A new deal or new disadvantage?

In Britain, welfare‐to‐work has been hailed as a radical initiative to help those that are socially and economically disadvantaged in society. The New Deal promises to offer young long term unemployed people the opportunity to train and experience the world of work in a bid to make them more attractive to employers. It is especially pertinent to ethnic minorities who have been identified as having an increased tendency to be unemployed. However, the intention to help ethnic minorities has not been matched with changes to the institutional framework for the delivery of training and work experience placements. This article assesses the likely impact of the New Deal on unemployed people from ethnic minority communities. It contends that the failure of the present arrangement to cater for the needs of ethnic minorities may affect the success of the New Deal as far as ethnic minorities are concerned.