Business Minister,
Pat McFadden, is today confirming the Government’s commitment to
promoting the aspirations of all young people, whatever their
background, and putting social mobility at the heart of plans for
growth and success in the global economy.
The Government’s ambitious response to Unleashing
Aspiration, the final report from the Panel on Fair Access to
the Professions, agrees to implement the vast majority of the
panel’s 88 recommendations.
The Panel, led by the Rt Hon Alan Milburn MP, challenged
Government to do more to ensure that people with ability,
creativity and talent can succeed in the professions, regardless
of their social or economic background. Achieving this aspiration
calls for reform in schools, in colleges, in universities and in
the professions themselves.
The measures announced today look to harness activity across
Government and the professional associations. They include:
· The creation of an online National Internship Service, building
on success of the ‘Graduate Talent Pool’. This free, nationwide
service will help undergraduates and graduates access
opportunities and information to develop their employability
skills and establish quality standards to benefit both interns and
employers. Bursary funding will be available for students from low
income backgrounds lacking the means to support themselves. This
follows the commitment in the Pre-Budget Report to deliver £8m
funding for up to 10,000 new undergraduate internships.
· A guarantee, building on the New Opportunities White Paper
published last year, for around 130,000 of the brightest young
people from low-income backgrounds to benefit from structured
assistance at secondary school. Beginning in 2012, this package
should include experience of Higher Education, mentoring and
access to high quality information, advice and guidance.
· A new Social Mobility Commission to provide expert evidence on
trends and policy on social mobility, and produce an annual report
on progress made towards a fairer, more socially mobile society.
· The launch of an expanded Gateways to the Professions
Collaborative Forum with an increased remit covering a wider range
of professions. Chaired by David Lammy, the Minister for Higher
Education and involving senior representatives from 60 key
professions. The Forum will advise on and implement many of the
panel’s recommendations and will ask professional organisations to
report on and share work done to improve access in each of their fields.
Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, said:
“My mission is to ensure that all of Britain’s people, from every
background, are given the opportunity to develop their talents and
learn the skills which will transform their lives. And this social
mobility must be rooted in our core value of fairness.
“In many ways society is already fairer. Six hundred thousand
children have been lifted out of poverty, record numbers of our
young people are going to university, one in three people of
working age is a member of a profession, and the gender pay gap
has narrowed.
“But we can't be a truly aspirational society if some
people are still denied the chance to get on, and although we have
raised the glass ceiling we have yet to break it. That is why our
priority will be to remove all the barriers that are holding
people back.”
The Government response was co-ordinated by Minister of State for
Business, Innovation and Skills. Pat McFadden. He said:
“There are still great causes in politics and ensuring that
people can achieve their potential based on their talent, hard
work and character, regardless of their background, race or gender
is one such great cause. We have made progress in raising, but
must now break through, the glass ceiling of social mobility in
this country.
“This isn’t about class war – the real class war would be to tell
people they should know their place and to continue restricting
opportunity to a narrow group. This is about opening up
opportunity to the broad majority in Britain, to ensure that those
who have the ability also get the chance to do the kinds of
professional jobs which are going to grow in number in future
years. The measures we have announced in recent months, and the
further steps we announce today will help raise the aspirations of
young people and they demonstrate our long-term commitment to a
more socially mobile society.“
Today’s response builds on measures already announced in key
strategy documents published last autumn, including:
· Higher Ambitions – measures to ensure wider and fairer
access to Higher Education, a high-quality experience for all
students and more flexible courses to reflect the reality of
modern working lives.
· Skills for Growth – measures to give people greater
choice in their training including the national roll out of Skills
Accounts and offer apprentices alternative routes into higher
education and the professions.
· DCSF’s Quality, Choice and Aspiration: A strategy for
young people’s information, advice and guidance – measures to
modernise careers education to make it accessible for today’s
generation of young people and ensure they have equal access to
the careers of their choice.
In addition, in September the Prime Minister announced that the
Government was joining forces with the Federation of Small
Business (FSB) to boost the employability of up to 10,000
graduates, through internships in small and micro businesses.
To increase participation in Higher Education by young people
from poorer backgrounds the Government actively encourages
universities to take a broad and innovative approach to identify
talent. And Sir Martin Harris has been asked to consult
vice-chancellors on further action that can be taken to widen
access to university before reporting back to Ministers in the
spring.
In his independent review of higher education funding and student
finance, Lord Browne will look at ensuring that the higher
education system caters for full and part time students and
ensuring that finance is not a barrier to access.
Notes to editors
The Government’s Response to Unleashing Aspiration can be
downloaded from www.bis.gov.uk/unleashingaspirationThe Panel on
Fair Access to the Professions published its report on 21 July
2009. Lead by the Rt Hon. Alan Milburn, its 18 panel members from
the fields of law, arts, medicine, academia, civil service,
military and science, examined the barriers and pathways to
reaching professions for all people - regardless of their
background. The report was commissioned by the Prime Minister
following the New Opportunities White Paper, which examined the
issue of social mobility and its importance for the economy and
social justice. The full report is available at
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/strategy/work_areas/accessprofessions.aspx
Since 1997 the Government has succeeded in removing many of the
barriers to progression and has helped individuals from all
backgrounds get on in life.School standards have vastly improved
and record numbers of people are currently enrolled in university.
Huge improvements have also been made within the professions -
today one in three people of working age is professionally
employed and more people from black and minority ethnic
communities are entering the professions than ever before. And the
gender pay gap has also narrowed.
Department for Business, Innovation & Skills
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) is
building a dynamic and competitive UK economy by: creating the
conditions for business success; promoting innovation, enterprise
and science; and giving everyone the skills and opportunities to
succeed. To achieve this it will foster world-class universities
and promote an open global economy. BIS - Investing in our future.
WRITTEN MINISTERIAL STATEMENT
RT HON PAT McFADDEN, MINISTER FOR BUSINESS,
INNOVATION AND SKILLS, DEPARTMENT FOR BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND
SKILLS
PUBLICATION OF “UNLEASHING ASPIRATION: THE
GOVERNMENT RESPONSE TO THE FINAL REPORT OF THE PANEL ON FAIR
ACCESS TO THE PROFESSIONS”
18 JANUARY 2010
I have today laid before Parliament the command paper “Unleashing
Aspiration - The Government Response to the Final Report of the
Panel on Fair Access to the Professions”. This responds to the
report of the same name led by the Rt Hon Member for Darlington,
published on 21 July 2009.
Social mobility lies at the heart of this Government’s social
policies. That is why, in our White Paper New Opportunities – Fair
Chances for the Future (Cmd. 7533) last year, we set out our
commitment to give everyone a fair chance to get ahead and it was
following the publication of that paper that my Rt Hon Friend, the
member for Darlington was commissioned by the Prime Minister to
write his report.
The fair access to the professions report has already had a
profound impact on the policies of this Government since its
publication: ‘Quality, Choice and Aspiration’ the information
advice and guidance strategy launched by my Rt Hon Friend the
Secretary of State for Children, School and Families is making it
easier for young people and their parents to access high quality
advice and guidance about education and careers. Today we will set
out a guarantee, building from the ‘New Opportunities’ white
paper, for up to 130,000 of the brightest young people from
low-income backgrounds to benefit from a structured package of
support towards Higher Education from 2012.
In ‘Higher Ambitions’, the Higher Education Framework we made it
clear to universities that social mobility must remain at the
heart of their mission. We accepted the Panel's
recommendation on asking universities to take into account the
context of educational achievement when assessing admissions. Lord
Browne is leading an Independent Review of Higher Education
Funding and Student Finance to ensure the system caters for full
and part time students and finance is not a barrier to accessing
higher education.
We announced in the Pre-Budget Report £8million of financial
support for up to 10,000 undergraduates from low-income
backgrounds to take up short internships. With the help of
employers, we have set up the Graduate Talent Pool advertising
thousands of internship opportunities and today we announce a new
online National Internship service providing both undergraduate
and graduate internships in one place.
Our plans aren't just about young people. We are asking
universities to run shorter and more flexible courses for all. The
provision of flexible learning was also an important element of
‘Skills for Growth’, our National Skills Strategy, where we
committed to a new apprenticeships scholarship programme so that
the best apprentices can go on to higher education if they wish.
We have also launched Skills Accounts for all which will put power
to choose courses and access to course information firmly in the
hands of the learner.
These are just some examples of the work we are undertaking to
create a more socially mobile society through fairer access to the
professions. The full range of activity is set out in our
response. Of the total 88 recommendations, we accept the vast
majority today.
Our relaunched Gateways to the Professions Collaborative Forum
will be instrumental in driving this work across all the
professions. It will both advise on and help to implement the fair
access agenda in the professions themselves.
Our commitment to social mobility is long term. That is why we
announce today the creation of a Social Mobility Commission to be
based in the Cabinet Office. It will give expert advice to
Government and report on progress towards a fairer, more mobile
society. To further assist this work we will soon be receiving the
report of the National Equality Panel, chaired by Professor Sir
John Hills. This will outline how economic inequality, social
background, gender, race and other factors impact on life chances.
Sir John’s report will inform the implementation of the
socio-economic duty in the Equality Bill, as well as wider
Government action in this area.
We have raised the glass ceiling of social mobility in this
country, now we must break it. The document we publish today
outlines the next steps we will take towards this goal. Let me
conclude by thanking my Rt Hon Friend, the member for Darlington
and the Panel on Fair Access to the Professions for their work. I
am confident that the panel's work will help raise the
aspiration of millions of people in this country and give them
reassurance that all they need to succeed is ability, talent and
determination.
WRITTEN MINISTERIAL STATEMENT
LORD YOUNG OF NORWOOD GREEN, MINISTER FOR POSTAL
AFFAIRS AND EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS, DEPARTMENT FOR BUSINESS,
INNOVATION AND SKILLS
PUBLICATION OF “UNLEASHING ASPIRATION: THE
GOVERNMENT RESPONSE TO THE FINAL REPORT OF THE PANEL ON FAIR
ACCESS TO THE PROFESSIONS”
18 JANUARY 2010
My Rt Hon Friend the Minister for Business Innovation and Skills
(Pat McFadden) has today made the following statement.
I have today laid before Parliament the command paper Unleashing
Aspiration - The Government Response to the Final Report of the
Panel on Fair Access to the Professions”. This responds to the
report of the same name led by the Rt Hon Member for Darlington,
published on 21 July 2009.
Social mobility lies at the heart of this Government’s social
policies. That is why, in our White Paper “New Opportunities –
Fair Chances for the Future (Cmd. 7533) last year, we set out our
commitment to give everyone a fair chance to get ahead and it was
following the publication of that paper that my Rt Hon Friend, the
member for Darlington was commissioned by the Prime Minister to
write his report.
The fair access to the professions report has already had a
profound impact on the policies of this Government since its
publication: ‘Quality, Choice and Aspiration’ the information
advice and guidance strategy launched by my Rt Hon Friend the
Secretary of State for Children, School and Families is making it
easier for young people and their parents to access high quality
advice and guidance about education and careers. Today we will set
out a guarantee, building from the ‘New Opportunities’ white
paper, for up to 130,000 of the brightest young people from
low-income backgrounds to benefit from a structured package of
support towards Higher Education from 2012.
In ‘Higher Ambitions’, the Higher Education Framework we made it
clear to universities that social mobility must remain at the
heart of their mission. We accepted the Panel's
recommendation on asking universities to take into account the
context of educational achievement when assessing admissions. Lord
Browne is leading an Independent Review of Higher Education
Funding and Student Finance to ensure the system caters for full
and part time students and finance is not a barrier to accessing
higher education.
We announced in the Pre-Budget Report £8million of financial
support for up to 10,000 undergraduates from low-income
backgrounds to take up short internships. With the help of
employers, we have set up the Graduate Talent Pool advertising
thousands of internship opportunities and today we announce a new
online National Internship service providing both undergraduate
and graduate internships in one place.
Our plans aren't just about young people. We are asking
universities to run shorter and more flexible courses for all. The
provision of flexible learning was also an important element of
‘Skills for Growth’, our National Skills Strategy, where we
committed to a new apprenticeships scholarship programme so that
the best apprentices can go on to higher education if they wish.
We have also launched Skills Accounts for all which will put power
to choose courses and access to course information firmly in the
hands of the learner.
These are just some examples of the work we are undertaking to
create a more socially mobile society through fairer access to the
professions. The full range of activity is set out in our
response. Of the total 88 recommendations, we accept the vast
majority today.
Our relaunched Gateways to the Professions Collaborative Forum
will be instrumental in driving this work across all the
professions. It will both advise on and help to implement the fair
access agenda in the professions themselves.
Our commitment to social mobility is long term. That is why we
announce today the creation of a Social Mobility Commission to be
based in the Cabinet Office. It will give expert advice to
Government and report on progress towards a fairer, more mobile
society. To further assist this work we will soon be receiving the
report of the National Equality Panel, chaired by Professor Sir
John Hills. This will outline how economic inequality, social
background, gender, race and other factors impact on life chances.
Sir John’s report will inform the implementation of the
socio-economic duty in the Equality Bill, as well as wider
Government action in this area.
We have raised the glass ceiling of social mobility in this
country, now we must break it. The document we publish today
outlines the next steps we will take towards this goal. Let me
conclude by thanking my Rt Hon Friend, the member for Darlington
and the Panel on Fair Access to the Professions for their work. I
am confident that the panel's work will help raise the
aspiration of millions of people in this country and give them
reassurance that all they need to succeed is ability, talent and determination.
Contacts:
BIS Press Office
NDS.BIS@coi.gsi.gov.uk
Una Flynn
Phone: 020 7215 5256
Una.Flynn@bis.gsi.gov.uk