Equal opportunities in employment idea and deciding about occupation – ESEIG’s case

Resumo

This paper concerns the presentation of the results of a research conducted by the author in June 2010. The presentation is preceded by a short introduction concerning the importance of equal opportunities in employment issues in the European Union. The research was conducted within the author’s doctorate research; and as a pilot for a future basic study. The research was conducted among students of Escola Superior de Estudos Industriais e de Gestão (ESEIG) in Vila do Conde, Portugal. The research was conducted by means of the questionnaire technique. The aim of the research was to explore the students’ attitudes towards equal opportunities in employment principle. Three detailed aims of the research were as follows: 1) describing students’ general views on equal opportunities in employment idea; 2) describing the role of a company’s equal-opportunity in employment policy as a fator in making decision about taking a job position; 3) describing the role of a school in shaping students’ attitudes towards the equal opportunities in employment idea. The results show that generally surveyed students accept the European Union's actions aiming to prevent discrimination in employment. What is more, in a situation of choice of the employer, students would be ready to perceive the company’s equal-opportunity in employment policy as an important fator influencing their decision. Moreover, despite the fact that students do not consider their knowledge on discussed issues as vast, generally they are interested in it, and perceive school as an appropriate place for promoting this idea.