BEM (Black & Ethnic Minorities)

Black and Ethnic Minorities (BEM) aims to undertake applied research and positive action in partnership with private sector employers to tackle direct and indirect racial discrimination in the work place. The project will involve focus group interviews with employees, learning group sessions, working with Human Resources to implant positive actions, and the evaluation of the actions taken.

The aims and objectives of BEM are; to enhance employment opportunities and career progression prospects for Black and ethnic minority groups in Scotland; to increase our knowledge about and our understanding of the direct and indirect discrimination that Black and ethnic minority employees face in Scotland; to work with Black and ethnic minority employers to develop and evaluate positive action strategies to tackle direct and indirect racial discrimination in the workplace; and to develop a number of case studies on positive action, in private sector companies, to tackle direct and indirect discrimination for wider dissemination.

Indicators will include opinion and satisfaction surveys of employees, views expressed in focus group and individual interviews. This will lead to positive actions implemented and continued beyond the life of the project.