Ethnic differences in British employer-funded on and off-the-job training

Abstract

This paper highlights the lower incidence of employer-funded on and off-the-job training received by full-time ethnic minority employees in Britain. Estimates of the determinants of on and off-the-job training, obtained using trinomial logistic models, are remarkably consistent across white and ethnic minority male and female workers. At least 67% of the male ethnic training disadvantage, and over 94% of that experienced by females, cannot be explained by differences in average group characteristics. These findings raise serious questions about the effectiveness of existing equal opportunities provisions in the area of work-related training and may have adverse implications for the future occupational attainment and wages of ethnic minority employees in Britain.