Through monitoring the ethnic origin of people applying for and securing employment, one of the reasons why ethnic minorities were under-represented was found to be their lack of opportunity to gain training and experience in related fields. Day release to attend college-based courses is also an option. The programmes are structured to meet the known requirements of particular posts. Trainees are chosen who are highly motivated and the participating employers are involved in the scheme through positive choice. PATH provides training for a group of trainees with similar backgrounds and who share similar experiences, which means they can learn in an environment of mutual support.
Courses run for one, two or three years.
The scheme has been highly successful. High percentage pass-rates are obtained in professional exams for which trainees are entered. This approach to tackling the effects of past discrimination or a lack of educational opportunity has also been recognised by other groups of employers such as banks, building societies and other professions. Many trainees undertaking first level PATH courses have seen the scheme as a way of avoiding a slide into unemployment and possibly crime. The preference of socially aware employers in the UK has been not to use this route but to concentrate instead on better employment and personnel practices such as advertising posts more widely and monitoring the ethnic balance of applicants and appointees so as to identify and eliminate consciously or unconsciously discriminatory practices.