My son, age 16 was interviewed this morning for an apprenticeship position in a Warehouse. The interview was carried out by an agency on behalf of the employer. There were ten young persons, ages from 16 to 18? and a mix of girls and boys. 8 Girls and 4 boys. One of the questions my son was asked was "what makes you think you are better than the girls out there?" My questions are these. Should that have been asked in today's Equality for all ethic and was it pushing my son toward a biased attitude that males are better than females in a warehouse type environment? As it happened the interviewer just carried on talking and my son wasn't given the opportunity to answer the question?

On another note, the job entails the successful candidate, the apprentice, being driven around the various locations including a warehouse by a male driver. The job is for a charity and will involve collecting and delivering furniture from/to houses and shop and warehouse. Think wardrobes, beds, tables, chairs, upstairs to downstairs and onto and off the vehicle. The age of the apprentice will be 16 to 25 years and I wonder what people think about potentially a young 16 year old girl working at close quarters with an adult male driver and of course the driver potentially being vulnerable to accusations. Has this position been properly thought out but with Equality Act in force is there a way around it? By the way my 16 year old son is 6' 2" tall and does weights for a hobby, knows about manual handling techniques and could be considered ideal for the position.

They shouldn't ask the questions are you sure he said girls and not other candidates. As I worked in social work in the past I always wonder on what time is the right time when an adult should be alone with a young person, often with it being a charity they have had a CRB, although no guarantee. I was glad that the first thought was about the false accusations and it wasn't assumed that the young person was at risk. What makes you think it will be an adult male driver and not a female?

The organisation is at fault of what, having a male driver? They are starting thier working lives. You can't possibly go through your life complaining that your children are at risk. What if he was just working in the warehouse would that matter that sometimes he maybe left alone with a male. If I were the organisation I certainly know who wouldn't be getting the job.