Career Academies UK welcomes Government promise to banish elitism from the professions
Monday 18 January
Career Academies UK, a business-education charity that works with 16 to 19-year-olds from urban areas of social need, has today welcomed the government's pledge to tackle the issue of social mobility and establish a Social Mobility Commission.
David Walker, Director of Programme and Public Policy, said:
"We strongly welcome the Government's promise to offer a package of support to help break the "glass ceiling of social mobility," including the establishment of a Social Mobility Commission. This pledge is a step in the right direction and recognises that an unacceptable number of young people from less affluent backgrounds and families where jobs in the professions have not been the norm, find doors shut to their talents.
"In particular we would urge the proposed Social Mobility Commission to focus its remit as widely as possible, and not concentrate solely on improving access to top-flight professions such as medicine and law. Any such Commission must be dedicated to raising the aspirations of all young people from less affluent families, giving them the opportunity to realise their full potential and reach the top regardless of their background.
"We know through experience of running our own Career Academy programme, that there are simple and effective interventions that can be made by business and industry to tackle the ‘not for the likes of us' attitude, which cripples talented students. Providing one-to-one mentors and offering paid internships with major employers can greatly help to improve the educational and career expectations of young people and therefore, their chances of success in life."
95% of Career Academy graduates go on to higher education, or an equivalent level of work-related training, compared with a predicted 40% based on their GCSE performance at the start of the programme.
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