Ethnicity Strategy

Bury has a number of minority ethnic communities but by far the largest is the Pakistani heritage community who make up over 4% of the population. The bulk of these people live in deprived wards within Bury. A high percentage of this population does not work for a variety of reasons. Some of the reasons are cultural, particularly amongst Pakistani women, but there must be a reason why so many yound people attend further education but do not go on to get good quality jobs.

Bury Council is working with a range of organisations to improve access to employment for the Pakistani community and refugees who are living in Bury. The bulk of refugees have come from Afghanistan, Iraq, the Balkans and Africa. They face a number of difficulties including discrimination, problems in validating their qualifications and use of English. Most are desperate to work and provide for themselves.

The Routeways to Work project has a number of projects aimed at improving access to work. These include volunteering schemes; basic skills and language classes; vocational training in childcare; business support; and our supported employment service. The heart of the project will be an employment advice centre based at the offices of the Asian Development Association of Bury (ADAB) on Heywood Street in Bury. This will provide advice and guidance to the local community, many of whom do not tend to use the jobcentre.

The Government realises that not enough has been done to support the employment ambitions of ethnic minorities. The Department for Trade and Industry (DTI) has published a number of reports, particularly about the experience of women from ethnic minorities. The National Employment Panel has also produced some influential reports calling for more action to encourage equal opportunities. We are working with their Manchester office to improve collaboration.