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

executive summary continued
additional responsibilities for professional bodies and regulators
professional bodies and regulators are in a privileged position
to measure social mobility, as professionals typically remain
members/registrants of the relevant body for life, no matter
how many times they may move employer.
they should lead on the social mobility agenda by:
� collecting data directly from their members/registrants;
� encouraging employers to collect data and assess their
current standing on fair access and social mobility;
� collating data from employer firms and reporting
consolidated data for the profession as a whole;
� undertaking further research with more complex data sets.
best practice – page 27
the toolkit contains a range of recommendations that
employers and professional bodies/regulators can implement
to improve social mobility within their profession and, more
widely, in society.
Support, mentor and inspire individuals from lower
socioeconomic backgrounds to provide them with both
the opportunity and confidence to pursue a career in the
professions
� three times fewer young people from average or poorer
backgrounds aspire to be a professional than those from
professional backgrounds.
� the professions should look to engage in existing outreach
schemes, such as e-mentoring, and employers should
encourage their staff to take part in schemes as part of
corporate social responsibility (cSr) activities.
Offer information, advice and guidance (IaG) in a regular and
sustained manner
� less than 45% of sixth formers believe they have received
good careers advice.
� professional bodies/regulators should take the lead in
providing high-quality information about professional careers,
as well as advice and guidance, to pupils.
6 Social Mobility toolkit For the proFeSSionS
Provide productive work experience and internship
opportunities in a fair manner
� the “who you know rather than what you know”
recruitment culture, the unpaid nature of many internships
and their concentration in large cities act as a barrier to
entry to the professions.
� employers should follow best practice, as well as relevant
laws, when it comes to offering internships. they should
also strive to ensure that no one is excluded on cost
grounds from internships, seeking to provide expenses/
accommodation when possible.
Offer more flexible and lower-cost routes into the
professions
� Universities have been striving for many years to improve
social mobility within their intakes, with varying degrees of
success. Many professional employers still limit themselves to
a narrow group of universities when recruiting.
� the professions should seek to put in place flexible routes
including, for example, vocational and further education
programmes. a number of professional bodies have done
this already without compromising on the requisite skills and
talent.
� professional employers should also consider sponsoring
people through university courses, which will appeal to
people from less advantaged backgrounds.
looking forward
professions for Good will review progress, using the aims
and ambitions of the toolkit, every six months. For further
information and for updates please contact louis armstrong,
chairman, professions for Good at
info@professionsforgood.com.
March 2012