Affirmative Action: An Overview

Affirmative action plays an important role within many organizations. The purpose of affirmative action is to establish fair access to employment opportunities to create a workforce that is an accurate reflection of the demographics of the qualified available workforce in the relevant job market. Affirmative action policies and programs are tools whereby additional efforts are made to recruit, hire, and promote qualified women, minorities, and individuals with disabilities. This course provides an overview of affirmative action and it's role in diversity and EEO programs.

Affirmative action gives limited preference to qualified groups in job hiring, admission to institutions of higher education, the awarding of government contracts, and other social benefits. One of the major advantages of affirmative action is that this policy helps to create a more diverse work environment. Through that diversity, we can better anticipate and meet customer needs, broaden our customer base, foster innovation, and jump start creativity.