In the wake of the cuts to UK work permits, communities secretary Eric Pickles has announced plans to develop a 'curry college' to train British people of all backgrounds how to cook the best Indian food.
Certain chef and restaurant jobs were among those to be removed from the occupation shortages list earlier this year. The lack of native chefs from Bangladesh, Pakistan and India is likely to leave certain specialist establishments struggling to find staff with the correct skills.
However, the government believes that its college will be able to train up chefs specialising in Indian food from current British citizens and residents, underlining the Conservative's policy that businesses in the UK should opt for British employees where possible rather than offering UK work permits to individuals from abroad.
The curry college will also form part of an integration strategy that is being discussed between Whitehall departments. It is thought that the overall aim of the plan is to develop integration and tolerance between communities, while retaining a sense of national identity.
Other aspects of the strategy are a new drive against 'anti-Muslim hatred' in Britain and a recognition that there is a growing antisemitism; a number of state events, including the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and the Olympic Games to unite different groups of people; and an online integration forum to remove bureaucratic barriers and promote interaction between different community and faith-based groups of people.