Congratulations to this year’s Top 75 Social Mobility Index Employers! We’re delighted to see 21 of our members amongst them, and humbled to see our name on page 17 as an example of cross-sector social mobility initiatives, highlighting how such initiatives allow industry-specific data and best practice to be gathered and shared.
Some key takeaways from the report on where entrants are performing well:
“78% that offer in-person work experience pay for travel costs so that young people who don’t live locally can access opportunities.”
All of our members, as part of their PRIME Commitment, pledge to support PRIME students by providing financial assistance so they can attend work experience.
“42% of entrants offer both virtual and in-person work experience. Offering both and ensuring they are equally high-quality means that those who can’t attend in-person for any reason – caring responsibilities or living too far away, for example – can still benefit’.”
Many of our members, alongside their in-person work experience run virtual programmes. We complement this with our own virtual work experience programme, allowing students to complete it in their own time, around their other responsibilities.
“52% that offer internships ringfence them for people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.”
All of our members offer PRIME work experience to students from lower socioeconomic background, providing valuable career experience that might otherwise be inaccessible.
Equal food-for-thought is where entrants are performing less well:
“35% still don’t target school outreach based on the number of pupils eligible for free school meals, even though this is the best indication of low income on an individual level.”
When we deliver our ‘Why Not Law?’ virtual workshops, we carefully target schools in cold spot areas that have a higher than average proportion of pupils attending who are eligible for free school meals. We couple this with some of our other criteria to ensure that we are reaching those students who most need the opportunity to hear about career options and begin to believe that law is a viable one for them.
There’s still more to be done but it’s great to take a moment and celebrate what businesses across the UK are achieving together.
Social Mobility Foundation Employer Index 2024
