UK Immigration Focus on UK Immigration Education: According to a BBC report on 10th October 26, British Prime Minister David Cameron announced at a government roundtable meeting that day that, in order to avoid unconscious bias against university applicants from minority ethnic backgrounds, applicants' names will be removed from university application forms starting in 2017.
Another measure in the UK education sector to avoid racial discrimination is anonymous recruitment for graduate employment. The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) has stated that it has a strong desire to increase the number of students from minority ethnic backgrounds.
The UK government stated that graduate employers in some leading public and private enterprises have already indicated they will remove graduate names from job applications. These companies include the Civil Service, the education charity Teach First, the BBC, the (UK) National Health Service (NHS), and local governments, as well as top-tier firms such as HSBC, Virgin Money, KPMG, and Deloitte. These companies will collectively take on the responsibility of employing 1.8 million people in the UK.
Cameron pointed out, "I want us to end discrimination and strive for true equality in the UK. We must convey this belief: everyone shares equal opportunities. If you achieve good grades, possess exceptional talent, and have firm conviction, then the government will ensure you realize your dreams and achieve success." Representatives participating in the upcoming UK government meeting include many leading financial firms, as well as the Civil Service, the BBC, and the NHS.
David Sproul, CEO of Deloitte UK, stated that anonymous job applications can ensure that talent recruitment is based on the value orientation of an applicant's personal potential, rather than race, gender, or personal background. Mary Curnock Cook, CEO of the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS), stated that the service will discuss anonymous university applications with degree-awarding institutions, adding, "This will have a significant impact on university applications for Black and minority ethnic students."
A survey by the London School of Economics regarding university admission data from 2008 showed that students from minority ethnic backgrounds were less likely to receive university offers, but a UCAS document shows that the proportion of minority ethnic students applying to universities has already increased. Among university freshmen in 2014, 27.2% were 18-year-old white students, while Asian students accounted for 38.7%, and Black students accounted for 34.3%.