Social mobility should explicitly be the top overarching social policy priority for this and future governments. The Government should develop new ways of embedding this priority across all government departments. It should develop new partnerships with civic institutions, professional bodies, community organisations and individual citizens to help deliver this priority.
Audience/stakeholder: Public Sector
The Public Sector, as a major employer of professionals, has a leading role to play. We will extend apprenticeships in professional areas of employment in government departments, bring on people from the widest possible talent pools and encourage them to aspire to the most senior leadership roles, and develop ways to devolve functions to paraprofessionals. We will also work with the National Equality Panel to ensure our policies address economic inequalities. Public Sector employers will also be involved fully in mentoring and other programmes to raise the aspirations of young people to fulfil their potential.
Recommendation 4: A national network of career mentors
The professions and Government should together introduce a national scheme for career mentoring by young professionals and university students of school pupils in Years 9 to 13. The national mentoring scheme should involve partnerships with employers, voluntary organisations, universities and schools.
Recommendation 5: A national network of career mentors
The professions and the Government should organise a ‘Yes you can’ campaign, headed by inspirational role models, to encourage more young people to aspire to a professional career.
Recommendation 6: School alumni
The Government, working with the professions and universities, should develop a national database of people willing to act as role models or mentors for young people in their former schools.
Recommendation 70: Flexible professions: new opportunities for career progression and extending the ladder of entry points into the professions
The Government should extend apprenticeships in professional areas of employment in government departments. Where applicable, these should be explicitly linked to existing management development programmes such as the Civil Service Fast Stream.
Recommendation 72: Paraprofessional entry routes to the professions
Each profession should examine the potential to devolve functions to paraprofessionals. The Government should ensure that, across all of the public services, reform programmes are being introduced to do the same.