Getting informed
- Labour market information: Like many others entering the labour force, students of
color have little information about available jobs and ones that are to become
available by the time they leave school. They often do not see their own communities
or even themselves as potential sources of employment. They certainly get little
information on how members of their own community are faring in the labour market.
Labour market information, which is still conveyed largely by word of mouth,
continues to circulate among those who already are in the information loop. Members
of visible minorities are less likely to be in this loop than Canadians of the dominant
racial group.
- Counselling: Some members of visible minorities report that they are discouraged
from pursuing certain careers because of counsellors' perceptions of the kinds of
employment in which they would be most comfortable. These perceptions often
originate from racial stereotypes. Indirectly, such counselling provides members of
visible minorities with misinformation, both about certain kinds of employment and
about themselves.
Getting ready
- Education: The practice of "streaming" students as early as the elementary grades
contributes to difficult transitions for visible minority youth. Because of streaming,
they sometimes end up in dead-end courses that leave them unprepared for the jobs of
the future. The overrepresentation of some minority males, particularly Black males
in sport, ensures that they are underrepresented in certain courses and later in careers
that are secure, well paid, and have high status.
- Training: Access to training is limited for some visible minorities for some of the
same reasons as it is for members of other equity groups. Members of visible
minorities are faced with information barriers, lack of income support, and
insensitivity to race and culture. Training is intended to facilitate transition into
employment, but if one does not know about it, or if one lacks the material support to
attend the training, or if the training is an alienating experience, then the possibility of
transition is reduced.