ABSTRACT
In our introduction we saw that members of certain ethnic communities suffer from higher unemployment rates than others, and also that within certain groups a high proportion of people have no qualifications. In this chapter we are going to examine some of the reasons which could account for this and consider whether APL can be used as a means of improving opportunities. If we look at the educational experience of the Afro-Caribbean community, for example, it has often been stated that the British education system has failed to meet their needs and that young black people growing up in Britain often do not achieve their full potential. This is not surprising in a system which has traditionally failed to recognise and value the different cultural backgrounds and experiences of members of the black communities and which has remained inherently racist, in spite of ‘multi-cultural’ and ‘antiracist’ policies developed and disseminated over the years. This is not to deny that there has been considerable effort and progress, particularly in certain areas, towards developing a more equal society with a more equitable education system. Nevertheless, racism remains endemic and does have an effect on the development and prospects of a substantial sector of society.
