DIVERSITY BRIEFINGS – SOCIAL DISADVANTAGE

The Employer’s Perspective

Definitions

Social Class

Actually defining social class can be a difficult task. There is currently no legislation covering this area.

Social Disadvantage

As the Welsh Assembly Government indicates, social disadvantage has complex causes and there is no single or simple solution.

Specific Issues

Higher Education Institutions use a number of factors to determine those from under-represented socio-economic groups. These include parental occupation, postcode, level of educational attainment of your parents or attendance at a particular school. None of these are particularly accurate indicators of social background. The individuals who fall within this classification are incredibly diverse.

During the past two decades, the provision of higher education within the UK has been greatly expanded. There are several initiatives directed at attracting people from non-traditional backgrounds. However, despite an overall increase in representation across all social groups, the gap between the levels of participation of affluent and less advantaged young people has remained. So, although there has been an increase in the numbers of university entrants from non-traditional backgrounds in recent years, these individuals may have been enjoying less success within higher education, according to research for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

When recruiting employees from diverse backgrounds it is perhaps helpful to be aware of some of the main reasons for this:

• Students from disadvantaged backgrounds are more likely to drop out of courses or to forego the opportunity to progress to more advanced courses.
• They are also more likely to follow complicated paths within higher education, including deferred enrolment, gap-years and switching, repeating or restarting their courses for non-academic reasons.

The factors behind these difficulties are:

• Unfamiliarity with higher education – this can lead people from non-traditional backgrounds to enrol on inappropriate courses. In many cases they will be the first in their families to enter university.
• A lack of financial security – this limits the choice of course and the lengths of time people are prepared to stay in higher education before having to find a full-time job.
• Debt worries – from student loans and other borrowing. Concerns about debt appear to be a much greater barrier to students staying in higher education rather than the sums they have actually borrowed.
• Costs – living away from home or the costs of commuting limit the choice of institutions that some students may be able to attend.
• Isolation and low morale – among students who feel a culture clash between university life and their home backgrounds. Sometimes students feel they have trouble ‘fitting in’. Others will deliberately choose courses according to whether or not they think they will feel out of place.

Although many major employers have embraced the need to make sure that their recruitment methods are fair to disabled students or students from ethnic minorities, the same degree of effort is not yet being made to widen recruitment in terms of social class. Understanding the mechanisms of discrimination may increase the chances of overcoming it.

In theory standardised application systems, as used by the major graduate recruiters, offer equal chances to everyone. Also theoretically, a 2:1 from a new university should be of the same standard as one from Oxbridge. At the same time any recruiters who face large numbers of applicants will look for ways of narrowing them down. One familiar tactic is to demand a certain level of UCAS points, which are most likely to be attained by someone who had a good secondary education, possibly via independent schools. Another approach is to target selected universities (whose students may have the same high level of UCAS points).

However, the general profile of a graduate is changing. Increasingly employers are recognising the benefits of having a diverse workforce and businesses realise that a diverse workforce is more successful if it reflects the community it serves.

Graduates from certain social backgrounds have expressed concerns over the recruitment process. Some of these issues are outlined below:

• The process of interview and particularly the very close scrutiny undergone by candidates in assessment centres favours the self-confident.
• Employer selection methods can indirectly discriminate against those from particular backgrounds. For example preferences for applicants to have undertaken various activities abroad. However, evidence of work experience and voluntary activities undertaken in the UK are valuable forms of personal development.
• Strong regional accents cause some concern for certain people. However, the proportion of people who speak with Received Pronunciation nowadays is extremely small. Regional accents are acceptable, for example, throughout radio and television. Communication skills are important for the majority of jobs, so you need people with the ability to express themselves clearly and precisely.
• Some professions are seen as ‘middle class’. A certain amount of truth attaches to this statement although many organisations, appreciating the benefits of a diverse workforce, are placing more emphasis on an indication of having the required skills to do the job.
• Some employers may regard those living at home while studying as ‘risk averse’. There are many other reasons why an individual has remained at home whilst completing their studies.

Resources

ACAS

The Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service. Aims to improve organisations and working life through better employment relations.

All types of placement vacancies across the UK

CRE

Commission for Racial Equality. A non-governmental body set up to tackle racial discrimination and promote racial equality.

DTI

Department for Trade and Industry.

Eight week summer paid placements in England and Scotland

EOC

Equal Opportunities Commission. The main agency working to eliminate sex discrimination.

GO Wales

Placements and work tasters are open to all students and graduates irrespective of age or disability.

Prospects

Information on a wide range of careers issues

Racial Equality Unit

The lead government department concerned with race equality issues.

TIGER

Tailored Interactive Guidance on Employment Rights. Designed to provide a user-friendly guide through different aspects of UK employment law.