The lack of management and coaching jobs for black and ethnic minority footballers is highlighted in a new film from the Football Association.

The 11-minute film ‘COACH’ features Birmingham City’s Chris Hughton and Chris Powell of Charlton Athletic – the only two black or ethnic minority coaches out of 92 top-tier league clubs.

The aim is to show coaching as a full-time career option for the BME community with the hope of attracting a more diverse coaching culture at grassroots will filter through to the professional game.

FA Chairman David Bernstein said: “The film highlights the need for coaches to gain their qualifications and make the most of the opportunities available to them.

“We want football to be able to draw on coaches from the widest possible talent pool and I hope that the film will inspire a new generation of BME coaches.”

Football is a game of two halves for professionals – with many entering coaching and management when their playing careers end.

Although top-flight soccer clubs recruit on the basis of talent from different cultures and countries worldwide, when players blow the whistle on the full time game, the same diverse and ethnic mix is not reflected in those moving off-pitch in to management.

The Premier League – a terrific advertisement for cultural diversity on the pitch has no BME managers.

Premier League General Secretary Nic Coward said: “Quality coaching is vitally important and we all want to see coaches of the best ability being given the opportunity to progress in the game regardless of their backgrounds.”

Football League chairman Greg Clarke said: “The Football League fully supports this initiative as it is vitally important that the game does everything it can to help coaches from all backgrounds reach their full potential.

“In turn, this will make sure that the very best coaches are available to the English game and help move us forward.”

Almost four out of 10 benefit claimants who were considered too unfit to work are back on the jobs market after a reassessment of their condition.

On top of that, another two out of 10 were found able to work with the right help.

Thousands of people claiming Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) have lost their right to benefits and now have to find work.

To guide them, the government has launched a nationwide back to work programme.

The programme is aimed at helping the long term unemployed get back to work, while offering unconditional financial support to those who are too sick or disabled to take a job.

Around 1.3 million claimants were tested between October 2008 and last November – with 88,700 people found unfit to work.

Work and Pensions minister Steve Webb said: “These figures show that many people are able to work with the right help. We have strengthened the support now available tailoring it to individual needs so they can overcome whatever barriers they face.

“Those who cannot work will always receive our unconditional support but for those who can work it’s right that they get the help they need to get into employment.

“We are continuously improving the medical test to ensure that it is as fair and effective as possible.”

A review of the new assessment procedure also revealed 36% of ESA claimants close their application before assessment is complete, mainly due to recovery from short term conditions.

According to the figures, that leaves just 7% of previous ESA claimants assessed as unfit to work.

If someone is found fit for work, their ESA claim ceases, but they can request a second opinion or appeal the decision.

Labour initiated work capability assessments in 2008, and since then all new claimants have undergone a test.  ESA was paid out at the rate of around £8.7 billion a year until the tests reduced the numbers eligible for the benefit.

Diversity data published by law firm Linklaters about partners and employees gives a fascinating glimpse in to the social background of a leading legal practise.

The information is published after an announcement from the Legal Services Board requiring diversity data is compulsorily reported from December.

The data reveals an even education split for most partners – with 38% receiving a private education and 39% attending a state or grammar school. The rest were educated overseas or opted not to disclose their background.

The report also reveals the sexual orientation of Linklaters staff – with 4% of partners and 6% of trainees identifying themselves as lesbian, gay or bisexual.

Faith and beliefs highlights 8% of the UK partnership identifying themselves as of a religion other than Christian, rising to 13% for associates and 18% for trainees.

Linklaters head of human resources Jill King said: “We have been working on improving diversity within the firm for some time but this is the first time we have surveyed social mobility data.

“It coincides with the announcement by the LSB, but we are doing it because transparency around these issues fits in with our wider firm strategy. We are very supportive of the LSB’s decision to encourage all firms to follow our lead.”

“With regards to the statistics, it is not surprising that a large share of lawyers has a private education, but we believe highlighting these issues makes us more of aware of how we need to improve access to the profession in future.”

For a full copy of the report, go to http://www.linklaters.com/pdfs/mkt/london/4479_Diversity_Statistics_2011_FINAL.PDF

Meanwhile, David Morley, partner at legal firm Allen & Overy, wants law firms to draw from a more diverse group of candidates to stay ahead of rivals in a globalised market.

“The one thing that stands out is that if you come from an average or below average income family, the chances are less now than 30 years ago that you will make it into a career in law. That is a real shame; not just for fairness in society, but also for the profession,” he said.

Few of the obstacles barring women from advancing in business are likely to dissolve in the next 10 years, according to new research.

Most women see no end to hindrance to promotion and personal development in the foreseeable future despite calls from the government and European Union to give them more representation on FTSE100 company boards and at senior management levels.

The report ‘Working Women‘ is part of the Vision of Britain 2020 series published by financial services firm Friends Life, and reveals 55% of women believe the pay gulf between the sexes will still need bridging in 2020.

While 53% of women believe they will still struggle against male rivals to fill senior posts, but men see more equality by the end of the decade.

Only a third (31%) of men consider women will be paid significantly less for taking the same job, and three out of 10 believe women face any discrimination when vying for management jobs.

Motherhood and childcare present  the biggest work problems or women, according to the research.

Half (51%) of working mothers agree childcare is so expensive that returning to work after maternity leave does not make financial sense.

One in four working women spend at least 25% of their salary on childcare for under fives and urge employers to introduce more flexible working arrangements.

Most working women (88%) believe employers should cut their hours to ease family responsibilities without affecting career prospects.

Kim Clarke, Head of HR, Friends Life, said: “The glass ceiling preventing women from getting to the top is still a long way from being shattered. Britain also faces a lost army of mothers who are willing but unable to work because of the prohibitive cost of childcare, with serious implications for both the economy and family finances.

“The right flexible working policy and culture can help women in particular. Flexible working alongside mentoring can help foster a culture of understanding among senior management of the pressures facing women and can ultimately help both women and business prosper.”

Download a copy of The Working Women report from www.visionsofbritain2020.co.uk/workingwomen

Google is searching for talent as well as information from across the web in a new collaboration in London.

The search giant is taking part in encouraging school age teenagers to take up science, hands–on engineering and apprentice style competition to guide boys from under-represented backgrounds into higher education as part of the Generating Genius programme.

Mentors guide students on the programme through engineering summer schools and weekend events for five years – from aged 13 to 18.

“Early results of the program have been fantastic,” said Google director Adrian Joseph.

“All of the first participants to graduate from the program have received offers to attend elite universities this autumn. Around 95% of them are the first in their families to go on to higher education.

“Google’s funding is enabling Generating Genius to include girls this year for the first time, as well as helping to expand upon the computer science component of the program.”

The joint venture was launched by Mr Joseph, MP Simon Hughes and youth culture advisor Munira Mirza together with Generating Genius founder Tony Sewell.

“Generating Genius has clear outcomes that will work with students from the beginning of secondary school until they are ready for university. Our methods have proven success with boys about to study the sciences in the top UK universities, all of whom began the Generating Genius programme aged 11,” said Mr Sewell.

Generating Genius partners include universities, schools, charities and corporate sponsors.

Google explained joining the programme is part of the corporation’s commitment to help talented black youngsters from London gain computing and technology skills that underpin computer science degrees.

“We believe it’s crucial to get students engaged in computer science early and enable them to become creators—not just consumers—of technology,” said Mr Joseph.

Google also partners the Top Black Talent Program,  which recruits talented computer science students from African Caribbean Society chapters at universities for mentoring at Google.

Google mentors help students at talks and workshops, including career-focused sessions with resume and interviewing advice, plus technical discussions that provide insights in to the tech industry.

Over 8 out of 10 women who opt to take ex pat work assignments believe the move boosted their career prospects, according to a new study.

Almost all feel working overseas meets or exceeds their expectations, the findings of the fourth annual NatWest International Personal Banking (IPB) Quality of Life Index.

These successful women believe they are better equipped than men for their job, with greater communication skills, team building, and adaptability.

Many feel they have personal traits that makes success in different cultures easier for them.

Despite improved career prospects, only 33% of women believe they have equal status to men in the countries where they are working, with just 13% saying there is parity.

The greatest gender parity is in Canada.

The main reasons given for the unequal status are male stereotyping and preconceptions of women (26%), exclusion from informal communications networks (21%), and lack of influential mentors (19%).

Professional women abroad either work permanently in the country in which they are living (76%) or work in various countries (24%). Of the latter, the majority (69%) work for UK companies on temporary assignments abroad.

The US, Canada and Australia are consistently the top countries preferred by ex pats on temporary contracts – although in most cases the popularity of certain countries does not match where recruitment demand is greatest, like the Middle East and Asia.

Banking and finance are the most popular sectors for women working abroad, with a quarter (24%) starting careers in this sector. Marketing and retailing are also a popular choice (15.5%), as is publishing (15.5%).

Dave Isley, head of NatWest IPB said: “It’s clear working abroad is a popular option for women. The improvement to their career prospects and the quality of their work life both highlight why so many women are happy to take the plunge and venture into foreign climes.

“With over half of women working abroad saying it exceeds their expectations, things are looking sunny abroad. For women looking to fast track to promotion, moving abroad could be an option for them. For short stints working abroad, it’s interesting that the US, Canada and Australia are consistently at the top of the table as popular destinations.”

Child poverty campaigners are challenging the government’s intention to cut housing benefits on the grounds the action is unfair to black and other ethnic minority groups. The Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) is taking the government to a judicial review before the High Court in London in a bid to overturn the proposals. Lawyers will argue that housing benefit cuts will make a huge swathe of Central London a no-go area by pricing tenants out of privately renting homes. CPAG also claims the cuts are unfair to lone parents, blacks and other minority groups because the cuts ignore equality laws. Child Poverty Action Group chief executive Alison Garnham, said: “We are going to court to protect Britain from becoming a country where longstanding, mixed communities are turned into private members clubs for the wealthy. “The prime minister promised to prioritise poverty and said that the test of his policies would be how they help the most disadvantaged, not the rich, yet these measures will make the poor poorer and hurt and uproot only families relying on housing benefit to help pay the rent. “Housing Benefit is there as basic safety net for all, so if we’re on low incomes or lose our jobs, we don’t also lose our homes and can stay near family, friends and where we work. “London will be worst affected of all. The cuts will mean the social cleansing of parts of London with families being forced out of their homes, away from their jobs, and into less suitable, often poorer quality and more cramped housing. “Children will be forced to move away from their school, their friends, their neighbourhood and their extended family.” Judgement is likely to be handed down in late July or early August. CPAG is challenging restrictions of maximum household size to four bedrooms for housing benefit claimants and caps on the amount of benefit paid to a household.

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Judges have decided religion and belief discrimination cases on a wing and a prayer making the law confusing and contradictory, claims the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

The EHRC is seeking leave to intervene in four cases at the European Court of Human Rights that involve religious discrimination in the workplace.

The thrust of their argument is that poor interpretation of human rights and equality laws by judges does not protect freedom of religion or belief.

Some Christians wanting to display religious symbols at work, for example says the commission, have lost their legal claim so are not allowed to wear a cross, while others can after reaching a compromise with their employer.

As a result, employers cannot have confidence in their decisions aimed at protecting people from religion or belief based discrimination – in some cases they are too cautious and unnecessarily restrict people’s rights.

John Wadham, EHRC group director, legal, said: “Our intervention in these cases would encourage judges to interpret the law more broadly and more clearly to the benefit of people who are religious and those who are not.

“The idea of making reasonable adjustments to accommodate a person’s needs has served disability discrimination law well for decades.  It seems reasonable that a similar concept could be adopted to allow someone to manifest their religious beliefs.”

The intervention follows a study by the commission that highlighted many people do not understand their rights around religion or belief.

The commission is concerned that this could be preventing people from using their rights.

The four separate cases before the EU courts are

• Nadia Eweida, 55, a Christian working for British Airways who was told to cover a cross necklace contrary to the airline’s uniform policy When she refused, she was offered unpaid leave or a where she did not job where she did not have have to cover the necklace.

• Shirley Chaplin, 54, suggested that her religious beliefs would be “violated” if she took off a cross necklace because she felt that she was being asked to hide her faith by managers at the hospital where she worked.

• Lillian Ladele was a Christian registrar who was disciplined because she would not officiate civil partnerships as an employee of Islington Council, London.

• Gary McFarlane, 48, a Christian relationship counsellor was sacked by Relate for refusing to give sex therapy to gay couples

The commission wants these cases to provide clearer legal principles to help courts consider what is and what is not justifiable in religion or belief cases, which will help to resolve differences without resorting to legal action.

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Judges have decided that office gossip about a gay person’s sexual orientation is not necessarily unlawful discrimination.

They held that if the person had already ‘come out’ as gay to colleagues, then gossip is likely to follow, but as long as what is said is not ill-intentioned, the remarks are not discriminatory.

The Court of Appeal was referring to the case of Phil Grant who worked for the Land Registry in Lytham St Annes from 2003.

After a while working there, he revealed to colleagues he was gay.

In 2006, he was promoted to another Land Registry office in Coventry where his line manager was aware that he had ‘come out’ in Lytham.

He complained to an employment tribunal that his line manager made a “limp wrist” gesture at him while joking with colleagues and warned a single, female colleague: “Don’t go fluttering your eyelashes at him, he’s gay.”

Mr Grant won the tribunal arguing some of the discriminatory comments were harassment. The Land Registry appealed.

At the Court of Appeal,  Lord Justice Elias found that the manager meant no harm by her remarks, so discrimination or harassment.

Lord Justice Elias emphasised that even if Mr Grant was upset by the disclosure, the effect did not amount to harassment, and tribunals ought not to allow trivial acts to be caught by the concept.

“Nothing in this judgment is intended to minimise those concerns or cast doubt on the accuracy of those statements.  The circumstances here, however, where someone has chosen widely to reveal his sexual orientation, puts the case into a different category,” said the judge.

The Equality and Human Right Commission (EHRC) intervened in the appeal to explain that breaking the confidence of a gay person to tell others of their sexual orientation could lead to discrimination.

The court held that Mr Grant had already revealed his sexual orientation within the organisation and should have realised that even if he told no one at his new workplace that he was gay, it was likely they would find out.

This article  is filed under: Discrimination, LGBT

What is diversity?  See http://www.diversityleaders.org/our-services/what-is-diversity

Do you want more than what Equality Training or Diversity Training Courses can deliver? See Diversity at Work in the workplace http://www.diversityleaders.org/our-services/training-a-events

For more content Diversity Leaders Magazine http://paper.li/diversitylead/1308375628 Key topics : Leadership, Discrimination, Diversity

The European Parliament is urging businesses to sign up to a campaign to include more women in important decision-making roles.

Euro MPs want to see more women represented in the board room and is warning companies that they must take advantage of an untapped potential of a well-educated female workforce or face legal consequences.

The Eu wants all publicly listed companies in the EU to register with the Women on the Board Pledge for Europe

If the campaign fails to win support, the EU is ready to take legislative action to improve standing for women at the head of businesses.

Vice-President Viviane Reding, the EU’s Justice Commissioner, said: “It is good news that the European Parliament supports the European Commission’s approach towards more women in economic decision-making positions. Today’s vote confirms that the Commission is acting at the right time and in the right way.

“We are taking the right approach because we want to give companies a last chance to act through credible self regulation.”

Women represent roughly 1 out of 10 members of the supervisory boards of the largest publicly listed companies in the EU and only 3% of the presidents of boards.

Across the EU, one in three large companies had no women at all on its board in 2010 despite women are earning college degrees than men – 60% of new university graduates in Europe are female.

Five EU countries have so far introduced legislative quotas to increase the number of women in business leadership: Spain, France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Italy.

One idea is gaining ground across Europe is a business case for gender equality.

Research shows positive correlations between diversity in boards and company performance.

A study of large companies indicates that the best companies in terms of work environment, innovation, accountability and profits were those with a higher proportion of women on boards.

According to their latest report, companies with a gender balanced composition can achieve an operational profit which is 56% higher than that of men-only companies.

This article  is filed under: Women Leaders, Discrimination, Boardroom

What is diversity?  See http://www.diversityleaders.org/our-services/what-is-diversity

Do you want more than what Equality Training or Diversity Training Courses can deliver? See Diversity at Work in the workplace http://www.diversityleaders.org/our-services/training-a-events

For more content Diversity Leaders Magazine http://paper.li/diversitylead/1308375628 Key topics : Leadership, Discrimination, Diversity