CILIP Council gives go-ahead for positive action trainee scheme

The scheme will be run in partnership with PATH National Ltd, a skills development agency focusing on career development opportunities for black and minority ethnic groups, and piloted in London during 2008/9 before being rolled out across the UK. 

“It is very exciting”, commented Ayub Khan, a CILIP Trustee and Chair of its Equal Opportunities & Diversity Panel. “We need to be an inclusive profession and broadly reflect the diversity of the UK population. This will enable us to tap into the talent that exists in minority ethnic communities for the benefit of all our users.”

Mary McDowall, Organisational Development Manager with Path National Ltd, agreed, adding “I am very pleased to be working with CILIP on this scheme. It builds on similar work that we have done with other professional groups such as planners”.

CILIP will now establish a project steering group, chaired by Ayub Khan, to take the project forward. Later in the year discussions will be opened with employers in London to establish the 20 trainee places planned for the London pilot. Trainees will be appointed in 2009, start a part-time postgraduate course in library and information studies in September of that year, and work towards gaining CILIP’s main professional award – MCLIP (Chartered Member of CILIP).

“Over a five year period,” Ayub Khan noted, “we hope to support 120 trainees working in a wide variety of library and information organisations across the UK”.

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Press contact:

Guy Daines, Director, Policy & Advocacy
Tel: 020 7255 0632
guy.daines@cilip.org.uk  

Notes to Editors

1. You may contact for interview:

Ayub Khan, Chair of CILIP’s Equal Opportunities & Diversity Panel
Tel: 01926 412657
Email: ayubkhan@warwickshire.gov.uk  

Mary McDowall, Organisational Development Manager, Path National
Tel: 020 7001 2005
Email: Mary@pathuk.co.uk  

2. CILIP membership statistics show that only 3.34% of its members are from black or minority ethnic groups compared to 7.9% in the general UK population.

3. CILIP’s Encompass programme includes:

• This positive action trainee scheme.

• The development of a toolkit, based on a resource developed by the Museum’s Association for their Diversify Scheme, to support employers wishing to introduce a positive action scheme – this will be launched later in 2009.

• The development of a work-place development scheme for existing library and information staff from black and minority ethnic groups wanting to gain CILIP’s qualification for para-professional staff – ACLIP (Certified Affiliate of CILIP). This scheme is still in development.

4. CILIP: the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals is the leading professional body for librarians, information specialists and knowledge managers. It forms a community of around 36,000 people engaged in library and information work, of whom around 21,000 are CILIP Members and around 15,000 are regular customers of CILIP Enterprises. CILIP members work in all sectors, including business and industry, science and technology, further and higher education, schools, local and central government, the health service, the voluntary sector, national and public libraries. For more information about CILIP go to www.cilip.org.uk   

5. PATH National Ltd is a Skills Development Agency, which seeks to address the under-representation and inequalities of black and minority ethnic groups in management and professions through the provision of innovative training, good career opportunities, motivation and support to individuals and organisations wishing to create a workforce that reflects our diverse communities. For more information please go to: www.pathuk.co.uk  

6. The following are brief details of the Positive Action Trainee Scheme:

• The participating employer converts an existing post (or creates a new post) to become a Trainee post. The Trainee receives an allowance rather than a salary. The employer saves on NIC and possibly on pension contributions. It is probable that once all costs have been factored in the Trainee position will be cost less than a full-time post.

• The Traineeship will last for two to three years and, providing the Trainee achieves the required standard, will result in an MCLIP qualification (Chartered Member of CILIP – the main professional qualification for library and information practitioners).

• The Traineeship will include part-time or distance learning at a University Department of Information & Library Studies.

• On average a Trainee will spend four days a week at work and one day a week studying

• Path International will receive a fee (from the employer) and provide: support and mentoring for Trainees; a Training and Development programme for the Trainees; and support for the employers from the recruitment of Trainees to the completion of their Traineeship.

• An additional fee will include CILIP membership for the Trainee, and attendance at a one-day CILIP Training Course (or a day at a CILIP conference) and the registration fee for the MCLIP qualification. CILIP will also provide a mentor during the chartership process.

• The pilot project, and the subsequent national scheme, will be overseen by a Steering Group managed by CILIP and drawn from the Library & Information sector and with representatives from Path National and LifeLong Learning UK (the sector skills council that includes those working in libraries).