New Deal and minority ethnic young people : training, employment and integration?

New Deal for Young People was hailed as the Labour government's flagship' initiative when it was introduced nationally in April 1998. The programme promised to help young people who have been unemployed and claiming Jobseeker's Allowance to find work and improve their prospects of gaining and sustaining employment. It is especially pertinent to young people from minority ethnic groups who have been identified as having an increased tendency to be unemployed. However, the government's expressed intention to bring about parity of job outcomes for minority ethnic young people has not been matched with any real commitment, nor has it been matched at local level by the Employment Service as well as employers with changes required to improve institutional procedures and practices for the delivery of the programme. This thesis presents the findings of research conducted in Southern Derbyshire. Using both qualitative and quantitative approaches, it examines the perspectives and experiences of young people from minority ethnic groups as they pass through the various stages of New Deal, including work-placements. It argues that young people from these groups have not benefited from the programme to the same extent as their White counterparts