Ethnic differences in the incidence and determinants of employer-funded training in Britain

Non-white full-time employees were offered, and undertook, less training than whites in Britain in 1993-4, according to data from the Quarterly Labour Force Survey,. Estimates of the determinants of training outcomes and training offers show a marked consistency across white and non-white, male and female, employees. Over 90% of the average predicted training outcome differential, and 50%-60% of the difference in mean predicted training offers, cannot be explained by differences in observable characteristics between white and non-white employees. These findings suggest that equal opportunities legislation has been unsuccessful in eliminating unequal access to employer-funded training in Britain.