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Social Mobility Business Compact: factsheet (withdrawn)

Updated 19 March 2015

This form was withdrawn on 11 December 2015

This page has been replaced by these Social Mobility Business Compact pages.

This factsheet has been withdrawn. See the newer Social Mobility Business Compact pages published in June 2015.

1. What is the Social Mobility Business Compact?

The Compact asks employers to open their doors to people from all walks of life, regardless of their background. It was announced in 2011 as part of the Deputy Prime Minister’s Social Mobility Strategy to encourage fairness and equal opportunities for all.

The aim of the Compact is to encourage behavioural change in organisations, to ensure jobs are open to everyone. The government believes no one should be prevented from fulfilling their potential because of:

• where they’re born
• the school they go to
• the jobs their parents do

Skills and talent should not be wasted because personal circumstances mean they can’t get a foot on the ladder.

2. Employer commitment

The Compact asks employers to:

• support communities and local schools to raise aspirations, for example:

  • take part in mentoring schemes for young people, allow staff time off and reward them for getting involved and enable schools and employers to work together
  • encourage staff at least once a year to talk about their careers as part of a programme to raise aspiration and build knowledge about the world of work

• improve skills and create jobs by providing opportunities for all young people to get a foot on the ladder, for example:

  • where work experience opportunities are offered, advertise in local schools rather than filling them through informal networks
  • where internships are offered, advertise them openly and transparently, pay interns the minimum wage where they are legally entitled to it and provide financial support to ensure fair access (ensuring individuals from less well-off backgrounds are not excluded from opportunities, for example, providing lunch or travel expenses or accommodation as appropriate)

• improve quality of life and wellbeing by recruiting openly and fairly, ensuring non-discrimination for example:

  • that recruitment processes don’t allow people to be inadvertently screened out because they went to the wrong school or come from a different ethnic group. This could include increased use of name-blank and school-blank applications where appropriate.

3. Progress

Over 180 employers have signed the Compact, signatories are from a wide range of sectors including legal, retail, finance and energy.

View the full list of signatories

4. Benefits of joining the Compact

The Compact has the explicit aim of ensuring access to opportunities is fair and open for all young people. Such practices benefit employers helping them to find untapped talent and create a more diverse workforce, both of which have been shown to boost productivity. Joining the Compact is a chance for employers to show their commitment to fair and open access and to encourage social mobility. It is also an opportunity to link with other employers committed to these principles, to exchange ideas and learn from examples of best practice.

5. Join the Compact

Employers interested in signing up should fill in an application form and send to socialmobilitybusinesscompact@bis.gsi.gov.uk.

Once received we should be able to tell you the outcome within 5 to 10 working days.

6. Champion tier

The champion tier was announced in November 2014 by the Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg. 12 champion companies have been appointed to lead the way on improving social mobility. Champion status has been awarded to those signatories who aspire to be leaders in the field and who have signed up to a more demanding set of criteria.

The champions are driving a new benchmark for others to follow.

The 12 champions companies are:

• Accenture
• Aspire Group
• Baker & McKenzie
• The Co-operative
• Deloitte
• EY
• Grant Thornton
• KPMG
• Linklaters
• Mears Group
• Standard Life
• Telefónica/O2

A year before government had recognised companies, for their exceptional contribution to improving social mobility, through the Opening Doors Awards. The aim of the awards was to highlight best practice, show what is possible and to encourage and inspire more organisations to follow suit.

7. Find out more

The Compact page on GOV.UK highlights a broad range work being done by some of Britain’s biggest employers, many of which are from sectors where access has been about who rather than what you know.

For further information please email: socialmobilitybusinesscompact@bis.gsi.gov.uk.