BME Participation in Northwest SET

1. BME Participation inNorthwest SET Dr Kate Booth – Project Manager Dr Haifa Takruri-Rizk – Co-project Manager Dr Lalith Welamedage – Research Fellow Dr Kamel Mansi – Research Fellow Anne Millan – Administrator Dissemination Workshop, University of Salford, 21st June 2007

2. Aims of the project To improve the participation of black and minority ethnic students and graduates in SET degrees and occupations in the Northwest

3. The regional position • Skills base ‘critical to the economic development of the region’ • Exploitation of the science base and R&D by implementing the Northwest science strategy is important to the Regional Economic Strategy • SET skills are an important part of this growth • BME students are over-represented in SET degrees compared to their proportion in the population (UK and Northwest) However…..

4. Premise of the research • BME groups do not do as well as their white counterparts. For example, in 2001/2002*: • BME groups have more difficulty in getting jobs *Sources: Connor, H. et.al (2004) Why the difference? A closer look at Higher Education minority ethnic students and graduates, DFES Publications, London. Jones, P. and P. Elias (2005) Science, Engineering & Technology and the UK’s ethnic minority population, Royal Society, London.

5. Conceptual Model Motivating Factors Undergraduates and graduates Self-motivation/ personal factors Family members: father, mother, brother/sister Mentors, teachers, friends etc) Career choice Networking and community Social capital of household Role models

6. Conceptual Model Hindering Factors Undergraduates and graduates Personal factors & family Economic factors (Labour market supply & demand) Lack of initiatives/ university Career choice Equality & diversity (Discrimination?) Other obstacles Skills for employability

7. Key Themes • Labour market supply and demand • Employer requirements and employability • Social capital and networking • Career choice and progression • Equality and diversity

8. Profile of Respondents Undergraduates • 1100 questionnaires distributed • 102 responses (9.3%) • 68 White (67%) • 34 BME (33%) • 7 face-to-face interviews Graduates • 842 questionnaires distributed • 66 responses (7.6%) • 35 White (53%) • 31 BME (47%) • 11 face-to-face interviews

9. Profile of Respondents Employers • 2400 questionnaires distributed • 45 responses (2%) • 7 face-to-face interviews • Sector: • 53.4% SET (24) • 46.6% Other (21) • Size: • 29% Micro (13) • 33.3% Small (15) • 24.4% Medium (11) • 13.3% Large (6) 1 4 29 1 10

10. Labour Market Supply & Demand • Supply side (Undergraduates) • More BME than white students want a career in SET (76.5% vs 64.7%) …but.. • BME students are more pessimistic about their future career prospects in SET • BME students are less inclined to stay in the Northwest after graduation (29.4% vs 57.4%), but more are undecided (55.9% vs 26.5%)

11. Labour Market Supply & Demand • Supply side (Undergraduates) “I think it used to be good but in the last few years it’s not as good. I mean there’s only about nine or ten people on a course and I’m guessing that only three or four people are gonna go into the industry just because there’s not that many jobs. Yeah, will be competitive, very competitive.” (BME undergraduate) “Not many SET companies but many consultancy firms.” (White undergraduate) “I have a positive mind in the sense that I think there will be a demand, a demand for scientists or IT specialists, all that. Mainly because of the way the world of technology is evolving.” (BME undergraduate) “With the BBC rumoured to move to Manchester things are looking bright.” (White undergraduate)

12. Labour Market Supply & Demand • Supply side (Graduates) • More BME than white graduates are doing jobs closely related to their degrees (64.7% vs 50.0%) but.. • BME graduates tend to find jobs outside the Northwest

13. Labour Market Supply & Demand Supply side (Graduates) • Degree not related to job…. “The qualifications I got are not enough for a job in the degree subject I studied.” (BME graduate) “Wanted a job that was not lab based. Only after working did I realise what I would like to pursue as a career.” (BME graduate) “Company business is related, position isn't. No adequate experience in my field of knowledge.” (White graduate) “Lack of interesting employment opportunities in local area.” (White graduate)

14. Labour Market Supply & Demand Supply side (Graduates) • About the job market “I chose it (degree programme) because, it was something that was quite popular and, it was something that there was good chance of getting a job. …..” (BME graduate) “..When I was in university, all you heard from lecturers and students was there are no jobs. It’s hard to find jobs. But now I am in industry, all I hear is, there are not enough high calibre graduates out there.” (BME graduate) “There are more useful degrees in relation to employment prospects/fields. Probably not as interesting as physics though!” (White graduate)

15. Labour Market Supply & Demand Demand side (Employers) “We really struggle. …. you don’t get the percentage of ethnic minorities that you would expect. Out of say 200 people come to an event, you may get five, six ethnic minority people come in. At the bigger recruitment events, we get a high proportion of foreign students coming looking for generally undergraduate work, some graduate scheme things but in general it’s a very low percentage that actually come to the events.” (Large SET Employer) “Very few. Quite why I am not sure but in the last three rounds of recruitment, we’ve only had one person who is from an ethnic background apply.” (Small SET Employer)

16. Employer requirements& Employability • Undergraduates “Yeah I think for an employer to hire me, what they’ll be looking for is how best I can deliver what I’ve learnt already. So I will say, my experience plus my degree will have to go hand in hand, … So I think the two, the experience and the degree, is what I think. Plus the skills.” (BME student) • Employers “In the first instance, it’s got to be technical skills. There has to be a certain level of technical experience or qualification if you like …we look for people who are going to probably fit in with the team.” (Small SET employer)

17. Employer requirements& Employability • Undergraduates • More BME than white students want to do or have done a work placement (58.8% vs 48.5%) • Graduates • Fewer BME than white graduates did placements (37.0% vs 47.1%) • Fewer BME than white graduates felt that a placement had positively influenced their career prospects (70.0% vs 80.0%)

18. Employer requirements& Employability Undergraduates “Because (a) job placement give me a job experience while I am earning money. A degree with a job placement is a good advantage.” (BME Student) “More chance or getting a job in the field I want if I have experience in that field along with my degree.” (White student) Graduates “My placement don’t seem to have as much influence when seeking a job in my career.” (BME graduate) “Many people I work with started at the company on placement years so I think it enhances employment prospects.” (White graduate)

19. Social Capital & Networking Undergraduates • More BME than white students had non-standard entry qualifications (54.2% vs 27.3%) • More BME students tended to work longer hours while studying • More BME than white students had close family members who have a done a degree (55.0% vs 50.0%)

20. Social Capital & Networking Graduates • 8 out of 11 graduates who found a job immediately after graduation had done placements • Informal methods are one of the most often used recruitment methods used by employers

21. Career Choice & Progression Undergraduates • BME and White students most influenced by own interest • Family influence is greater for BME students • Teacher influence is greater for White students

22. Career Choice & Progression Graduates • Similar patterns to undergraduates in career choice influences • Fewer BME found jobs in the first 6 months than White (51.6% vs 74.3%) • Ratio of job applications to job offers much higher for BME than White (17.6 to 1 vs 7.6 to 1) • BME graduates had made less career progression than White graduates

23. Career Choice & Progression Graduates - about recruitment methods “It was a nightmare because there is no real specialist organisation out there who can help individuals achieve or get the job they need……The problem is again, they (employers) look at your degree classification, look at your experience. They want to know where you’ve worked…….They’ll refuse you blatantly for not having experience.” (BME graduate) “80% of the jobs (are) not for fresh graduates.” (BME graduate) “CV/letters to companies, applications on internet. In Jan 2004, I gained a place on Salford University's Graduate Gateway Scheme from which I found my current employer.” (White graduate)

24. Career Choice & Progression Graduates - about skills “..a lot of things that you do when you start working, you actually learn on the job. …. first degree is just an indication that ….. you have a certain level of intellect. But I think sort of personal skills, soft skills that employers are looking for.” (BME graduate) “Qualification does matter. …..employers were more interested in portfolios more than like the qualifications, …the skills … the actual work. And they think there’s the gap between the academic and the professional life.” (BME graduate) “Increase in technical understanding. Stronger communication and inter-personal skills.” (White graduate) “I am more mature, I can work under pressure and I am much more responsible.” (White graduate)

25. Career Choice & Progression Employers • Only 53.3% have an Human Resource Development policy • Only 46.7% have a training budget

26. Career Choice & Progression • Employers “We set out career paths for them and we carry out annual appraisals….. We are very committed to training. …. If somebody, any of our employees come to us and say, “Right I’d like to go on that training course” if there are benefits for us, for the company and benefits for the individual then we would support it.” (Medium SET company) “We provide technical training definitely. In the … market training’s extremely expensive so we do try and encourage engineers to do a certain amount of self study and the majority are self study in fact. I’ve introduced a scheme for engineers to take study leave. …. I give them two days off in the month leading to an exam.” (Small SET company)

27. Equality & Diversity Undergraduates • 60% of BME students felt unable to say whether or not their ethnicity would affect their career • Only 17.6% of BME students said it would not • Greatest barrier to pursuing a SET career perceived by BME students was racial discrimination • Views of some BME undergraduates “Being of black origin and female, I feel that I am not and would not be in the near future be taken seriously.” “Inequality: by this I mean, if I am treated unfairly and as a result I am not able to get a job I am well suited and qualified for.” “I feel my name affects my chances as I am Muslim, especially since the war on terror.”

28. Equality & Diversity Undergraduates • Views of White undergraduates “I think that it is upsetting to think that it can, but hope that it does not.” “It shouldn't affect your career what matters is personality and knowledge of the subject.” • But White undergraduates also had concerns “Being a single white male. Everyone else gets positive discrimination to some extent.”

29. Equality & Diversity Graduates • 17.2% BME graduates said they had been subjected to unfair treatment at work “Working for …… in third year out I was made to be scapegoat. People at ….. did not treat me fair and square unlike other colleagues at work who came same time as me, which led me to further problems down the line in my career.” • Some did something about it “I am now…. BME rep & am the lead for a pilot project to tackle racism at (the) workplace ….. “ • Most did not “Nothing, ignored.” • Own perceptions on ethnicity “I think the impression from people usually …. is not really that good. So they have to have really exceptional skills. Not just normal skills like people who were raised here or who studied here all their lives.”

30. Equality & Diversity Employers • Only 31.1% of organisations categorised employees according to the 2001census But … • 40% of organisations believed that their share of BME employees was above or equal to regional average • The use of E&D policies and practices is varied …

31. Equality & Diversity Employers • … as is the use of specific policies for BMEs

32. Equality & Diversity Employers • Recruitment “We have very strict rules on recruitment and we will not ever discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, creed. We will talk to anybody, we will take CVs off anybody, we’ll consider everybody.” (Large SET Employer) “Colour doesn’t come into it, race doesn’t come in.” (Micro SET Employer) • Diversity training “Well we’ve got things like …. the mouse-mat’s got core values on it. Then we’ve got posters on the walls, itemising what the company’s philosophy is. We’ve got booklets on everybody’s desk explaining what the equality and diversity policy is. It goes out with every recruitment folder. So the potential recruits are aware of what the policy is and say every six weeks, every two months, there will be a refresher on what it’s about and how the company plays it out and what they look for in the staff when they’re dealing with various members of the public and members of staff. Anybody who’s recruited has to go through an induction course. And that’s generally introduced by the Chief Exec, because it is so high priority.” (Medium SET Employer)

33. Recommendations Supply and Demand, Career Choice & Progression • Need to capitalise on the desire of the group to pursue SET careers • Need to find role models and promote them • Need to promote a greater awareness of SET employers in the NW • Graduates need to have more realistic expectations • Employers need to recognise the importance of value-added benefits • Recruitment methods need to be reviewed

34. Recommendations Employability, Social Capital and Networking • Promote skills development – employer expectations are universal and certain skills are necessary for successful employment • Don’t treat the student body as a whole – promote social and professional networking • Recognise influence of peers/family/family background – promote cultural awareness within HEIs for students

35. Recommendations Equality & Diversity • Number one ‘barrier’ for BME students and 60% of BME students ‘don’t know’ if their ethnicity will affect their career • Companies need to collect ethnicity data (as recommended by CRE) and do something with it • Companies need to have EO policies, apply them from the top, and promote that they are applying them

36. Contact Details Kate Booth k.m.booth@salford.ac.uk Haifa Takruri-Rizk h.takruri-rizk@salford.ac.uk