Astars in Math, Further Math, Physics and Chemistry. Everybody he knows who got a place had those grades. Some were black or women, but they still had those grades!
Some were rejected because they didn't take FM.

Exactly - the stupid tests - often AI - that determine whether at age 21 you are a dab hand at situational judgements.

Dd just was asked, “Describe a time when you had to lead a team during a period of instability”. Wth? This is for a grad scheme not a senior crisis management position.

Isn't it still the case that most summer schemes are for second year students? In which case, the purpose of this scheme would be to give a taster for students from groups who are less likely to apply to and perhaps less likely to be selected for the second year scheme? So it's in addition to, rather than instead of.

(If first year summer placements are a really common thing now, I stand corrected.)

But they are expecting a 21 year old’s version of that answer. Not a senior managers.

I’m pretty sure both my kids could make a reasonable attempt at answering that question based on experiences in part time work and extracurriculars.

The answer they are looking for is about how you worked with others to resolve a difficult situation.

Ever since I started teaching we were taught that the worst achieving children with the poorest outcomes were poor white boys.
https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/203/education-committee/news/156024/forgotten-white-workingclass-pupils-let-down-by-decades-of-neglect-mps-say/
I did hear a Labour MP recently on Radio 4 explaining that this is the real issue in education today.
Most London Grammar schools are dominated by minority ethnic groups.There is no such representation from poor white boys. There are influential people now fighting to change this. Wes Streeting is one such campaigner.
I remember one pupil from an ethnic minority who had six brothers and sisters. All went to Oxbridge. None of them were startingly clever. His male classmates from ordinary and poor backgrounds did not stand a chance.
Look up the proportion of poor white boys in Higher Education compared to ethnic minority students. Don't take my word for it. There has to be a campaign to recruit more students from poor white backgrounds. Otherwise you have significantly disadvantaged groups who are the feeding ground for far right groups.

We can’t ask for ethnicity on job applications here, as those are protected characteristics. I’m so surprised the UK can. (Except to ask if they are indigenous or Torres Strait island people, in which case they’ll be offered the option to enter a different recruitment pathway if they want it). I don’t know anything about that tracker but is it accurate? Or is it just based on who completes it and algorithms?

I do send sympathy. I often see white males passed over in favour of inferior females (of all backgrounds) but not really at the grad stage. More at the Partner/MD level.

She could have spoken about a sports team, a volunteering team, a school project team....

And the photos are generally aspirational rather than a reflection of reality. Often if a company is focusing on specific hires it is because there is currently little to no diversity in their teams. There is growing evidence that diverse teams get better business results so it makes sense for companies to hire non middle-class white males.

"When you're accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression."

My ExH used to work in investment banking.

one of the banks he works for now sponsors a school in inner London and their work experience programme (the state school one for 14 year olds) is only open to students from that school.

they run a number of internships and grad experience programmes which are aimed at different populations. Some of these are only open to people who fit various criteria.

the general intake however is open to everyone and always has been.

Yes I've been looking for my eldest too, and noticed the exact same thing. Seems really unfair as it's completely swung the other way!

That is my understanding too though I would have to check wt DS.

@Idrinklotsofcoffee
Please indicate the research that shows this in relation to poor white boys. For the last fifty years they have been at the bottom of the pile in terms of educational achievement and in relation to other determiners of success. Most don't stand a chance. There is no equality for them.

Often they release schemes in tranches. So it may be that there is a specific scheme for underrepresented minorities and then later or earlier in the year there will be one which is open to everyone. The BBC does the same thing through their extend program but they also have opportunities open to everybody. Keep looking

https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-statistic-that-explains-why-white-working-class-children-do-so-badly/

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/08/30/why-white-children-fail-the-race-divide-in-english-schools/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-57558746

“Diversity Candidates”.

🙄