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Buzzfeed is reporting Universities and Colleges Admissions Services (UCAS), the organization that manages United Kingdom university admissions, and leading graduate employers from the public and private sectors, including Teach First, HSBC, the BBC, the NHS, and Virgin Money, will sign the pledge to make their applications “name-blind” from 2017 in an effort to reduce potential discrimination in the application and hiring process.
The initiative was to be further explored during Prime Minister David Cameron’s conversation with Nicky Martin, Education Secretary and minister for women and equalities.
In an op-ed for The Guardian entitled, “The Conservatives Have Become the Party of Equality,” Cameron writes the move will mean “those assessing applications will not be able to see the person’s name, so the ethnic or religious background it might imply cannot influence their prospects”.
He also writes:
“…I accept that we haven’t always got this 100% right. No party ever has. And, because of our belief in equality of opportunity, as opposed to equality of outcome, for too long we have thought the only barrier to success was a lack of a decent education. Of course, that’s the most important thing – and it’s why school reform has been at the heart of our plan in government.
But we need to sweep away the other things holding people back, not least discrimination. You can give someone all the opportunities in the world – a brilliant school, first-class training, decent jobs – but it’s no good if they’re prevented from getting on because of their gender, race, religion, sexuality or disability. Getting this right is a natural and logical next step for a modern, compassionate Conservative party that wants to extend social mobility.”
Read Prime Minister Cameron’s entire op-ed here.
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