Clegg: ‘Internships and work experience key to moving lost generation up ladder of opportunity’
The government has recently published its social mobility and child poverty strategies with the Deputy Prime Minister’s pledge to give everyone a ‘fair chance’ by creating a level playing field for the majority of people to be able to move up the ‘ladder of opportunity’. The government has placed a great emphasis on the role of education in facilitating its plans for social mobility.
Coinciding with the recent announcement regarding the ongoing development of the online work experience portal from the Financial Skills Partnership, providing specialist information for those wanting to pursue careers in finance, accountancy and financial services. The portal is designed to break down detailed information on the professions into comprehensive and useful guidance for those looking to get a foot on the ladder in the financial sector. The work experience portal is broken down into sections to deliver impartial advice for individuals and also for employers looking to attract and retain talent within their organisations.
Speaking on the work experience portal, Jenny Barber, Head of Education and Careers for the Financial Skills Partnership said, “The FSP’s work experience portal provides a platform for ensuring that guidance and advice is made available to new entrants and is part of the FSP’s overall plans to diversify and skill-up the financial sector ahead of the imminent skills gap to be left by the arrival of the retail distribution review (RDR).”
Commenting on today’s announcement, Liz Field, CEO of the FSP said, “The FSP welcomes the government’s plans to use education as a tool for implementing its strategy for social mobility, designed to create an equal playing field for young people making their first steps on the career ladder. Our work experience portal works with our sector to ensure that employers have access to potential new talent, advice and guidance professionals, and those wanting to progress their career. The FSP would like to see more employers becoming actively engaged with the work experience portal as a way of attracting new talent and ensuring that the sector remains competitive”.