NEWS: Opportunities for minority ethnic people - £470,000 to fund 50 leadership placements

11 September 2020

NEWS: Opportunities for minority ethnic people - £470,000 to fund 50 leadership placements

The John Smith Centre will deliver a new programme which will offer 50 placements to people from BME backgrounds, to help remove barriers into positions of leadership in society.  The programme has been backed by £470,000 of Scottish Government funding and will last for a period of 9 months.  The programme will focus on young people and will be backed by mentoring and feature placements across the voluntary, public and private sectors.  

Social Security Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said:

“The Scottish Government is committed to achieving equality for all minority ethnic people and part of that means taking tangible steps to remove barriers and improve opportunities across society.

“Improving representation across all walks of life is key to achieving this aim and I am pleased that the John Smith Centre will deliver this important programme. The programme will provide up to 50 people with a fantastic opportunity to develop the skills they need to succeed.

“The programme will be developed and delivered in consultation with relevant organisations and people to ensure that we are learning from lived experience.

“I want to see talented participants from all walks of life taking part, including those who haven’t taken traditional academic routes to success. I hope the result will be an increase in numbers of minority ethnic people in leadership roles that reflect the society we live in.”

Read the full story at the Scottish Government Website

Photo credit: The John Smith Centre