Employers, colleges address racial injustice in hiring and recruiting …
Employers and colleges have made strides in their efforts to address racial injustice in their college recruiting and career services operations, according to results of a recent poll conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).
NACE’s September 2021 quick poll is a follow up to a similar poll conducted in August 2020 and was designed to gauge the level of progress made in addressing racial injustice, the needs of historically marginalized groups, and inequitable practices and policies.
“Even with the gains we see in this year’s data, significant work remains,” says Shawn VanDerziel, NACE executive director.
“To be effective, these overall efforts require funding, staffing, planning, training, tracking, and accountability. As we can see, some areas have received more attention than others.”
Since August 2020, 67% of responding employer university relations and recruiting offices have received additional funding to recruit historically marginalized students and 63% have implemented new professional development programs on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
Similar to the results from August 2020, employers indicated they have increased the numbers of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (69%) and Hispanic-Serving Institutions (44%) at which they recruit.
More than 60% of employers have staff devoted to DEI recruiting, a quarter of whom have been added since June 2020.
See: Top Diversity Employers 2021
Among college respondents, only one in seven offices have someone on staff to address DEI issues, but approximately 40% of respondents added that person since June 2020.
Colleges have been slower to address other areas of their response. Only about one-quarter of career services offices have received additional funding to serve historically marginalized students, and approximately one-third report data that track service and resource usage by historically marginalized students to their administrators. Some colleges are faring better in their commitment to diversity.
See: Towson University’s “Commitment to Diversity“
About NACE’s September 2021 Quick Poll: NACE polled employers and career services professionals on their efforts to address racial injustice and the needs of historically marginalized groups. This poll is a follow up to NACE’s August 2020 quick poll and is designed to gauge the level of progress made in addressing discrimination and inequitable practices and policies.
In addition to addressing inequities in recruiting, hiring, and the workplace as they relate to new college graduates and interns, the poll looks at the internal policies and practices of career centers and their institutions as well as at recruiting operations and their organizations. The poll was conducted from September 15 – October 12, 2021; final results are available on NACEWeb.
(Source: NACE)
Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today / Follow Richard on Facebook and Twitter
