I am a civil servant
The Minority Ethnic Talent Association (META)
This Association has been established for minority ethnic staff who have participated in a talent programme and have the potential to advance to senior management or leadership level within the Civil Service.
The purpose of META is to help departments identify and get in touch with people from ethnic minority backgrounds who have the necessary talent and leadership skills to fill senior roles.
It maintains a database of members' qualifications, posts held, career progress and promotions - all provided voluntarily. Information about individuals can be made available to departments and recruitment agencies, if those concerned give permission.
META also:
- arranges and commissions training and recruitment events
- consults with departments about opportunities for mentoring, coaching placements and job shadowing to help members in their professional careers
- acts as a support network and discussion forum
- liaises with departments, recruiters, employers and other relevant groups to represent and promote the interests of members.
META Patron David Lammy MP - Minister for Skills, DIUS
META Chair Claudette Sutton - Head of Equality and Diversity, Schools Directorate DCSF
Growing Talent - META launches pilot mentoring project for BME staff.
In December 2007 META launched its first project, the Growing Talent pilot mentoring scheme. 43 candidates applied for the project, which is designed to build capacity in BME staff at Grades 6 and 7 and create a pipeline of talent for the future. 12 selected candidates will participate in this groundbreaking scheme, where they will be working with top Civil Servants over a period of 12 months. The launch of the project was celebrated at a Cabinet Office reception in December.
At the event, Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O’Donnell said:
“I am delighted to welcome the Growing Talent pilot, which I believe will contribute towards building a more diverse and professional Civil Service. Growing Talent will help participants towards becoming the leaders of tomorrow and will give them the opportunity to work with colleagues at the highest levels.”
Our Patron David Lammy MP said:
“We know instinctively as human beings that we tend to think and recruit in our own image. We tend to look at things from the perspective of what we feel comfortable and easy with. The challenge is to break out beyond that, to overcome some of the barriers that exist, and that's why this particular scheme is so important.”
META in the news
Read about the Growing Talent pilot using the links below:
- Personnel Today [External website]
- Whitehall Pages [External website]
- The Government Says Blog
- Public Service [External website]
Joining META
If you would like to apply to join META, please download and complete the application form below, and send it to civilservice.e-media@cabinet-office.x.gsi.gov.uk. Save the form to your own system/computer before completing it. You can do this by right-clicking on the link and then choosing 'save target as' from the file menu.
META Members Application form [MS Word, 49KB, 2 pages] 
For more information about META and the benefits of joining, call Claudette Sutton, the current chair, on 07786 694157.