"A series of initiatives were set up to encourage more ethnic minorities to try for jobs. These included job training and language lessons. "Although these were successful, it still left Pakistani people under-represented." The council then decided to set up the Pakistani Recruitment Initiative Project. Mr Lal thinks it has been successful, as it has offered practical help with CVs, interview techniques and work experience through day courses and work placements. He said: "People have been encouraged to do volunteering, shadowing people in jobs and helping with administrative work. As a result there are now a substantial number of people in employment. "The city council has been very courageous setting up the scheme, which I think is the only one in the country." One principal council officer was seconded to oversee the project at no extra cost. It led to 200 people registering online to receive help. A council spokesman said: "To have a city council of 12,000 employees that reflects the community there needs to be about 480 Pakistani people, which was a deficit of 288 as of last April." The spokesman said other ethnic minority groups in the city were not under-represented in the council workforce.
