FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
London, 31st May 2013

‘BEYOND THE GLASS CEILING’ PUBLIC APPOINTMENTS SURVEY LAUNCHED

Newly formed equality think tank Diversity UK has launched its ‘Beyond the Glass Ceiling’ Public Appointments Survey to gather information about individual’s experiences of applying for board level non-executive positions in the public sector. In the UK there are currently approximately 560 Public Bodies operating at arms length from Government. They range from Healthcare Primary Care Trusts to National Park Authorities and include public corporations like the BBC. Each Public Body is governed by a Board and is chaired by a Non-Executive Board Member and several hundred board appointments are made each year. The purpose of this survey is to analyse experiences of individuals when completing the application form, the interview process and relationships with the executive recruitment consultants used by many public bodies.

“We know that this is a first stage survey” said Lopa Patel MBE, Founder of Diversity UK, “however pre-launch interviews indicated that among women and BME* communities, many are falling at the first hurdle, namely finding about Public Appointment opportunities, completing lengthy application forms satisfactorily and preparing for the interview process, so this seemed to be a good place to start our research!” The survey also hopes to garner information about candidates’ willingness and preparedness in applying for Public Appointments.

Public bodies state that appointments are made on merit, following a fair and transparent process, with many appointments made by the Queen on recommendation of Ministers through the Prime Minister. Applications are welcomed regardless of gender, age, marital status, disability, religion, ethnic origin, political opinion, sexual orientation, or whether or not people have dependents. The public appointment process is regulated by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments with the involvement of an Independent Assessor. “The purpose of our survey is the test whether this is actually what is happening from the applicant’s perspective”.

Figures published by the Government Equalities Office and the Cabinet Office in 2008/2009 show the minority communities, women and those with disabilities are under-represented on Public Sector boards with only 8.2% of appointments being held by Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic individuals (2009) even though BAME communities now account for 14% of the UK population and the survey hopes to shed some light on what is impeding progress on achieving greater diversity in this area.

The ‘Beyond the Glass Ceiling’ Public Appointments Survey is available online and will remain open for 3 months with Diversity UK reporting on results in autumn 2013.

Click here to complete the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2SVCWMJ

ABOUT DIVERSITY UK

Diversity UK is a think tank to research, advocate and promote new ideas for improving diversity and inclusion in Britain. It is a not-for-profit, collaborative organisation that works with a wide range of partners, bodies and key opinion formers to engage in a healthy debate about issues of age, race, gender, sexual orientation and disability discrimination. Diversity UK is an evidence-based initiative that seeks to influence policy, enhance civic engagement and improve the perception of the minority ethnic community in Britain. 

Visit http://www.diversityuk.org for further information

* BME – black and minority ethnic. ** BAME – black, asian and minority ethnic
 
For further details contact: Lopa Patel T: 07505 462 442

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