Diversity strategies have in recent years nudged their way on to the websites and mission statements of many FTSE 100 companies. Yet despite this growth, there have been doubts on the success of this training, which is aimed to encourage a better ethnic representation across the workplace. Organisations are under enormous pressure to deliver race equality, so there is an explosion of demand for consultants and trainers, says Chris Myant of the Commission for Racial Equality. But many lack the necessary skills. There is no formal accreditation for diversity trainers.
Training is often an easy option for employers, such as banks and telecommunication companies.
Education about cultural differences does not in itself prevent discrimination. If you step over those limits you're censured. Conrad Peters, a former training and development manager at Barclays, and one of the few black people in a senior corporate position, says cultural awareness training will have little effect on those with deep-rooted prejudice. As soon as those people go back into the real world, they revert to old patterns. What would be really useful would be to evaluate the people you recruit for open-mindedness.