3 February 2010

million+ comment on Race for Opportunity report

Commenting on the Race for Opportunity report: ‘Race into Higher Education’, Pam Tatlow, Chief Executive of the university think tank million+, said: “The under-representation of black, Asian and minority ethnic graduates in senior management positions is a serious issue. However, this will not be resolved by relying on old-fashioned assumptions that BAME graduates can only succeed if they study at a handful of universities.

“Over a quarter of all black, Asian and minority ethnic students study at 28 modern universities. These graduates are highly talented. There are Government Ministers who are graduates of these universities and who were highly successful in their professional careers before they entered Parliament. The challenge is to ensure that employers do not discriminate in their recruitment practices on the basis of which universities BAME students attend.“

ENDS

Notes to editors:
1. million+ is a leading university think-tank, working to solve the complex problems in higher education www.millionplus.ac.uk
2. The Rt Hon Sadiq Khan MP, Transport Minister, graduated from the University of North London – now London Metropolitan University. The Attorney General, Baroness Scotland, is a graduate of Thames Valley University.
3. The Race for Opportunity report findings are based on analysis of the Office of National Statistics’ Labour Force Survey and the Higher Education Statistics Agency’s Student Record. The report can be downloaded here.
4. For more information, comment or interviews please contact Victoria Mills on 07900 277819