Social Mobility Toolkit for the Professions - Equality and Human ...

introduction continued
For a profession
� Given the growing need for skilled professionals and the link
between social mobility and economic growth, the business
case for professions is evident.
� consultations and anecdotal evidence suggest that
professions that have provided flexible routes to entry have
been able to recruit members in a fast and cost-efficient
manner.
� in the accountancy sector, work has already been undertaken
to formalise this thinking. a recent paper by the Uk
commission for employment and Skills considered the future
growth and competitiveness of the accountancy sector, and
how attracting a “wider pool of talent into the profession”
and setting up “an apprenticeship route to full qualified
status” would support those aims. 9 We recommend that
other professions should similarly highlight the business
advantages of widening access and attracting talent.
� While successive governments have highlighted that they
want voluntary, proactive engagement from the professions,
there is no doubt that there is increasing pressure on the
professions to improve access for individuals from non-elite
backgrounds. it is in the professions’ interest to self-regulate
on their own terms.
For an individual organisation
� the wider that firms and employers cast their nets when
recruiting, the more talent they will be able to unearth. it
is individuals and their skills that matter most within the
professions, and employers are in a constant battle to attract
talent. the message from schools and educators is clear –
there is a lot of overlooked talent in the Uk.
� employers with staff of diverse backgrounds and
characteristics will gain access to different skills, and will find
that this diversity will better help them to represent their
customers and understand different markets.
� corporate social responsibility improves employers’
reputations as well as their brands, helping them to attract
employees and clients.
9 UkceS. 2011b. Building Future Skills in Accountancy, page 8.
12 Social Mobility toolkit For the proFeSSionS
the moral case for social mobility
� the Uk professions have thrived on diversity, especially as
they have become truly international in recent decades.
they should have a workforce that mirrors the diversity of
their clientele, as well as that of society as a whole.
� Whether it relates to gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic
background or other diversity strands, the continuing public
pressure to make the workforce more diverse will not go
away.
� a key characteristic setting the professions apart from other
occupations is their role as social leaders and their duty to
serve and protect the public interest. With declining levels
of trust in the professions, notably with scandals affecting the
accountancy and financial sectors, the professions should
work to increase their contributions to society to the level
of their economic contributions. addressing declining social
mobility in the professions is a good place to start.