Fit For Purpose: Issue 2 by Social Mobility Pledge

BUS I N ESS N EWS

FIT FOR

#02 UNLEASHING BUSINESS POTENTIAL

A DIRECT LINE TO OPPORTUNITY WITH WILL SHERLOCK, DIRECT LINE GROUP

WITH DAVID HARRISON, TRUE POTENTIAL

WHY HOUSING IS KEY TO LEVELLING UP

BRIDGING THE OPPORTUNITY GAP WITH MARK POWER, LIVERPOOL JOHN MOORES UNIVERSITY

WITH ROGER DEVLIN, PERSIMMON HOMES

LEVELLING UP THE NORTH EAST WITH GUY OPPERMAN MP, MINISTER FOR PENSIONS & FINANCIAL INCLUSION

A PASSION TO NOT JUST BE PURPOSE DRIVEN BUT PURPOSE-LED

The Levelling Up Goals

WITH ALEX FLEMING, ADECCO GROUP

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THE 14 CHALLENGES FACING THE UK FFP-ISS02-2021

IN THE HOTSEAT IA IN DA L E ANS WER S YOU R QUES TIONS

SEEMA KENNEDY OBE PUTTI N G M ENTA L H E ALTH AT TH E COR E O F YOUR PUR P O S E

ROBBIE MOORE MP “IF WE ’ R E G O ING T O MAKE A REAL DIF F E R E NC E O N T HE G RO U ND, WE NE E D T O DE F INE HO W W E ’ R E G O ING T O G E T T HE R E ”

RT HON JACQUI SMITH S T RICT LY HEALT H: BU ILDING HEALT HIER LIVES 1

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O T J E O URNEY H T

NET ZERO

One Goal For One Planet. Net Zero. NOW IS THE TIME.

The One Planet Pledge campaign is chaired by Seema Kennedy OBE, signatories include Barratt Developments, EON, Aviva and LSE.

We aim to encourage as many companies as possible to make

their public commitment to reaching net zero emissions. Purpose-led businesses have a vital role to play in helping the world meet the challenge of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in this decade.

Make your One Planet Pledge now at www.oneplanetpledge.org

EDITOR’S NOTE

SEEMA KENNEDY OBE

Guest Editor THIS ISSUE’S GUEST EDITOR IS SEEMA KENNEDY OBE, FORMER MP AND CO-CHAIR OF THE JO COX COMMISSION

eema grew up in Blackburn in Lancashire to an Irish mother and an Iranian father. The family had to flee Iran when her father’s business was seized by the government during the Iranian revolution. Having studied at Cambridge University, Seema then qualified as a solicitor in the city. A lot of the work she did was around helping the most vulnerable groups with pro bono work and giving free legal advice to disabled people. Seema was Member of Parliament for South Ribble between 2015 and 2019. In this time she served as Parliamentary

ON LONELINESS.

Under-Secretary for Health, as well as being Parliamentary Private Secretary to Theresa May for two years. While in her role as Parliamentary Private Secretary, Seema was part of the team that saw the UK become one of the first governments in the world to make a firm and decisive national commitment to delivering Net Zero. The target requires the UK to bring all greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. During her time in Parliament she passionately campaigned on the issues of mental health and loneliness.

She was the Co-Chair of the Jo Cox Commission on Loneliness and is still involved with the Jo Cox Foundation today, which is chaired by Rt Hon Jacqui Smith. Today Seema works alongside Rt Hon Justine Greening on levelling up Britain. Growing up in a family run business, she has seen first-hand the role that businesses can play in spreading opportunity and levelling up. Seema is passionate about bringing together MPs, business, universities and wider society to work on closing the gaps that can see levelling up achieved.

A LEVELLING UP GOLD AWARD CHAMPION 2021 Committed to making Levelling Up part of our purpose.

FIND OUT MORE www.levelupthegoals.org/join-the-index

FIT FOR Donna Catley CHIEF PEOPLE OFFICER OF COMPASS GROUP

Simon Boss

THIS MONTHS FEATURED PURPOSE BUSINESS LEADERS

Penny James

Daniel Harrison

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF SHOOSMITHS

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF DIRECT LINE GROUP

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF TRUE POTENTIAL

Alex Fleming

Dean Finch

Susan Davy

REGION PRESIDENT OF NORTHERN EUROPE AT ADECCO

NEW GROUP CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF PERSIMMON

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF PENNON

ontent

Robbie Moore MP MAKING A MEASURABLE DIFFERENCE WITH ROBBIE MOORE MP

THE ARCHITECTURE FOR LEVELLING UP

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

Spotlight on Rt Hon Justine Greening

With Baroness Helen Newlove & University of Bolton

LETTING BUSINESS DO WHAT THEY DO BEST

TACKLING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE

With David Harrison, Co-founder, Social Mobility Pledge

With Daniel Harrison & True Potential LLP

TACKLING LONELINESS

THE POWER TO TRANSFORM

With Seema Kennedy OBE

IN CONVERSION

With Seema Kennedy OBE

THE RACE TO NET ZERO

With Seema Kennedy OBE

With Professor Pamela Gilles CBE FRSE, Glasgow Caledonian University

THE POWER OF FOOTBALL TO LEVEL UP

With Collette Roche & Manchester United Foundation

CONTENTS

Tackling Loneliness 92 OPINION

STRENGTH IN NUMBERS

A FORCE FOR GOOD

Spotlight on Suzanne Carrie, UWE - Bristol

Spotlight on Jon Dutton and the Rugby League World Cup 2021

PURPOSE AND OPPORTUNITY

PATHWAY FOR PROGRESSION

Spotlight on UWE - Bristol

Spotlight on Donna Catley, Compass Group UK & Ireland

CAPITAL GAINS AND GLOBAL IMPACT

MAKE HAPPEN

With Professor Jane Harrington, University of Greenwich

Spotlight on Lucy Murray, University of Essex

ACCESS TO EDUCATION

UNIVERSITY OF LINCOLN: CASE STUDY

Spotlight on Professor Liz Barnes, Staffordshire University

Kyle Constable, OAL Group

PURPOSE PIPELINE

BUILDING BRIDGES

With Liverpool John Moores University

With Guy Opperman MP, Minister for Pensions & Financial Inclusion

MEASURING SUCCESS

With Professor Kiran Trehan, University of York

100

A FIRST STEP ON THE LADDER

Spotlight on Roger Devlin, Persimmon Homes

102 LEVELLING UP HEALTH INEQUALITIES

With Rt Hon Anne Milton

104

BRADFORD'S BLUEPRINT FOR SUCCESS

With University of Bradford

106

BREAKING DOWN THE BUDGET

A deeper dive into how the budget aligns with the Levelling Up Goals

114

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

With Cllr Karen Quinn on the role of Councils in Levelling Up

116

BUILDING HEALTHIER LIVES

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust

120

MAKE YOU PLEDGE

With Susan Davy and Pennon Group

Spotlight on the Social Mobility Pledge

IN THE HOT SEAT

122

A MOVE TO NET ZERO

LBC’s Iain Dale answers your questions

With University of Northampton

124

BREAKING THE MOULD

spotlight on Professor Nick Petford, University of Northampton

128

CAREER IN FOCUS

Featuring: Rt Hon Dame Margaret Hodge MP

ART TO ACADEMIA

Spotlight on Mark Power, Liverpool John Moores University’

BUSINESS MUST DEMONSTRATE ACTION

FROM PURPOSE-DRIVEN TO PURPOSE-LED

With Simon Boss and Shoosmiths

With Alex Fleming, Adecco Group

LEVELLING UP LAW

ADECCO GROUP: CASE STUDY

Spotlight on first sector wide Levelling Up initiative

With Sandhya Sabapathy, Adecco Group

OPPORTUNITY ACCESS

Spotlight on York St John University

A FORCE FOR GOOD

with Will Sherlock and Direct Line Group

THE PURPOSE INDEX

Recognising commitment, driving change.

130

UNLOCKING TALENT

Spotlight on Professor Steven West, UWE - Bristol

132

ONE YEAR ON

A look back at the past year with Rt Hon Justine Greening

L E V E L L I N G U P G OA L S

Building the architecture for levelling up LEVELLING UP IS ABOUT EVERYONE HAVING THE SAME CHANCE TO GET ON IN LIFE, WHOEVER AND WHEREVER THEY ARE. IT IS SUCH AN IMPORTANT ISSUE THAT IT ENDS UP IMPACTING POLITICS, BUSINESSES, COMMUNITIES, UNIVERSITIES, REALLY EVERY ASPECT OF OUR LIVES.

Levelling up has been on the political agenda for a few years and it’s never had more political attention, but for the public, now is the time for delivery. That means having the right goals that can drive action and also provide a benchmark to track our progress. That’s why I am delighted to have recently launched a common framework for levelling up Britain that uniquely brings together policy makers, business and education. Our 14 ‘Levelling Up Goals’ focus efforts on driving equality of opportunity not just at key life stages, from early years through to careers, but also recognises we need goals to tackle the barriers such as the digital divide, health and infrastructure that hinder or help people to connect up with opportunity. Between 2012 and 2016, as International Development Secretary I led the UK efforts to develop and shape the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - designed to be a “blueprint to achieve a better more sustainable future for all”. It’s an experience that’s directly relevant to how we need to approach another complex challenge - levelling up. Our 14 Levelling Up Goals provide a similarly powerful framework for government, education, businesses, communities and others to address the long running lack of social mobility that exists in Britain. Our Levelling Up Goals must raise our collective ambition high – achieving them and achieving levelling up by looking to the longer term will be key to our future.

L E V E L L I N G U P G OA L S

The Levelling Up Goals are proving to be the architecture for delivering levelling up 9

L E V E L L I N G U P G OA L S

Successful Positive 1 Strong 3 destinations foundations school years 2 Post 16+ in Early Years

health Extending and well-being 9 enterprise 8 Good

Right advice and experiences

recruitment 5 Open

the for opportunity 12 digital divide 1 10 Closing 1 Infrastructure

The Levelling Up Goals are the architecture for delivering levelling up and give all of us a set of common goals that we can work towards together. The Goals can unite and galvanise Parliament, business, universities, communities and civil society. Everyone needs to play their role in transforming Britain and our politicians must use the huge effort that is already underway outside of Westminster, day in day out. We work with businesses and universities doing some incredible things in this space, they are leaders in the field. Working to find these models of success that are already delivering levelling up on the ground and then spreading their best practice is one of the fastest, most effective ways we can drive change. I believe that equality of opportunity – people having the same chance to get on in life whoever they are – is that rare issue that we can all agree on, whatever our politics or outlook and work together to achieve. And that collective effort is crucial for success. Britain needs a system change to deliver equality of opportunity. It means that piecemeal efforts aren’t enough and that a smarter approach is now needed than has been possible in the past. That’s what the Levelling Up Goals represent - it is the architecture for a systematic plan that can avoid the piecemeal approach. Firstly, it addresses those gaps in life chances that open up from

Building homes & sustainable communities

an early age and then grow wider during our school years. Secondly, it then focuses on the gaps that open up beyond education and in addition whilst we are in work, and on the advice and experience that mean we connect up to the right opportunities or we don’t. Finally, levelling up fails to happen if there are barriers getting in the way - some of the Levelling Up Goals are about removing those barriers. We’ve seen the digital divide and access to technology – hardware, software, data and skills – emerge as a key barrier to keeping education going during lockdown. Meanwhile for others, housing conditions make it virtually impossible to study or work at home, or they have health or disability challenges that end up blocking off the chance for careers in a way that is wholly unacceptable. The launch of these Goals comes at a critical time for Britain as we look to navigate our way out of the latest lockdown and then look ahead to addressing the longer term impact of coronavirus. It’s clear that Covid-19 has levelled down the country, impacting those from disadvantaged backgrounds most and dealing a double blow of low social mobility and high economic decline caused by the pandemic. The danger is that Covid-19 exerts not only the terrible price we have paid today, but demands one for the future, in terms of lost opportunities and unmet potential. The Institute for

L E V E L L I N G U P G OA L S

Fair career progression

Widening access to savings & credit

4. Right advice and experiences Access to the right advice and experiences at the right time to unlock opportunity throughout a person’s life.

5. Open recruitment Careers and professions open to people of all backgrounds through transparent, accessible and open recruitment practices

Harness the energy transition

Achieve equality, through diversity & inclusion

6. Fair career progression Opportunities for career advancement for all based on ability and potential, not connections.

7. Widening access to savings & credit Widening access to responsible credit and closing the savings gap.

8. Good health and wellbeing Improving mental and physical health at all ages to boost overall well-being to allow people to fulfil their potential. Fiscal Studies (IFS) recently warned that time out of the classroom due to Covid-19 will have long-lasting consequences on future earnings. The IFS estimates that pupils stand to lose an average of £40,000 in lifetime earnings, with children from disadvantaged backgrounds most affected. We should not allow that to happen. Action is needed immediately but also must be sustained for the longer term to stop the opportunity gap spreading and to ensure that we can rebuild back a better and fairer Britain.

THE LEVELLING UP GOALS ARE:

1. Strong foundations in Early Years Close the early years development gap by delivering the best possible start for every child.

2. Successful school years Every child successfully achieving their potential in attainment and development.

9. Extending enterprise Extending private enterprise and entrepreneurship to all people and communities

10. Closing the digital divide Closing the divide in technology access, skills, opportunities and infrastructure.

11. Infrastructure for opportunity Developing the physical infrastructure that connects people and places to opportunity.

12. Building homes & sustainable communities Creating affordable quality homes so people can live in safe and sustainable communities.

13. Harness the energy transition Ensure that the energy transition is fair and creates opportunities across the UK.

3. Positive destinations Post 16+

14. Achieve equality, through diversity & inclusion

Every young person and adult to have the choice of a high-quality route in education, employment or training.

Creating a level playing field on opportunity for all, to fully unleash Britain’s potential for the first time.

L E V E L L I N G U P G OA L S SPOTLIGHT ON JUSTINE GREENING AND THE LEVELLING UP GOALS

Justine Greening

Levelling Up Goals 12

L E V E L L I N G U P G OA L S

‘LEVELLING UP’ IS ABOUT EVERYONE HAVING THE SAME CHANCE TO GET ON IN THEIR LIFE, WHEREVER AND WHOEVER THEY ARE.

No one would disagree with that as an objective - in fact it’s possibly the only thing that MPs in Westminster agree on. And now with covid-19, the problems of inequality of opportunity have become bigger as well as more urgent. So why hasn’t it happened? And how can we finally make the serious progress we all want to see? The biggest challenges on levelling up are that it’s a complex problem and to make progress requires sticking at solutions for the long term. So to combat the complexity, let’s start with more clarity by breaking down the levelling up challenge into its constituent parts. We must have a common architecture, a common language for what we’re all talking about. I recognise that politicians in Westminster will want to debate what the solutions are, but let’s at least agree how we break the levelling up challenge down and start from that same basis. And perhaps then we can have more sustained action for the long term. If we can’t even agree on the problem, it’s no surprise that we never find solutions. That’s why I launched the Levelling Up Goals (www. levellingupgoals.org) - they break down the levelling up challenge into 14 Levelling Up Goals, the issues we must tackle if we’re to truly shift the future and make it fairer for all. Some of the Goals are about preventing gaps opening up between privileged and less privileged children in early years and school years. And getting good advice and experiences to develop people matters, as does making sure that opportunities are open to all and that progression within careers is fair. Some of the Levelling Up Goals are around the other parts of our lives that either help or hinder our path forward - for example good housing, our health and access to the online world. For the first time, the Levelling Up Goals set out those challenges as a whole.

Now we have identified the Goals we need to achieve, we can break them down with plans on how to tackle each one of them and start to understand how we can measure our progress. Through the Levelling Up Goals seminars, ably chaired by Iain Dale, we bring together very different perspectives to drill down into the solutions that can move things forward. A Measurement Taskforce led by the University of York is drawing on the ideas of the foremost business and university leaders on levelling up and pulling together the metrics that can show whether we are moving forwards or not. And the Levelling Up Goals demonstrate that Government doesn’t have all the answers - some of the keys to unlocking levelling up lie in the hands of people running our businesses, our universities or communities themselves and the amazing civil society and volunteering groups that have long formed the backbone of so many good things that happen in our country. Ultimately the Levelling Up Goals give us an architecture around which we can all work more collectively together. If anything can transcend the party politics and division we’ve seen so starkly in recent years, it’s surely the issue of equality of opportunity and levelling up. It’s why a cross party group of MPs in Westminster is behind the Goals, led by Robbie Moore MP and Dame Margaret Hodge MP with ever more coming on board. More opportunities for more people is how we create more opportunities for everyone. It’s not a zero sum game. We need to approach levelling up in a spirit of working together to build more opportunities for everyone. And we need to have a common framework that helps us design the solutions that can steadily transform lives. That’s what the Levelling Up Goals achieve - it’s a national architecture that can drive a national effort.

TR UE POTENTIAL SPOTLIGHT ON DAVID HARRISON AND TRUE POTENTIAL

AS THE VACCINATION PROGRAMME ACCELERATES, THE PROSPECT OF NORMALIT Y LINGERS TA N TA L I S I N G LY O V E R T H E H O R I Z O N, S AY S DAV I D H A R R I S O N, S O C I A L M O B I L I T Y P L E D G E CO F O U N D E R ; FOUNDER OF THE HARRISON CENTRE FOR SOCIAL MOBILIT Y AND CHAIRMAN OF TRUE POTENTIAL.

TR UE POTENTIAL

‘Let businesses do what they do best and lead us out of the mire’ While the restoration of many of our pre-Covid freedoms may be just months away, the economic recovery looks certain to be a long-haul battle. And it is businesses that will lead the way in reversing the damage done to entire sectors – and setting a new route to growth and a level playing field on opportunity. As a business owner and an employer, I would like to make a plea to our Chancellor. Do not make the mistake of killing or at best slowing our recovery by asking our businesses to play the wrong part. There are plenty of reasons to be optimistic that they can indeed guide us to better times too. For all the obvious and less obvious economic pain, lockdowns and restrictions have spurred a new wave of innovation and problem-solving among businesses and entrepreneurs. The London School of Economics reports that 45 percent of businesses it polled have introduced a new product or service in the last 12 months, with 75 percent of these stating that they had introduced entirely new products or services. I’ve seen first-hand how ideas on boardroom white boards have been fast tracked to the market, with great results.

The businesses that adapted and were able to continue trading in the darkest days of Covid-19 are now poised for growth. Other bright-spots include a soaring investor appetite for healthcare innovation and a speeding up of digital, at-home tech’s capabilities. Then there is the prospect of a surge in demand for the many services, experiences and destinations we have been starved of in lockdown – like theatres, football matches, holidays and hairdressers. At the same time, of course, many businesses will simply be fighting for survival in the coming months, rather than enjoying rapid growth, tentatively building back to their pre-Covid capacity. The priority now, therefore, must be growth and to get maximum growth further obstacles must not be put in the way. Almost always the best strategies and the best innovations are about less, not more. Removing things, not adding them. This enables the best run, most innovative and biggest potential businesses to naturally rise to the top. It is a far more effective strategy than simply adding further subsidies or having yet more central government intervention in how businesses are run – these approaches can be misguided and fall short of their desired outcomes.

TR UE POTENTIAL In other times of recession, for example, we often see false actions of decentralisation like handing funds to business ‘hubs’. The Local Enterprise Partnerships alone have spent £7.6bn since they were formed in 2011 and claim to have created 180,000 jobs. Or to put it another way, it cost over £42,000 for each job created through the LEPs. Those heading up these projects may have no experience of business leadership or entrepreneurship, while the authorities they represent often have their own biases or agenda in terms of which firms benefit. Although well intentioned, these programmes are generally not a catalyst for new businesses with years of success ahead of them. Solid businesses are formed and driven by individuals eager to do something to better themselves, that they feel the market needs. If they are right then they will succeed and employ often hundreds or thousands of people. Also, removing taxation and paperwork frees up those two most vital business resources - time and money. It allows companies to expand faster, employ more people and thus contribute to a growing economy and social mobility. This would be an infinitely more powerful intervention than a blanket injection of cash into all businesses - many of which were failing long before Covid-19 - ultimately paid for by the same businesses.

“

This year should be a period in which businesses are given the space and freedoms to do what they do best

There also needs to be a shift in the narrative around Brexit. Trade deals are being spoken about among the political class as though they alone dictate where a company can do business. Businesses thrive by being able to trade with other businesses and individuals, not with countries. To get new jobs we need to look for them across the world, using our newfound freedom, and also our ability to tax or not tax businesses that are attracted to us. I have always operated on the basis of never giving a new customer a better deal than an existing loyal one and it pays off. Research by the Taxpayers’ Alliance shows the average tax burden in the UK has already reached a 70 year high. Growing our way out of this pandemic should mean reducing, not increasing, taxes. Businesses will have more to re-invest and employees will have more money to buy goods. To compete in the world and to prove we can win requires a government that understands and can communicate the reasons for private, agile business as being the major force for a great country. This year should be a period in which businesses are given the space and freedoms to do what they do best and in doing so, they will level up Britain. Their leadership, ideas and hardworking teams hold the key to our recovery and should be allowed to thrive with as few bureaucratic barriers as possible.

T H E P U R P O S E C OA L I T I O N SPOTLIGHT ON SEEMA KENNEDY AND PURPOSE COALITION

SOMETHING PRECIOUS

and formative has been denied in the crisis

T H E P U R P O S E C OA L I T I O N

FORMER MINISTER SEEMA KENNEDY OBE JOINED THE PURPOSE COALITION TO HELP DRIVE ITS AIM OF BUILDING A FAIRER BRITAIN IN WHICH OPPORTUNITIES ARE ACCESSIBLE TO ALL. HERE SHE INTRODUCES HER ROLE IN ADDRESSING LONELINESS AS PART OF THE WIDER LEVELLING UP AGENDA . COVID-19 has been the ultimate agitator of loneliness and isolation. Vital interactions with friends and family that we all took for granted have been paused indefinitely, as the great effort to stay safe and distanced goes on. Screens, masks and poor audio divide us from the familiar faces of our normal lives, and the communal activities that we all long for hover tantalisingly over the horizon. But it is society’s most vulnerable that have perhaps sacrificed most through the restrictions. Even now, over a year into the crisis, the crucial access they need to support networks and loved ones remains strained; and the routines and interventions of their daily life continue to be disrupted. Meanwhile, health and social care professionals have performed valiantly in adjusting to this landscape of limitation to ensure the smoothest delivery of services possible. With an end to the crisis hopefully now in sight, we must address what has become a UK-wide epidemic of loneliness. To do so, we can tap into greater awareness than ever of the importance of social interaction and speaking up about mental health issues.

We might also take advantage of a newly engaged volunteer network. Early in the crisis, 750,000 people responded to a government-backed call for 50,000 volunteers to support vulnerable people. This resource could prove hugely useful in tackling loneliness and isolation in the future. In 2016 I worked with Labour MP Jo Cox on the Loneliness Commission, and after her tragic death, co-chaired the Jo Cox Commission on Loneliness in 2017. Before that, the notion of loneliness within the national consciousness largely focused on older people. We were able to shine a spotlight on a much wider spectrum of affected groups. As well as people in the later stages of life, we also highlighted loneliness among men, carers, refugees, asylum seekers, disabled people, children, young people and parents. Our work set out to ‘combat loneliness one conversation at a time’. The isolating impact of COVID-19 on everyone’s life makes this conversation easier – and more urgent. This is why I am working with the Purpose Coalition alongside former Education Secretary, the Rt Hon Justine Greening, to address the mental health and wellbeingrelated fallout of the pandemic.

T H E P U R P O S E C OA L I T I O N

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face-to-face learning and social interaction are an essential part of making your way in the world

Earlier this year Justine set out the coalition’s 14 steps to levelling up Britain – a blueprint for closing the country’s opportunity gap post-COVID-19. I am working to champion the good health and wellbeing step which urges: ‘Improving mental and physical health at all ages to boost overall wellbeing to allow people to fulfil their potential.’ We now know that loneliness affects physical AND mental health. One 2018 study, for example, calculated that loneliness is as lethal as smoking 15 cigarettes per day. It concluded that lonely people are 50 per cent more likely to die prematurely than people with strong social connections. There is also increasing recognition of loneliness in younger people. As recently as 10 years ago, young people were rarely associated with loneliness in the public eye. But this has changed dramatically through the pandemic, with 18 to 25s among those most affected. These are their golden years and it feels as though something really precious and formative has been taken from them. Since I teamed up with the Purpose Coalition in September, I have had conversations with numerous university leaders and students. Many higher education providers have been exemplary in their support for students, while, admittedly, others might have communicated better about their adjustments and plans. There is great pressure on young people to thrive in this digital age, but face-to-face learning and social interaction are an essential part of a making your way in the world – and this must never be forgotten now we have seen what life is like without them. Speaking more broadly, every person in every organisation has been affected by COVID-19 in some way, from boardrooms to the shop floor. This experience should help to accelerate the journey of these businesses, universities and public sector bodies towards purpose. And these shifts in approach and focus must include an awareness and response to loneliness in all its forms and manifestations.

I N T E RV I E W

WE SPEAK TO SEEMA KENNEDY OBE, FORMER MINISTER FOR PUBLIC HEALTH, A BO U T M O V I N G B E T W E E N I R A N A N D L A N C A S H I R E A S A C H I L D , B E I N G P O L I T I C A L LY AWA R E F RO M A N E A R LY AG E A N D H O W T O D E L I V E R O N T H E L E V E L L I N G U P AG E N DA .

Seema Kennedy Interview with Iain Dale

Q A

// Tell us a little bit about your childhood and how it helped shape your life?

// I was born in Blackburn, my mother is a Blackburn girl from an Irish family. She met my father, who is originally from Tehran, at Blackburn Technical College in the 1960s. They fell in love and moved back to Iran before my mother came back to Blackburn to have me so that she could be near her own family. My early years were fundamental in shaping my life for a few reasons. Although people look at me and think ‘you’ve got the same colour skin as me, you sound like us, you’ve got a recognisable name’, actually my experience is really different. My mother is catholic and my father is muslim and that tension of living in different worlds was always very evident. I think it has made me quite sensitive to people, what motivates them and where they come from. In terms of politics, I could see that politics could have a really profound and dramatic impact on a family’s life. We had to leave the country, our house was taken, my dad’s business was taken away from us, we had relatives put in prison. Our family is scattered around the world, a lot of them live in the United States, a few stayed in Iran, we’re in the UK - it really changed things.

Q//

Growing up in England in the 1980s, do you think you were treated any differently because you were foreign?

A//

Because I looked like everyone else, I never really suffered any prejudice or racism, I never felt like people judged me on that. I did have a very acute awareness of political life, public affairs and what was going on in the world, much more than other children did. We talked about it all the time at home, we couldn’t help it because it had changed our lives. We were the sort of household where we did talk about politics and the 1980s was a time when politics was pretty divisive and people were passionate about what was going on in the country. I remember one Christmas Day writing rules for what we were allowed to talk about and we weren’t allowed to talk about politics because people were really falling out about it.

Q//

You were obviously politically aware from quite a young age, what made you politically active?

A//

I went to University and I thought I would join the union and the Conservative Association but that was the mid 1990s when the party was quite tired, there were a lot of scandals and we were looking a bit out of touch. I didn’t find university politics

I N T E RV I E W

very appealing, so I channelled my energies into doing community work. I did a lot of work with disabled people and some charity work in South London which I found really fulfilling. When I was a young lawyer I worked pro bono in lawyer centres but after a while the pull of being at the centre and affecting change was a little bit too much. Compared to a lot of people that I met in Parliament I came quite late to the party - I was in my late 20s before I joined and in my 30s before I was politically active and campaigning. I was never a special advisor, I never worked in public affairs, I came much more through local politics into Parliament.

Q//

Growing up in Lancashire and going onto Cambridge University, you must have been aware that you were very fortunate?

A//

I was lucky, I had very supportive parents who put everything into helping me and my sister be educated. I was the first person in my family to go to university, my mum’s parents left school when they were 13 and 14, my paternal grandmother was illiterate - in Iran girls didn’t go to school, she couldn’t even read or write. I felt immensely privileged. I did find it incredibly tough when I got there because I’d come from a small town, a small school and a very close and protective family, and then I was with all these sophisticates that come from London. Looking back at it now they probably weren’t at all sophisticated but they really seemed it to me. I did feel quite lonely and a fish out of water but whenever I walked round and saw all these beautiful places it reminded me how lucky I was to be there. Going back to Blackburn and seeing my friends and doing normal things like watching Blackburn Rovers, sitting in the park, going to the pub - that was a big contrast from Cambridge and some of the people I knew there. That was the same when I was the MP for South Ribble, and that’s one aspect of the job I loved, because you were seeing the contrasts of life in the South East and Westminster compared with the daily life of those in Lancashire.

Q//

What did you discover about being a minister that you hadn’t realised? What surprised you about the job? A// What surprised me about the job was the sheer amount of correspondence - it was incredible, especially in public health. I was very unimpressed by the procurement and that not all government departments have the same IT system, so I had a laptop at one and then an iPad at the other. The professionalism and dedication of civil servants I was very very impressed with. I really enjoyed what I was doing, especially in

public health and doing something about health inequalities. I was seeing it in Lancashire, everytime I went on a school visit I was looking at school children who were obese and I’m thinking we’ve got to do something about this. Being in a position where I could really influence that agenda was really very heartening for me. Matt Hancock was a great boss, he knew what he wanted to concentrate on but he let you get on with it, and I think he’s been a fantastic Health Secretary during this period as well.

Q//

How can you make sure that the Government is delivering on the levelling up agenda?

A//

If you want to have real social change you need to have everybody involved, it’s academia, it’s business, it’s policy makers. We need everyone moving in tandem and that’s the interesting aspect and why I find it so exciting. We’ve got Robbie Moore MP, red wall seat, as part of it, we’re going to use all our skills and knowledge, mine and Justines and the amazing things we’re learning from academics and businesses to get this thing going. We know that there are gaps and we’ve identified these 14 areas and we want to level up really seriously. I think if we have a real change and can show to people that their children are getting good jobs when they leave school, that the housebuilding is starting and that we’re really tackling health inequalities. Health is a massive thing, we know more people have died from Covid from certain ethnic groups and if they are from lower socio-economic groups. If the Government responds to the Prevention Green Paper and really acts on child and adult obesity, that is profoundly important.

OPI N ION

Working together to achieve net zero

The Chancellor Rishi Sunak emphasised the importance of green jobs and announced plans to create a green bond framework in his recent Budget. But what does this mean for our targets of reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and the global climate change goals set at the Paris Agreement in 2016? The green bond – or green gilt - will be issued in the summer, with a framework published in June set to give more detail of the types of expenditures that will be financed to help meet the Government’s green objectives. Funds raised will be earmarked for projects such as renewable energy and clean public transport that will help the UK get to net zero by 2050. In other encouraging news the Monetary Policy Committee now has specific goals around net zero. Other green initiatives announced included £4.8m to support the development of a hydrogen hub in Holyhead, which will pilot the creation of hydrogen from renewable energy and a £20m programme to support the development of floating offshore wind technology across the UK. However the Government also announced plans to continue to freeze fuel duty. Critics have argued that this announcement goes against the commitment to confronting climate change and reaching certain goals that have been set. The Government has committed to reach national goals on reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and the global climate change goals set at the Paris Agreement in 2016. The Paris Agreement’s overriding goal is to hold global average temperature increase to below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C

OPI N ION

above pre-industrial levels. Domestically, the UK has committed to bringing all greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. A recent study from the University of East Anglia and Stanford University found that Britain has one of the world’s best records on cutting emissions since the Paris Agreement but reductions globally must increase tenfold to meet the treaty’s targets. UK carbon dioxide emissions declined by an average of 3.6 per cent a year during 2016-19 compared with an average fall of 0.8 per cent among high-income countries. As it comes to terms with the short and long term impact of Coronavirus, the world is in a very different situation from when the Paris Agreement was first struck in December 2015, just months after the UN Sustainable Development Goals were agreed. Yet the underlying issues of climate change and inequality remain utterly vital. In practice the new normal forced on us by Covid-19 means we have to confront a world where day to day life is different. Either we shape solutions which deliver a sustainable future for people and planet, or the problem will shape us. The Government has a crucial role to play in hitting these targets, but it will require a huge effort from everyone individuals, universities and businesses working together to achieve these targets. The last year has been an extremely challenging one for many, with life being disrupted in a way we haven’t seen in recent history. Working patterns have been shifted dramatically and many businesses have pivoted brilliantly to continue to operate. What has become clear is that people and businesses

have a renewed understanding of community and what is important in life. Many companies are now stepping up both their commitments and their action on being part of the solution on climate change. Businesses and universities representing hundreds of thousands of staff and students, have signed up to the One Planet Pledge (www.oneplanetpledge.org). The Pledge has one simple aim - to encourage as many companies as possible to make their public commitment to reaching net zero emissions. Purpose-led businesses have a vital role to play in helping the world meet the challenge of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Where these businesses are leading we know that others will follow. Increasingly, businesses understand that success lies not just in serving a customer base but taking their wider community’s priorities and making them their own too. We are increasingly seeing that climate change-focused customers, investors and employees want to see their values reflected in the corporations they deal with. The debate on climate change increasingly demonstrates that Covid-19 has driven a carbon friendly shift of home working and reduced international business travel that can save emissions as well as costs. Energy companies such as Drax and BP are leading the way on the net zero energy transmission which is becoming a key element of levelling up. The new economy of net zero has a chance to create new careers in communities who can benefit most from it. We’ve seen this already with the announcement that Britain’s first gigafactory will be built in Blyth in Northumberland. The Budget has reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to green jobs and net zero but now needs to be the moment where everyone comes together to tackle climate change. Individuals, universities and business leaders must take leadership and be at the forefront of solutions. Let’s grasp that moment. Seema Kennedy OBE

U N I V E R S I T Y O F B O LT O N SPOTLIGHT ON

BARONESS HELEN NEWLOVE and University of Bolton 26

Q A BARONESS HELEN NEWLOVE IS PRO-VICE-CHANCELLOR OF THE UNIVERSIT Y OF BOLTON, A DEPUT Y SPEAKER IN THE HOUSE OF LORDS AND A FORMER VICTIMS’ COMMISSIONER. Helen’s story is far from typical of someone in the House of Lords, we hear how she has achieved so much as a campaigner and is now spending her time spreading opportunities to people who wouldn’t otherwise have them.

U N I V E R S I T Y O F B O LT O N

We’re all equal and we all should have the same opportunity // Tell us about how you got involved with the University of Bolton?

// I’m a really proud Northerner and when I went to Westminster I felt it was very southern. When you feel that people don’t understand what is happening in the north it is very irritating - we don’t live in cloth caps and clogs, we are hard working people and I am very proud to be northern. To have the opportunity to be Pro-Vice-Chancellor was amazing, I was so excited. Titles are great though, but it’s what you do with it, I’m one of those people that likes to roll up their sleeves and get on with it. I think it’s really important to bring the north back into the Westminster bubble, there are so many talented and hardworking people up here. I’m from a very working class background, so I really want young people to do well in the future.

Q// Explain the importance to the local community of having a high quality higher education institution on its doorstep.

U N I V E R S I T Y O F B O LT O N

A// I think it’s really important

“

I’m a working class woman and for me to be given the opportunity to take a seat in the Lords was awe inspiring

when we hear about Cambridge and Oxford, that our communities should be proud of their local university. Our Vice-Chancellor Professor George Holmes has been here for 15 years and he has built the University to stand proud and he really works for the students. For me, it makes people understand that the University of Bolton is something to be proud of, not just for students, but for businesses and schools in the region. That’s what I’m really proud of - we’re all equal and we all should have the same opportunity and pathways. As soon as I walked through the door I felt that with Bolton, the University is a family and everyone really cares and wants to make it work. It starts with the messaging you receive at an early age, in communities like Bolton you are often put down before your journey has even started - we need to encourage a culture change. The investment is so important to bring onboard the opportunity of jobs and also to recognise that it’s not all about academia, it’s about practical skills. I think this is why Bolton has risen up the league tables, we’ve invested heavily in both academia and practical skills. Practical skills have been lost along the way and a lot of communities where they may not be academic but are very accomplished on the practical side of things have been forgotten. That’s what we’ve done at the University of Bolton with all the investment - we have a world class provision for dental technicians, a huge law school, and are also very good on the special effects for movies. If we balance both academia and practical skills, there is a great message out there that we can serve the community.

Q// Tell us a little bit about your journey to the House of Lords? A// I did feel imposter syndrome entering the House of Lords. Everyone spoke posh. I’m not a lawyer, I’m not a barrister, I’m not an accountant - I’m a working class woman and for me to be given the opportunity to take a seat was awe inspiring. It was a journey right from the beginning after being asked by David Cameron, who I had done lots of campaigning with. I have to say that from the beginning everyone was, and still is, so wonderful - it’s such a respectful place.

Whatever age you are, you can still get that gut feeling that you aren’t clever enough for this place. I thought someone was going to

tap me on the shoulder and say I was in the wrong place! My colleagues have welcomed me and I have learnt another education, I love history and it’s a fantastic place that I’m so passionate about. It’s still an education, there’s so many things to think about but I’m really grateful to my mentor Baroness Morris who has steered me and helped me gain confidence.

Q// Give us a bit more information about your charity Newlove Warrington and what it has achieved over the years? A// Again that was something that I didn’t have a particular vision for. After a 10 week trial (for the murder of Helen’s husband Garry) I just wanted to do something to help the people of Warrington. The community are amazing and the support has meant so much to me and my daughters. I’d never run a charity before - I had worked in legal courts, I had no idea. Warrington is a very rugby-based town - we have the Warrington Wolves Foundation which supports the community and they took me on board and showed me the ropes, they were amazing. We decided to launch Newlove Warrington, the girls designed the logo, and it was just immense. I went round emailing celebrities - Simon Moran, owner of Warrington Wolves, came on board, we got Peter Kay as well. It was a whirlwind, we wanted to do a community radio station with whatever money we raised because Garry was a DJ. We had Noel Edmunds on the radio, all the celebrities, David Cameron, Gordon Brown, the only one I couldn’t get was Nick Clegg. Our aim was to raise awareness around alcohol - it was a big issue in 2007. We had high rates of youngsters drinking and it was a big part of Garry’s case. I wanted people in Warrington to have a bright future that wasn’t going to be about crime or if they were going that way we wanted to inspire them. We involved the local schools, the local colleges, it was very much come in and have a chat and see what we’re doing. It was an opportunity to give back and show Garry as a person through music. It was a fantastic time to do something good from something so negative.

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L E V E L L I N G U P G OA L S SPOTLIGHT ON ROBBIE MOORE AND LEVELLING UP GOALS

If we’re going to make a real difference on the ground, we need to define how we’re going to get there 30

L E V E L L I N G U P G OA L S

CO N S E R VAT I V E M P F O R K E I G H L E Y A N D I L K L E Y RO B B I E M O O R E C H A I R S T H E R E C E N T LY L AUNCHED LEVELLING UP GOAL S IN PARLIAMENT.

L E V E L L I N G U P G OA L S

WE SPEAK TO ROBBIE ABOUT THE LEVELLING UP AGENDA AND THE IMPORTANT ROLE BUSINESSES AND U N I V E R S I T I E S C A N P L AY

Q A

// What does levelling up mean to you? // It’s about looking at constituencies like mine,

which is diverse in all manners of respect, and asking how can we make things better, how can we join up community groups, the education sector, healthcare and businesses to drive positive change. I think it comes down to rebalancing our economy but also about creating opportunities for all - across my constituency in West Yorkshire and across the whole country as well.

Q// How important is a cross-party approach, if we’re going to succeed in levelling up the country as a whole? A// It’s vitally important, we all enter the world of politics or public service to do the right thing, based on our party or core values we may as individuals believe that the journey to achieve levelling up is slightly different but what we can’t lose sight of is that we’re all in that public role to do the right thing for our communities and the whole of the UK.

Q// Why do we need the Levelling Up Goals to help achieve real progress? A// The term levelling up is broad, it means different things to everybody. If we’re going to make a real difference on the ground, we need to define how we’re going to get there. Having a clear set of 14 goals established gives us a route map that we can work around to achieve the overall aim of levelling up our communities. The range of goals that we’ve identified; from strong foundations in early years, right the way through to building homes and sustainable communities, and levelling up the digital divide, all of these 14 goals enable us as individuals to champion the sectors that we have influence in. It also enables us to measure progress and cross check that we are making the right changes in the right places. By having 14 goals it does enable us to drill down into the detail. Let’s take extending enterprise as an example, which is something that I’m really passionate about, where we are wanting to upskill and create the right skill set for local demand, bringing businesses and the education sector together. Unless we have that clear goal for that area and work out the mechanism of how we’re going to extend enterprise, it becomes meaningless if we’re just talking about levelling up. That’s what really excites me about this, it adds weight to what we are trying to achieve.

Q// How important are businesses in finally cracking levelling up? A// Before becoming an MP I spent 12 years in the private sector working for an SME sized business, so I know the vital role that businesses can play. I’m really excited about the energy and enthusiasm that I’ve seen from some of the businesses in my constituency - Keighley has many strong manufacturing, engineering, tech-based and textiles businesses who are wanting to grow, even during the pandemic. One thing that is resonating with me is that the skill set that they need isn’t there at the moment, they are hungry for new manufacturing and engineering talent to come through. I think we have a real part to play in driving the education agenda and putting more weight on technical and vocational

based education and the interplay with businesses. I’ve been working very closely with Keighley College who are now interacting with businesses throughout the region and designing courses to meet local demand and the uptake has been great. I think that’s a great model and something that can be rolled out on a national scale because it’s something that works. What we have seen is a bit of a failure at a national level, with the feeling that everyone has to go to university. I’ve got businesses in my constituency telling me that they don’t need

L E V E L L I N G U P G OA L S

So getting politicians involved from all political parties is crucial to making real change. It’s wider than that though, it’s about engagement with other sectors - health, education, the business community and the voluntary sector need to be involved if we’re going to make real change on the ground.

people that have been to university, they value those who have a technical or vocational skill more. There’s a strong role for us to play in our advocacy roles, to support students making the right decisions for them as individuals and to have that strong link with businesses.

Q// Where do you see universities fitting into this levelling up agenda? A// I think universities are a crucial lynchpin to be able to make this positive change. I’ve had several meetings with Bradford University and one of the interesting things is that the mindset of many universities is really changing. There is a realisation that the domestic agenda is changing, there is a drive to enhance our domestic offering through manufacturing, engineering and tech but also through the service sector. From discussions I’ve had, this has changed how universities interact with local communities, further education offerings and businesses. If we are going to provide the right offering for students and the right courses that meet demand, we need to open the parameters and speak to businesses and young people that are coming through. I really think that universities can play a key role in this, absolutely. Q// If there was one law that you could introduce or change to help achieve levelling up, what would it be and why? A// Where do I start? When we’re talking about young people and raising aspirations, I think I would really like to see more weight put on the vocational and tech-based educational sector with more funding. Almost equal funding, through policy and legislation, and recognition from the Government that actually going to university isn’t the be-all and end-all - it’s about choice at that ground level. I’d love to see, as my number one, far more emphasis and a real push forward to create more choice at a grass roots level and put more weight on the education sectors for vocational and techbased subjects.

TR UE POTENTIAL

Don’t let COVID-19 reverse our hard-won gains TRUE POTENTIAL CHIEF EXECUTIVE, DANIEL HARRISON, ON THE URGENT NEED TO CLOSE THE DIGITAL DIVIDE TO KEEP SOCIAL MOBILIT Y PROGRESS ON TRACK.

Covid-19 has wreaked terrible damage, costing thousands of lives and destroying businesses and jobs. It has also disrupted the education of children all over the country as exams have been cancelled and schools closed. It has been estimated that, as a result of Covid-19, up to eight million children are likely to have missed out on six months or more of education. These lost months cannot easily be made up and schools have made huge efforts to substitute online learning for the classroom but this can only ever be a damage limitation exercise. Not only that, but a digital divide that already existed has been made wider, with some children having far greater access to computers and the internet than others. Even where young people have internet access, they may be having to share technology with their siblings or parents. A recent study by the Institute of Fiscal Studies showed that children from wealthier families spent over 30 per cent more time on home learning than those from poorer families.

Unless we make a massive effort, there is a great danger that Covid-19 will reverse some hard-won gains in social mobility. Many businesses have sought to help by providing laptops for students who didn’t have them. As soon as we went into lockdown, my firm, True Potential bought dozens of new laptops and reconditioned our surplus machines. We have since donated them to primary schools and academies across the North East, with many more to follow. However, giving away computers is the easy part and only really scratches the surface of the problem. There is a much bigger prize in reach – both for students and society as a whole – if we can combine access to IT with the skills that lead to good jobs. My father and True Potential’s chairman David Harrison set up The Harrison Centre for Social Mobility in 2017 to work with organisations that support disadvantaged people into employment. The Centre works with hundreds of young people at the charity’s home – the Beacon of Light – to provide the tuition and training to help them grow in confidence, gain qualifications, become more work ready and ultimately secure a job. The Harrison Centre has invested more than £200,000 in Foundation of Light employability programmes since it opened its learning centre at the Beacon in 2018. Over the last two years 1,069 young people, aged 13 and over,

TR UE POTENTIAL

SPOTLIGHT ON DANIEL HARRISON, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF TRUE POTENTIAL

the digital divide 10 Closing

took courses providing essential skills in ICT/Digital, Managing Finances, Maths and English, Personal and Social Development and Business & Enterprise. Last year, nearly 600 sessions were delivered face-to-face, alongside 85 hours of delivery during lockdown and more than 180 qualifications were achieved with a pass rate of 94.5 percent across all courses. As well as the students themselves, businesses have a lot to gain from investing in digital skills and closing the digital divide. I know first-hand having recruited many graduates to work in our IT and developer departments that sometimes it can be hard to get people with up-to-date skills who understand the latest technology. I also know that many of them began their interest in IT as a hobby. It was something they fiddled about with in the evenings and on weekends. They became good at coding and developing apps, not because it was their course or job, but because it was their interest. They found a skill that they’ve been able to turn into a career.

That’s why I set up the True Potential Academy to train individuals with no IT experience or qualifications to be coders and developers. The academy is also open to existing staff who want to turbo-charge their career progress – or switch into a new field. And there’s no better way to learn, than by doing. We don’t teach endless theory, we just pair up our recruits with our experts, give them the technology and let their creativity and natural ability do the rest. It is often glibly said that a challenge is an opportunity. In the case of Covid-19 and the issue of social mobility, I believe it genuinely can be. We must not allow this moment to create further barriers for disadvantaged young people, but we must grasp this as an opportunity to get more people trained on IT and linked up to jobs. That's how to solve the digital divide and if we do, it’ll be a big win for business, for Britain and for our young people.

G L A S G OW CA L E D O N I A N U N I V E R S I T Y

G L A S G O W C A L E D O N I A N U N I V E R S I T Y H A S A H I S T O RY RO O T E D I N S O C I A L M O B I L I T Y. I T WA S F O U N D E D I N 18 7 5 A S A S C I E N C E C O L L E G E F O R W O M E N F R O M P O O R E R B A C K G R O U N D S , A N D I T S M O T T O O F ‘ F O R T H E C O M M O N W E A L’ H A S N O W B E C O M E T H E U N I V E R S I T Y ’ S M I S S I O N F O R T H E COMMON GOOD TO CONTINUE WIDENING PARTICIPATION.

Here we talk to Pamela Gillies, Vice Chancellor of the university who, as the first person in her family to attend university, talks about starting that transformational journey that higher education has the power to take you on.

Q A

// Your university boasts some very powerful statistics when it comes to social mobility, can you tell us a little more about them?

Absolutely! 46 per cent of our students are the first in their family to attend university, like I was. Around 91 per cent of our students are in employment or further study after six months with us, and we boast an 81 per cent rate of degree completion – very good figures for an establishment considered as a ‘modern university’. Our dropout rate is also something to be proud of with us being only a whisker above traditional institutions such as Glasgow or Strathclyde universities. We are in the top 50 universities in the world for social impact which is something that is so important to the whole institution. This curiosity for trying to impact the social inequalities that are prevalent throughout Glasgow drives what we do - we have some of the worst health inequality in Europe; 39,000 of our children are labelled as in extreme poverty so there is a real issue with health and social inequality in the area we serve. Our staff and students are desperate to engage in focused research that is internationally excellent. This has driven a redistribution of resources locally and offered greater opportunities for life skills development that allow individuals, as well as groups and communities, to overcome their poor life and health chances, and engage in employment.

G L A S G OW CA L E D O N I A N U N I V E R S I T Y

The power to transform This is something that the whole institution is engaged with and working together as a large team to deliver real change for social benefit.

Q// What are the specific challenges of the students who come to the university and how have you overcome some of the barriers to access higher education in the communities you reach? A// A lot of our students are from challenged, difficult backgrounds, so when they come to us, they may lack confidence. Others suffer with poor communication skills but my goodness do we provide an environment of support for them! And they very quickly become adept, confident, resilient, individual student learners, and our employers in both the private and public sectors tell us they love our students because they're confident without being arrogant. They'll turn their hand to solving any problem and do anything to advance the mission of their place of employment, and that's really important to us. They come with poor levels of confidence and they grow in confidence. They leave us knowing that they are changemakers in the world, but they are not overly arrogant – they often say to me “we’re not up ourselves Pamela, we’re willing to roll up our sleeves and get engaged”. Working as a university with our local communities is so important because we deliver 12,000 jobs a year and a billion pounds to the local economy. As an anchor institution, we are terribly important to the local economy, but we don't see ourselves as at the top of the ladder, we see ourselves as at the heart of an ecosystem of education in our city.

G L A S G OW CA L E D O N I A N U N I V E R S I T Y

It's terribly important to tackle inequalities and educational attainment from the earliest age, because we know from Scottish research recently, that by the age of just five years, there's a 10-13 months attainment gap between the rich and the poor, and that's horrendous. To us, we can’t just sit at the top of a ladder saying, “well, we’re the high end of this educational food chain”, we've really got to get involved in helping to support the educational system as a whole. Twelve years ago, we started the Caledonian Club, with nursery, primary and secondary schools from the poorest parts of the city. The club allows parents as well as children to come into the university on a regular basis, get their university cards, work with our staff, and student mentors to develop new life skills. Since we started this, we've served more than 20,000 young people, and 5,000 parents, and it's had a massive impact, not just on the life chances of the individual or family, but on teacher attitudes to what can be achieved when you wrap your arms around folk who have the talent, but it just needs to be unlocked.

“

I'm excited to see the way in which artificial intelligence and our online technologies can really help us to promote our health services in a much more efficient and effective way, and then enhance the quality of provision in some of the poorest parts of our nation.

Q// In terms of your personal path, did you always want to be in education? How did you end up here now?

A// I was first my family to go to university and it was a struggle to begin with because I lacked confidence. As I didn’t have anyone to follow, I wasn't entirely sure what I was doing. I came from a very modest family background as well. I certainly didn't have the ‘right clothes’ and there was very little money. My first degree was in physiology, which was enough for me, and I didn’t have the confidence to go further. But my tutors came back to me and said, ‘forgive us, you've earned distinctions all the way along, we want to enrol you in a master's degree’. That was quite unusual in those days to get into a master's degree if you only had an ordinary degree without honours. I enrolled for a master's in education and philosophy and found I absolutely loved the research element. With encouragement from my lecturers, I came across this subject called social medicine, won a fellowship to go down to the University of Nottingham medical school to train in community events and eventually became a public health epidemiologist working in the late 80s, on HIV and AIDS prevention and control. I worked for the World Health Organisation all over the world, and was extremely fortunate to be able to take up these opportunities. But I did need people to tell me I was good enough, and encourage me to take the opportunities that came forward – I needed pushing a bit. I don't think I really understood that I was quite bright enough, until I won a fellowship to go to Harvard. I had my PhD and was a senior lecturer, but there was just that wee bit of me that thought; ‘Gosh, maybe I'm not good enough’.

we’ve all really got to get involved in helping to

support the educational system as a whole

Q// As an institution that is constantly innovating and raising the bar, where do you feel your next steps will be? A// I think the technological advances that have been accelerated because of the COVID pandemic and the move to online synchronous and asynchronous learning. But at a very high level, I think that will actually help democratise higher education, and really help us with delivering our work based educational offer. We were very committed to creating programmes, from certificates, diplomas, degrees to masters to PhDs, in work with employers and with local managers, to deliver the actual skillset they need to enhance their productivity, promote their culture, promote happiness in their institution. I genuinely believe that the digital advances will allow us to scale up that activity hugely, and that activity can work with small and medium sized enterprises, as well as big industrial partners, and with the public sector.

G L A S G OW CA L E D O N I A N U N I V E R S I T Y

Getting my foot on the first rung of the lecturer ladder was really hard, because I was in a Department of Community Medicine and Public Health in a medical school, only one or two female lecturers in the medical school, so there were hardly any role models. I applied for my first lectureship in 1984, was shortlisted into the final six, and my head of department came to me the night before the interviews and said: “Pamela, there’s this lad from Belfast, and I'm really wanting to appoint him tomorrow. So I'm going to ask you to withdraw from the interview.” And then he left. My mum had taught me well, you know, gird your loins. So I phoned my mum, and had support from a colleague in the

department, who both said to go for it, if you're not going to get the lectureship, just go do a great interview, and you'll learn from the experience, so I did that - I went and did my best. At the end of the day, they appointed two lecturers: me and a lovely guy from Northern Ireland. And that was the start of my career. It made me very aware, as I managed to gain leadership roles in universities, that you had to be very mindful of what was going on in terms of talent management, and how you promoted women in these kinds of medical school contexts, but across the board in universities.

M A N C H E S T E R U N I T E D F O U N DAT I O N

Using the power of football to drive social change SPOTLIGHT ON COLLETTE ROCHE AND THE MANCHESTER UNITED FOUNDATION

M A N C H E S T E R U N I T E D F O U N DAT I O N

We spoke to Collette Roche about using the power of the world’s largest football club for social good and how they are supporting young people across Greater Manchester.

Q A

// Tell us a little bit about the work of the Manchester United Foundation in the community? How do projects such as Street Reds support young people?

// Manchester United Football Club is world famous and we’re proud of that global identity. But, at the same time, we’re still strongly rooted in our local community and Manchester United Foundation is an important part of that. It was founded in 2007 as the club’s charitable arm and since then has gone from strength to strength to become a really powerful force for good in areas of need across Greater Manchester. The Foundation’s mission is to use football to engage and inspire young people to build better lives for themselves and to help unite their communities. We’ve got a dedicated staff which delivers a range of educational and sporting programmes. Last year, almost 19,000 young people took part, half of which were female. Much of the Foundation’s work is delivered through its 30 partner schools where we have full time staff providing extra-curricular support. We also have community initiatives such as Street Reds,

which offers free football sessions not just for fun, but also to develop leadership and coaching skills. It’s really inspirational work and I can honestly say that serving as a trustee of the Foundation is one of the most rewarding parts of my role at Manchester United.

Q// How has the coronavirus pandemic impacted your outreach work? A// The pandemic has made the Foundation’s work more important than ever because it has had a disproportionate impact on the most disadvantaged communities, and particularly on the young people within them. We’ve seen massive disruption to education and increases in economic hardship in many parts of Greater Manchester, including some of those closest to Old Trafford. While the pandemic has disrupted the Foundation’s normal activities, we’ve adapted to help our communities through the crisis. We donated £10,000 to each of our partner schools to assist vulnerable families and partnered with FareShare, the food poverty charity, to produce and distribute over 85,000 meals for children who might otherwise have gone hungry during school holidays. In total, the club and Foundation have provided over £5 million of support to community causes since the start of the pandemic. It’s been a massive joint effort with lots of club staff volunteering. For example, with our hospitality operations on hold during lockdown, we were able to redeploy our chefs to produce meals

M A N C H E S T E R U N I T E D F O U N DAT I O N

for FareShare in the Old Trafford kitchens. They came in every day at 5am without complaint. Some of our players also took part, including captain Harry Maguire who helped pack some of the 8,000 activity bags distributed by the Foundation to local schoolchildren. Everyone involved has taken huge pride in the work, and it was certainly one of the most uplifting experiences I’ve had during my time at United because there was such a clear sense of purpose to help our local communities at a time of need.

Q// Describe what the power of football means to you and how the Manchester United Foundation uses this to reach those from disadvantaged backgrounds? A// Football is the most popular sport on the planet and Manchester United is one of the most popular teams in the game. That gives us a hugely powerful platform to inspire people and influence behaviour. Last season, we attracted 1.1 billion interactions from over 166 million social media connections. Naturally, most of those engagements are focused on football but we can also use our channels to promote important causes, such as our All Red All Equal campaign against racism and other forms of discrimination.

“

It all adds up to us becoming a more sustainable and socially responsible organisation

So, you can see that we have two main ways of making a positive social impact - through digital engagement on a global scale and through physical engagement through the Foundation at a local level. Both use the power of Manchester United to influence and inspire people. Having the ability to do that is a real privilege, but it also carries a responsibility to use it well – and that’s what we’re trying to do.

Q// Do you think social impact is often overlooked in sport? What can be done to change that? A// I think sport is increasingly recognising the power we have to make a positive difference. We’ve seen that most clearly in the past year from our own Marcus Rashford, whose phenomenal campaigning on food poverty was so successful he managed to change government policy. What an inspiration he has been on and off the pitch. As a club, we’ll continue to use our platform to campaign globally on issues such as racism, and to use our Foundation to make a real-life impact locally. We’re also paying more attention to our environmental footprint, including steps to reduce energy usage and waste, especially single-use plastics. It all adds up to us becoming a more sustainable and socially responsible organisation. Fans will always care most about what happens on the pitch, but they also want to identify with their club’s values. This is going to spur more and more competition between clubs to be seen making a positive social impact – and that can only be a good thing.

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UN IVERSITY OF WEST ENG LAN D

SPOTLIGHT ON SUZANNE CARRIE AND THE UNIVERSITY OF WEST ENGLAND

Strength in numbers S U Z A N N E C A R R I E I S H E A D O F E Q U A L I T Y, D I V E R S I T Y A N D I N C L U S I V I T Y AT T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F WEST ENGL AND (UWE). SHE IS COMMITTED TO HELPING YOUNG PEOPLE PROGRESS INTO HIGHER EDUC ATION FROM ALL BACKGROUNDS. HERE SHE EXPL AINS THE NEW COLL ABORATIONS SHE HAS HELPED THE UNIVERSIT Y FORM AND HOW THEY ARE HELPING YOUNG PEOPLE ACROSS THE REGION DEVELOP SKILLS TO HELP THEM IN BOTH EDUC ATION AND LIFE.

// There’s so much that UWE does to make sure that your doors are open to the widest possible group of young people. Tell us why this matters so much.

// I think social mobility really matters at UWE because it’s something that has personally affected the lives of a lot of our staff and students; and because we are really part of the city region. We really are a local university with an international reach. We’ve been working in collaboration with others in the city to widen access to higher education and make sure we’re supporting students and trying to close any gaps. Four years ago, we had the opportunity to form a partnership with all of the higher education providers in the region. That was funded through the government, fundamentally, but also through the Office for Students, which is the higher education regulator. The aim of that was to address the fact that there are still gaps in the rate of people going to higher education in different areas. You’re going to see some stuff in the media about people saying ‘we shouldn’t be aiming for 50 per cent of people to go to higher education’. I’m not really interested in that overall figure, I’m interested in the difference geographically, the fact that there are some areas of Bristol where 100 percent of 18 year olds go to university. There are other areas where 10 per cent do. That difference can’t be fair on anyone and that really matters to UWE. We felt that there are some areas of Bristol where there’s persistently low rates of participation in higher education. This hasn’t really changed enough over the past 10 years, despite a lot of work going on. Often there ends up being lots of small groups competing with each other. We saw this funding package as an opportunity for the two universities, UWE and the University of Bristol, and the two other colleges that offer higher education options within the city - City of Bristol college and SGS College – to join up; and to work with charities who offer brilliant provision and can really provide opportunities for young people. So it wasn’t just every individual activity had to transform someone’s life chances because frankly, none of them individually are going to do that. But overall, if there’s a whole package and it fits together in a way that makes sense, we all might have a chance of achieving what we’re trying to do.

Q// How do you feel about the partnerships you have brought in and what sort of impact are we now seeing from this? A// It’s not easy to work collaboratively when there’s genuine competition at times. But I think it is having an impact. Schools at the moment are so overwhelmed with trying to deal with Covid-19 and the restrictions and catch up and all the rest of it. In Bristol, at

the time of writing, we’ve seen a significant increase in cases and that has had a huge impact on schools. Despite that, we have schools engaging with us regularly and wanting to book in activities and use our materials, supporting their young people in thinking about their futures.

UN IVERSITY OF WEST ENG LAN D

Q// Tell us a little bit about the activities of Future Quest (the Bristol partnership of universities and colleges, working with the local authorities, the combined authority, employers and other organisations). A//

Some of the activities are based on a model of having high expectations. So there are activities that are about helping people to think about their goals. We have weaved careers guidance and advice into those activities. A lot of what the schools are looking for at the moment is helping young people to think about resilience, mental health and how to stay focused on education when things are tough. We have provided opportunities in the past for people to come to university and understand what it’s really like to be a student, to meet students, to have taster sessions of different subjects, what it’s like to study in a university setting.

Q// How powerful are these sorts of activities for young people? A//

It’s really powerful. There was a brilliant story where a group of young people went to visit the Houses of Parliament and met their MP who said to them, ‘is there anything that I can do anything that would make your life better?’ And they said, ‘well actually, you know, what, the toilets in our school are really awful’ - and they talked to him about it. They were so convincing and clear on what they wanted that the MP wrote a letter to the school saying, ‘I was really impressed by the young people from your school, but I really want to understand what you’re going to do to improve the toilet facilities’. The school then contacted us to say thanks for supporting young people to make such a strong case. But they were so impressed that they were able to bring about that kind of change. Before going to London, they’d done a lot of work on confidence, public speaking and making a case for the kinds of skills that you need to succeed in school and university.

UWE BR ISTOL

A Bristolian beacon of purpose and opportunity HOW UWE BRISTOL IS CHANGING LIFE TRAJECTORIES AND CHALLENGING LONG-STANDING BARRIERS TO SOCIAL MOBILITY.

UWE Bristol leverages its resources, experience and reputation to help shape social mobility practices in other education facilities. It works with its partners in public and private sector bodies and fellow higher education establishments, recognising the crucial role a university can play as an agent for change. It also provides guidance and support for employers in creating clear and accessible pathways towards potential fulfilment. UWE Bristol leads the Future Quest Programme across Bristol and surrounding areas as part of its social mobility efforts. Future Quest is one of the 29 partnerships of universities, colleges and other local partners in the Uni Connect programme. Future Quest involves all four main providers of higher education in Bristol – UWE, University of Bristol, City of Bristol College and South Gloucestershire and Stroud College - which work with local government charities and employers and with 41 schools and colleges to support young people’s progression into higher education. The programme, which started in January 2017 and is expected to run until July 2021, sets up local outreach hubs with cross-England coverage to help schools and colleges access higher education outreach and it invests in local areas where there are unexplained gaps in higher education. By the end of July 2019 Future Quest had engaged with 5,100 eligible learners and had undertaken 245 different activities and engaged in 6,000 hours of interaction. Future Quest is committed to working with its partners to reach out to communities that face the greatest barriers to social mobility and to

UWE BR ISTOL

equipping them with the tools that will not only help them get into university but also to flourish when they get there. It works by building informed and well-evidenced processes to ensure obstacles to social mobility, including mental health issues, are minimised. It delivers information and support to those communities which have little or no connection with higher education and provides young people, and their parents and carers, with options for their future. But, it does more than merely offering details on universities, it creates a culture of understanding of how and why going to university could benefit them. It has made particular efforts to reach its BAME community and engages the help of people who themselves have benefitted from social mobility to act as inspiring ambassadors. It was reported that half of students starting their degree in 2017 were the first in their family to go to university. Through its #IAmFirstGen campaign, UWE Bristol has forged connections both locally and nationally with people that were the first in their family to graduate and then went on to take on leadership positions in significant organisations. This inspires young people today to identify themselves as potential students and seek out pathways that can change their lives. Future Quest’s effects will be cumulative and it reaches out to the communities which require a long term commitment and, to significantly level up opportunities for their young people, the project has to have time to take root and grow. It believes it

needs to be a systemic solution for these communities and that, as intervention always takes time to be effective, it is unlikely that the four-year funding it has been allocated will enable it to demonstrate its real value. Communities need time to develop trust in new schemes and projects, but it is all too common for our political system to embrace the new with each administration change, to allow our elected representatives to reap the reputational rewards. As a business would typically have a 25-year investment strategy, there should be similar time frames to enable long-term programmes that have the potential to provide long term solutions. UWE argues that economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to take years and that, as disadvantaged communities will be badly served by a series of short-term fixes, perhaps now is the time to review the length that projects should be given to prove themselves. Future Quest enables more disadvantaged people to go to university and it connects them with potential employers and life experiences that can change their lives. But, it can also change their communities, improving the local and national economy by upskilling those who might otherwise have remained in low-skilled, low-paid jobs. UWE Bristol has shown that the Future Quest model works and could be replicated by other universities across the country. But, it calls for a new, patient approach of politics to allow it to establish itself as an invaluable and long term resource for Bristol.

TH E UN IVERSITY OF G R EENWICH

THE UNIVERSITY OF GREENWICH’S PURPOSEFUL APPROACH IS HELPING STUDENTS TO ACCESS OPPORTUNITIES IN THE HEART OF LONDON’S ECONOMY; WHILE ALSO UNLOCKING TALENT THAT IS HAVING A POSITIVE IMPACT ACROSS THE GLOBE, INCLUDING WITHIN INTERN ATION AL DEVELOPMENT. HERE VICE CHANCELLOR JANE HARRINGTON TALKS SOCIAL MOBILITY WITH THIS IS PURPOSE.

Capital gains and global impact Q

// Tell us about your vision for the university - and the role it plays in driving social mobility.

// Greenwich has really genuine roots in social inclusion, which I think is really important. We’re located in Greenwich, but also in Avery Hill, in London, and in Medway in Kent. This gives us huge opportunities for really developing a fantastic modern University. I’m refreshing the strategy [at the time of writing], but we’re talking about being the best modern university in the UK. I don’t want us to try to mirror somewhere like Oxbridge, that’s not what we’re about. What we do need to be able to do is to shout about what we are and why that’s so important to the country. So, our purpose as educators is to be a positive force for change, building knowledge, creating opportunities and changing lives for the better. If you put that in context, 49 per cent of our students are from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds. A huge proportion are the first in their family to go to university, and

over 70 per cent of them are commuter students, living at home and coming to the university every day. It’s a very diverse community and that brings with it these huge opportunities to mobilise that community and really shout about what we stand for. It’s very much focused on professional and technical education, and giving people life chances that they wouldn’t have had without that education.

Q// Is it really important that local communities in Greenwich and Medway really understand the role the university can play in unlocking potential and giving back to the community? A// Absolutely. I’ve started some work with all of the higher education and further education, colleges and universities in the region alongside the local council and the chambers of commerce, to look at what businesses need in terms of rescaling and upskilling in the current climate. For me, it’s all about partnerships, because universities I don’t think can or should sit in isolation in their region. They’re very much a part of the

Q// Universities can make a huge difference in terms of driving social mobility. Tell us a little bit about your aspirations for the work that you’re doing on this front, as a signatory of the Social Mobility Pledge. A// Social mobility is really important. If you go back to the roots of University of Greenwich, it was about social inclusion. But I do think that for many universities this was taken for granted for a while. For me, it’s about putting that at the forefront of what we do. I think it makes it much clearer to everybody, not just inside, but outside, of what we actually stand for. For me, it’s about social mobility in its broadest sense in terms of age, abilities, sexual orientations or country of origin. But the big thing for me is also about race, because we have such a large percentage of BAME students - and they’re the very students where social mobility is so difficult for them to actually achieve. Through the work we’re doing on social mobility if I could close the BAME attainment gap and get these students into fantastic employment, that would be a real achievement. Q// From your campus you can see the City of London in the background. Is it a challenge to make sure that somebody standing in your campus looking at all of those skyscrapers, thinks, ‘yes I can and I will get a career in the City’? A// It’s the analogy of standing on the Thames, looking across the shore at these opportunities, to actually having a bridge across the Thames where you’re running across to your opportunities. What really excites me about this work is the opportunity to have some fantastic partnerships with businesses, connecting with them and also actually bringing them into the

university, because I think we could learn a lot from businesses and they could help us to co-design some of our programmes, even potentially co-deliver them. It’s about opening universities up so that they’re actually really accessible and they feel like places where businesses and communities want to come in and work with us. If somebody says, ‘I’ve got an issue I need really to resolve in my business’ we want them to think ‘the University of Greenwich - they’re great, responsive and agile, they’ll help us’.

TH E UN IVERSITY OF G R EENWICH

economy, as big employers in their own right. But beyond that, what we can bring as a university, and what the region can give the university, works both ways. Therefore, I’m very keen to partner with local councils and local businesses and also, really importantly, the local schools and the local further education [FE] colleges and start to create pathways through education. It doesn’t bother me if a student starts on a part-time course in an FE college, and ultimately ends up in higher education, or they start in the university, either route is fine. But we need to have those pathways and stop seeing it as competition and actually recognise that we’re much stronger if we’re all working together. If we’re actually serving the region with what they need, what the business community needs and what the public sector needs, that can only be a good thing.

Q// How does the Medway campus fit in with the work of the wider university? A// Medway is a fabulous campus. It has our science and engineering provision, and also the Natural Resources Institute, which has saved millions of lives in Africa through its work on eliminating blackflies in rivers, for example. I think it’s 11 out of 13 countries in Africa that no longer have river blindness because of their work. There’s also lots of work around climate change, agriculture, food scarcity and food security. So, it’s really, really important work and it feeds into a region in Medway, where there’s huge social deprivation and, historically, very low participation in universities. So, there’s a real opportunity to work with that community and make higher education much more accessible to them, but also to do some short courses and some upscaling and help to solve, crucially, real problems of the world. Medway is a really exciting campus - and what I really want in the future there is to have a university enterprise zone. Q// And how would you envisage that working? A// There are lots of models out there but Medway itself has quite a lot of enterprise parks for established businesses. So, I’m very keen to do something which is at a much earlier stage, incubating ideas. We could support that and link up with a partner. You could have students testing out their enterprising and entrepreneurship ideas while they’re still at university. Then on the campus you would have an enterprise zone, which is really for very early stage businesses that need some space and perhaps some support. Ideally, I’d have wet and dry labs there, so we could have science and technology. Then they could springboard out into the enterprise parks. You end up with a sort of route through for new businesses, because lots of them actually don’t survive, because they haven’t had that early support. It’s not just money, it’s support around marketing, financing, legal support – all those basics that some of them just lack.

this is us The University of Bradford cares deeply about social inclusion. We focus on removing barriers to access and participation in higher education, and enhancing the prospects of all our students. Our committed team create powerful alliances, and work with passion to support inclusion and reduce inequality. Ranked first, HEPI English Social Mobility Index 2021 University of the Year for Social Inclusion, The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2020

bradford.ac.uk/this-is-us

CAS E ST U DY

Kyle Constable OAL GROUP - UNIVERSIT Y OF LINCOLN Kyle Constable is studying for a degree apprenticeship in Food and Drink Manufacturing Operations Management at OAL, a business that operates in partnership with the University of Lincoln and its National Centre for Food Manufacturing. He was named as the 2019 Apprentice of the Year at the Food & Drink Federation awards, and was 2018’s Apprentice of the Year at the Processing & Packaging Machinery Trade Association Awards. I’m responsible for growing the sales of our patented food processing technology, Steam Infusion. This includes everything from lead generation to closing the deal as well as offering training to ensure our customers make the most of the technology and achieve the best possible results, whatever their end products. I got the job by following my passion for personal development and continuous improvement. Before joining OAL, I had been an apprentice with Nestlé, where I obtained my Level 3 apprenticeship. Not only did this position fire up my passion for food manufacturing, it also fuelled my desire to obtain a degree. I contacted the National Centre for Food Manufacturing to find out more about their degree apprenticeship opportunities and was made aware of the position at OAL. I arrive approximately an hour early every day and eat my breakfast whilst learning French online. We’re currently growing our export business and so I want to be able to get by with customers in one of our key markets. At 8:30am I will read through my emails and draw up a to-do list for the day ahead. This helps me to plan in customer calls as many are in different time zones - the morning tends to be the best time to catch people. In the afternoons, if I’m not contacting customers, I spend time conducting market research and lead generation. This is usually helped by my headphones with some good music and a black tea! Sometimes however, my normal day is turned on its head by customer trials. This is my favourite element of the job, where I get to meet new people and amaze them with the technologies that OAL offers. These days will typically start at 7am to prepare for the trials and consist of a non-stop day preparing for the trial, showcasing our innovations and expertise and of course clearing up at the end of the day. It’s also a bonus that we get to try a sample of

the delicious products made on our test system using our customers’ recipes once we’ve completed the trial. Initially I was wary of joining an engineering company, as I thought I might be diverted away from pursuing my goals in food manufacturing. However, once I investigated what OAL does, I was impressed to find out the company leads really innovative projects in the food industry and mirrors my values; they too are passionate about personal development and process improvement. Luckily the results of the psychometric test and the interview sealed it - we were a match! I have now been with OAL for around two years and my role has advanced from Process

55 11

LIVER POOL JOH N MOOR ES UN IVERSITY

Bridge building over the Irish Sea

FOCUSSED AND PASSIONATE COMMITMENT TO SOCIAL MOBILIT Y AND INCLUSION, WITH AN APPROACH SHAPED BY THE REGIONS IT SERVES.

It has recognised the social and economic difficulties facing the population in Liverpool and, over many years, it has developed strong links with the city’s community. This has put it in a position where it can encourage and equip young people lacking any family experience of higher education to consider it as a realistic option. This offers them the opportunity to improve not only their own prospects but also those of their city. It has also built a strong relationship with Northern Ireland, a region which has always had close links with the city of Liverpool. It has sought to understand the barriers that have historically prevented young people in Northern Ireland from considering the possibility of going to university. In addition, it has put in place a comprehensive support network for these young people so that they fully benefit from their time at Liverpool John Moores and have the opportunity to achieve their full potential. Liverpool John Moores University’s approach to its Northern Ireland students serves as a reminder to all organisations that efforts to unlock the potential in disadvantaged areas are much less likely to succeed with an off-the-shelf approach. On the contrary, it recognises that the nuances of the communities targeted should be carefully considered, and all contextual barriers addressed. Liverpool John Moores’ tailored approach, which considers every element of the student journey and is underpinned by its own research, has demonstrated how effective it can be. The university has also delivered an object lesson in the vital importance of patience in driving a real transformation of outcomes in struggling communities. It believes that short term fixes are no substitutes for a thorough, longer term approach and its own embedded social mobility model has been two decades in the making. In building this, it has been able to draw on the wealth of experience it has acquired during its long history of supporting the working classes, particularly in Liverpool. But a central pillar of the model, supporting every other element, is the close bond which the university has forged with schools across Northern Ireland. These relationships have achieved an almost seamless flow between secondary and higher education, allowing Liverpool John Moores University, on the one hand, to access the potential in the region and, on the other, to help facilitate real change there.

The university has a member of staff assigned to each secondary school and college across Northern Ireland, to support and provide expertise on university related matters throughout the year. Some 42.2 percent of students from Northern Ireland receive a bursary to help fund their higher education, a significantly higher figure than the 32.5 percent of all students at the university, reflecting the socioeconomic demographics of students from this part of the UK. Families, which have previously had no direct experience of university, are now proudly seeing sons and daughters graduating and inspiring others in their communities to do the same. The university has been careful to ensure that this social mobility success is no temporary phenomenon by conducting ongoing research, closely analysing the findings and making appropriate adaptations. Both Liverpool and Northern Ireland have been significantly affected by previous recessions and recovery has been slow. The extended economic and social impact has been hugely damaging to areas which were already home to some of the most disadvantaged communities in the country. Liverpool John Moores University has taken a carefully considered and comprehensive approach to this issue to ensure that young people from these areas are less likely to be left behind in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic. This provides resilience to their communities. The students, their schools and their parents are well-informed about each stage of university life. They are enabled to get a much clearer idea of what course will suit them, what will be expected of them when they are at university, what help is available for all the financial, practical and emotional issues that might arise and, finally, of the career options that may be available. About 100 student advocates are recruited each year as part of the university’s work to increase employability. Their duties include delivering taster sessions and supporting younger students. The role of Student Ambassadors – important in normal times but even more so during the pandemic - has been crucial in reaching out to potential students who value their lived experiences and advice. Liverpool John Moores University has established itself as a university that takes a pioneering approach to increasing social mobility. It has worked hard to break down the many potential barriers that hold back talent and has invested in supporting both staff and students to reach their full potential. It has put in place systems and processes to break down those barriers, especially around economic disadvantage, disability and gender bias. It is proud to have built bridges delivering opportunities directly into the communities that need them most.

LIVER POOL JOH N MOOR ES UN IVERSITY

LIVERPOOL JOHN MOORES UNIVERSIT Y BOASTS A

LIVER POOL JOH N MOOR ES UN IVERSITY

SPOTLIGHT ON MARK POWER AND LIVERPOOL JOHN MOORES UNIVERSITY

FROM

ART ACADEMIA TO

Mark Power is the Academic Registrar and Chief Operating Officer of Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU). We speak to him about his career journey from an artist into academia and how LJMU is creating opportunities across the Irish Sea and levelling up Northern Ireland as a result.

Q A

// Can you tell me about the work you’ve been doing in Northern Ireland and the ‘opportunity bridge’ you have created?

// Our links with Northern Ireland go back many

years and we’ve built a reputation on actually having a presence there, going over and talking to schools and colleges. Our great ambassadors for the University are those Northern Irish students who have travelled over to Liverpool, studied with us and in a number of cases have returned to Northern Ireland and built successful careers. We have a relatively small team of people who are dedicated to ensuring that we offer support, guidance and advice both to teachers and college lecturers but also running events to

support parents and carers of applicants. That builds a sense of confidence that the institution recognises that the Northern Irish population is particularly important to us and we recognise the challenge that Northern Ireland has as part of the UK. This plays very much into the University’s ethos around widening participation and providing opportunities to students from socially disadvantaged backgrounds. Our Northern Irish students represent just over 10 per cent of our population. We have a student population of 20,000 undergraduates, so it’s a large number. We recognise that many of those students are from severely disadvantaged backgrounds and we do a considerable amount of work to raise their aspirations to come to University and once they are here to ensure they get the best possible experience they can. We support them in any way we can to achieve their potential.

Q//

How do you support Northern Irish students once they are at LJMU?

A//

It’s recognising that some of the best mentors for students are fellow students and working with them to almost provide a

buddy infrastructure for the new students arriving in the city. Our outreach teams continue to work with Northern Irish students, we have a part of the organisation called ‘Skills at LJMU’ which provides additional support in areas such as mathematics, writing for academic purposes - key skills to enable students to develop. Alongside that we’ve entered into an organisation called Unitemps where we are seeking to provide the students with paid employment opportunities. We recognise that the funding situation isn’t the same as England and the students aren’t quite as well supported financially.

Q//

How has Covid-19 impacted your work in Northern Ireland?

A//

We’ve flipped all of that activity online and actually the indication is that we’ve had a greater engagement in the online activity than would have been possible in the face to face events. We are seeing greater engagement in terms of numbers and appetite from potential students for guidance and information. We also have a set of summer support sessions that we have run for a number of years and we enhanced them last year recognising that many students hadn’t been in school as much. We ran those online in July and August and they replaced the physical summer schools. Again running them online, gave applicants who perhaps wouldn’t have the opportunity to travel over to Liverpool during the summer more choice. On reflection that is something that we may continue with post-pandemic - providing that additional opportunity as well as the physical interaction.

Q//

Where do you see your work in Northern Ireland extending to next?

A//

We’ve been looking at our offer and how we could make an impact in Northern Ireland. Once again that switch to online delivery is likely to provide significant additional opportunities for the Northern Irish population to think about studying - it may be at Masters level, it may be at CPD level. Being able to deliver that remotely may well help us enhance that market as a university. We recognise that we have many undergraduates who have returned to Northern Ireland that may wish to enhance their qualifications through to Masters level without having to return to England. We offer significant discounts for our alumni - we

always want to work with and support those students who’ve made Liverpool John Moores University their first choice in the first instance.

Q//

How did you end up working in the education sector?

A//

I can’t say as a teenager it was part of my plan, my first degree was actually in Fine Art. I graduated in the early 1980s and then came back to Liverpool and over the course of two weeks I was offered two jobs I had applied for. One in an advertising company and one at what was then Liverpool Polytechnic as a technician within the art department, I decided the technician job was the best fit for me. I was still a practicing artist and exhibiting nationally and that was an opportunity for me to continue my artistic career. Having been in that role for a couple of years, I took a view that I was enjoying working with people and perhaps the career of an artist wasn’t for me. I became a technical services manager, I then undertook an MBA and moved more into the administrative side of the University. What was important for me was that when opportunities arose, and I felt confident that I could be successful, I would take that opportunity to apply. Being in that university environment was important to me, being in that constant learning environment and being able to engage in training, development and learning new skills. I ended up becoming a Director of Academic Planning and then a Registrar, and then ViceChancellor on an interim basis for 13 months. I’d started at one end of the University and ended up at the top of the organisation. For me, it was an incredible journey over a number of decades that really wasn’t a career aspiration but something I really really enjoy.

ADECCO G ROUP

A passion to not just be purpose-driven but purpose-led

Adecco Group is one of the largest recruitment companies in the world and is leading the way by putting purpose at the heart of its mission. 56

ADECCO G ROUP

Q A

Here, Region President of Northern Europe, Alex Fleming tell us about the company’s work to empower young people and her own personal mantra for success.

// What does purpose mean for you personally and the Adecco Group?

Purpose is the real social conscience of a company, it’s the philosophical heartbeat I like to say. For it to really live and breathe within an organisation, it has to be placed at the core of the strategy. When businesses fully leverage their scale to benefit society the impact can be really extraordinary, and the power of purpose is needed more than ever right now as the world fights the threat of the pandemic. Several companies are now doubling down on purpose and it’s the very time that stakeholders need it the most. I was pleased to read recently that 93 percent of Fortune 500 CEOs believe that companies should focus on both making profits and social goals. However in the same report from Mckinsey, 82 percent of employees believe that purpose is important but only 42 per cent believe their organisation drives impact. This shows that purpose driven companies are top of mind at the moment but only a few companies are walking the walk. We know that purpose-led organisations have a common thread they are more innovative, they generally have flatter organisation structures and a healthy work life balance, while constantly driving an agenda of doing what’s right for everyone. Our organisation identity has three strong elements - clear purpose, strong brand and widely recognised culture. We’ve tied individual purpose to company purpose because people need to ultimately understand how they fit in. We’ve followed four key steps in developing our social impact strategy - sizing up where we are now, including our vulnerabilities because every company has them; clarifying how our purpose connects to our companies superpower of placing people in meaningful jobs; and measuring and managing purpose. Our community strategy is focused on creating brighter futures for everyone and our top priority is improving access to opportunity by working closely with schools to empower youth and improving access to work for those in transition who are looking to re-enter the world of work.

ADECCO G ROUP We are working really closely with charities such as Shelter and British Paralympic Association to support homeless and differently abled individuals. We also believe in creating inclusive futures for everyone. Adecco Group is an equal opportunity recruiter and we’re proud of our 50/50 gender split at UK and Ireland board level and our demographic split is now better than the average UK market. It doesn’t stop there for us, we are now really focused on supporting our clients in driving inclusion in their organisations. We are delighted to be part of the Purpose Coalition which connects us with like-minded organisations and really inspires our passion to not just be purpose-driven but purpose-led.

Q// Where does purpose fit in for you as a recruitment company? A// Talent is everywhere but opportunity is not. There remains this stubborn gap in higher education attendance between children from different socio-economic backgrounds. I think the top professions continue to recruit disproportionately from a narrow strata from society. We know that only 6 percent of doctors, just over 10 percent of journalists and only 12 percent of CEOs come from working class backgrounds and this is a particular dominance of the privately educated. The UK’s lack of social mobility is more acute in minority groups - last year 84 of the 1,048 Director positions in FTSE 100 were held by business leaders from an ethnic minority. The causes of this are deep-rooted, complex and ultimately societal but this doesn’t mean that employers are powerless to act. They can do a lot more than they think, not least in their recruitment processes to ensure that they aren’t perpetuating low application rates from less privileged and minority backgrounds. From a recruitment perspective you have to focus on potential, not polish, and recognise the benefits of a diverse and inclusive team. Q// Tell us about your own personal career journey and the challenges that you’ve faced. A// I’ve been in the HR and workforce solutions industry for over 20 years and what I have learnt is that the most desirable companies put culture first. For me this is high on my agenda, to create an environment where people truly belong and feel that they can get on. I’m very proud of the culture that we’ve built at Adecco Group in the UK and Ireland. We’ve got very strong positioning in the Great Places to Work listing and were awarded a top prize at the Employer Engagement Awards,

and I think it’s critical that you celebrate those successes. A great environment and culture empowers people to succeed and drives strong performance, especially when leaders allow employees to concentrate on their areas of strength. I’m a big believer in creating a level playing field where everyone has a voice, I’m constantly encouraging my leaders to hire to their weakness and build teams with complementary skill sets. I have a mantra for success that I have lived and breathed for all of my career. It includes six specific things; work ethic, resilience, being decisive, having a measurable plan, empowering the people you work with and finally being consistent and fair. It’s something I’ve lived and breathed and I try to encourage my team to adopt in their own way as well.

Q// Tell us a little bit about how you want to inspire, empower and engage young people in Adecco’s work? A// A report from The Sutton Trust found that eight elite schools had sent more pupils to Oxbridge than 2,900 state schools combined and this really drives our agenda. Despite just seven per cent of children going to private schools they make up 71 per cent of top judges, senior armed forces and CFOs - these numbers don’t bode well from a social mobility standpoint. I’m deeply passionate about this space, I truly believe we need to focus on the holistic development of the next generation to guarantee their success. The skills gap is widening each year as industry evolves to keep up with the pace of technological development. Schools need to be closer to the world so that they understand what the market needs when it comes to talent and businesses have an important role to play in bridging this gap as well, it’s really a partnership. Some schools have already taken this onboard, by hiring employability leads in schools for example, but we still have a long way to go especially in the underserved areas of the UK. Our youth empowerment programme, ‘Creating Brighter Futures’, is designed to improve pre-employability and employability readiness in youth. We create cross industry work experiences for hidden talents and we really champion underserved youth. Through this we aim to create a collective of like-minded employers who support youth empowerment and future proofing diverse talent pools. Fundamentally this is about us bridging the gap between education and the world of work together with our candidates and clients and using transferable skills. We need to understand that this is a systemic issue and that everyone has accountability.

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Sandhya Sabapathy HEAD OF COMMUNIT Y & SOCIAL IMPACT ADECCO GROUP UK & IREL AND ‘Sandhya Sabapathy is the youngest head of Social Impact at The Adecco group. She has been with the company for four years and was selected via the CEOfor1month leadership program. She has worked in two roles previously in two continents within Adecco Group before this one, managing all of EMEA in her previous role based in Milan, Italy. She specializes in innovation and entrepreneurship, and is an alumni of McGill University and HEC Paris. She is very passionate about employment and education and is a former WEF global shaper. She used to be an international swimmer and has a strong passion for charity work, spending most of her free time working on a range of projects. She does at least 120 hours of voluntary work outside her normal working hours every year.’

YO R K S T J O H N U N I V E R S I T Y

A lesson in opportunity access FIT FOR PURPOSE REPORTS ON WORK GOING ON AT YORK ST JOHN UNIVERSIT Y TO DRIVE CHANGE AND SOCIAL MOBILIT Y IN YORKSHIRE AND BEYOND.

Social mobility is written into the DNA of York St John University, which was set up in 1841 to widen access to careers in education. Today, York St John University works to improve social mobility in the lives of people it reaches by encouraging engagement with those from backgrounds that are underrepresented in higher education. Its success is borne out by the Higher Education Access Tracker (HEAT), whose data for 2018-2019 shows that: • 55 per cent of participants were from first generation higher education families. • 42 per cent and 33 per cent were from the two lowest categories of neighbourhoods in terms of numbers that have historically entered higher education from them. • The overall proportion of students taking part in York St John University activities who are classified as disadvantaged in at least one indicator is 94 percent. York St John University has created a progressive admissions scheme that supports those not traditionally engaged in higher education. Its contextualised recruitment system is based on local and regional data and considers six points-based categories. If a student fits into two or more, they receive a reduced offer. Matching four or more results in an unconditional offer. This Opportunity and Excellence offer scheme is clearly documented and communicated to schools, colleges, and applicants to ensure clarity and transparency.

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Matthew Mills, a first-year history student who received an unconditional offer as part of the scheme, said: “I’ve wanted to come to university from a really young age and when I came to an applicant day at York St John, I really loved it. I felt like York St John was open to a wide range of backgrounds and, as someone from a working class background, with a slight disability, I have felt supported here since day one.” The university is proving that this can be delivered without compromising its academic outcomes or standards as 97 per cent of its graduates go on to employment or further study within six months of leaving university, while 73 per cent go on to graduate-level jobs. The university is also in the Top 10 nationally in terms of teaching standards. Essential to the contextual applications approach is the university’s support infrastructure, which is built around an in-depth understanding of the challenges faced by people from disadvantaged backgrounds. Gaps and unmet needs are identified and acted upon to help to ensure that the potential of these students is realised. Being a mature applicant is also one of several key considerations within the university’s contextualised

recruitment process, facilitated by a dedicated mature learner entry scheme. York St John runs regular mature learner information sessions to allow prospective mature applicants to find out more about the degree courses, student finance, and higher education in general. The sessions, held every two months, also provide insights on what studying at the university is like. Mature applicants who go on to receive an offer are invited to a welcome dinner and a dedicated induction day. All Open Days and ‘Decision Day’ events have stands and experts on hand dedicated to advising mature learners. Furthermore, York St John University’s degree apprentice programme provides an

YO R K S T J O H N U N I V E R S I T Y

accessible way of learning while making a living, an important consideration for many mature applicants. As well as its official open days and initiatives, the university facilitates visits from schools, and also by its staff to schools less able to visit a university campus. The university also runs summer schools, the Roots to Success, in collaboration with the University of York, with additional input from local further education institutions Askham Bryan College and York College. Around 300 year six to year 11 pupils from schools in York and surrounding areas are chosen each year through a selection process which considers social mobility factors. The aim of the programme is to introduce them to the possibility of higher education. The university is also a lead member of the National Collaboration Outreach Programme which brings together universities, colleges and other local partners to deliver outreach programmes to young people in years nine to 13. Their work is focussed on local areas where higher education participation is lower than might be expected given the GCSE results of their young people. As part of the university’s Race Equality Taskforce, York St John is working towards improving its BAME student cohort rates, with the target of 10 per cent. Part of this includes forging ties

with primary schools, including across West and South Yorkshire, and welcoming parents onto campus for official visits. The university also sponsors the Yorkshire Asian Young Achievers Awards (YAYAs). York St John is the Yorkshire and the North East lead on the Service Children Progression Alliance, which supports military service children, a group statistically less likely to go to university. The flagship event is the Creative Forces Days during which North Yorkshire schools host a group of their military service pupils on campus for schools and pupils to learn about the support available, as well as information about higher education. The university also works with adults in the armed forces and this year it attended the Festival of Learning, consisting of fairs at barracks in York and Catterick Garrison during which military personnel can learn about higher education. York St John University supports the YEAL programme run by academics across the English Language & Linguistics disciplines, led by second and third-year students who work with English-asa-second-language pupils in local schools. Students also support York based English speakers of other languages (YESOL) by holding free evening classes to improve English language skills. York St John University’s Centre for Language and Social Justice Research (LSJ), formed in 2019, explores why social inequality and injustices are largely enacted through language. This enables the university to offer alternative language practices to drive change, including greater social mobility.

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SPOTLIGHT ON JON DUTTON AND THE RUGBY LEAGUE WORLD CUP 2021

Using sport as a force for good RUGBY LEAGUE WORLD CUP 2021 IS AIMING T O BE THE MOST INCLUSIVE EVER STAGED The Rugby League World Cup takes place in England later this year with 18 towns and cities across England hosting 16 men’s teams, eight women’s teams and eight wheelchair teams. It is the first time in the World Cup’s history, and in any major team sport, where the men’s, women’s and wheelchair competitions will be held at the same time. As a values-led organisation, Rugby League World Cup 2021 (RLWC2021) has four values that it operates by: to be bold and brave; authentic, inclusive and world-class. In terms of inclusivity, the first decision organisers made was to stage the three tournaments together and they are very clear on their ambitions in this area through their diversity and inclusion action plan - ‘The Power of Together’. Planning began for the World Cup back in 2015 with organisers looking to create a story that is bigger than the five weeks of games. They understand that they won’t get everything right but hope that other people will use what they have done and build on it. A large part of what is happening in terms of social impact is knowledge transfer to share experiences with others moving forward. RLWC2021 recognises that the dial is changing from events being measured predominantly from an economic perspective to now being measured from a social perspective.

Social impact in sport is perhaps something that has been overlooked in the past but it is fast becoming much more important. It is now a key part of government policy, as well as UK Sport, Sport England and DCMS and will become more prevalent as the UK bids to host other international sporting events. If an event can use the power of sport to deliver social good, as well incredible sporting memories, that is a powerful proposition. RLWC2021 sees the tournament as a chance to make a difference and spread opportunity in the areas that it is reaching. RLWC2021 became the first major international sporting event to launch a Mental Fitness Charter back in January 2020. There is now a thriving mental fitness delivery programme run in partnership with Movember. As part of this, young people are being taught about the importance of looking after their own mental fitness and 8,000 workshops will be delivered to young rugby league players and their parents and families. A volunteering programme launched at the end of February will be inclusive and represent the local communities where games are being staged. RLWC2021 also has a Sustainability Charter, tracking the environmental, social and economic impact of the tournament. Coronavirus has impacted work on the mental fitness programme and engagement with schools but alternative methods have been used to keep activities going. Investment into grassroots rugby league facilities has continued at a pace with RLWC2021 awarding 150 grants into community projects, ranging from small to very

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significant. These grants will provide a legacy for the tournament leaving behind facilities and teams that have been set up. 85 percent of the tournament will take place in the north of England at towns and cities including Newcastle, Middlesbrough, York, Leeds, Hull, St Helens, Liverpool and Manchester. Back in 2015 central government provided £25m in funding for the tournament to bring focus to what was known at the time as the ‘Northern Powerhouse’. While RLWC2021 is apolitical, organisers recognise the power of sport and the contribution that the tournament can make to social inclusion, social impact and social mobility. The aim is to shine a spotlight on the north of England from a global perspective and to deliver a positive impact on people’s lives who have been hardest hit by the pandemic. Ticket sales for the tournament have remained very strong despite coronavirus and organisers say they are in a better position than would be expected. All 61 games will be shown live on the BBC, allowing the sport to reach new audiences that it couldn’t before. While organisers want full stadiums and the tournament to be commercially successful, what is equally important is delivering a legacy and creating long-term social impact. The culmination of the tournament - the men’s, women’s and wheelchair finals in one weekend in the North West of England - promises to be a watershed moment for rugby league and sport in general. Where rugby league is taking a lead on social impact and inclusivity, surely other sports will follow.

C O M PA S S G R O U P SPOTLIGHT ON DONNA CATLEY AND COMPASS GROUP UK AND IRELAND

A clear pathway for progression COMPASS GROUP UK AND IREL AND, THE COUNTRY’S LEADING FOOD AND SUPPORT SERVICES PROVIDER, HAS REFRAMED HOW ‘LOW-SKILLED’ WORK IS PERCEIVED, AS WE REPORT HERE. With 6,000 locations and a workforce of tens of thousands of people in the UK and Ireland, Compass is in a unique position to influence social mobility. The company believes there should be no such thing as a dead-end job and has established an approach which has the potential to develop its employees at every level so they can all aspire to careers that suit them. Compass works behind the scenes at sports and leisure events, within schools, colleges and universities, hospitals and care homes. It works extensively within the private sector, providing food to client offices and boardrooms, as well as workplaces as diverse as oil rigs and military bases. Compass also provides food services to a wide variety of public attractions and sports venues up and down the country, from the Imperial War Museum to Chelsea Football Club, Twickenham Stadium, Edgbaston and The All England Lawn Tennis Club. Having amassed 75 years of food expertise, Compass has developed a business built around both business and culinary excellence, underpinned by a commitment to supporting social mobility. The company has a presence

in a variety of business sectors and locations, giving people a wider career choice at entry level. A large proportion of these are essential worker roles and they are fundamental in supporting many of our important institutions. As a hospitality, foodservice and retail business, Covid has impacted Compass Group more than most. Thousands of outlets across the UK were closed overnight resulting in up to 18,000 Compass employees being furloughed during the peak of the pandemic. Despite these challenges, Compass pivoted and established itself as a key worker business diverting thousands of employees into healthcare roles such as cleaners, porters and patient caterers. Working closely with the Government they stepped in to support the Nightingale Hospitals and testing centres across the country - feeding, cleaning and looking after others. Recognising the efforts of frontline workers, Compass was one of the first companies to offer a pay premium. It subsequently permanently uplifted the

salaries of some employees at the frontline. Compass Group, and the hospitality industry as a whole, is uniquely positioned to effect positive change for workers and communities. The industry does not have the educational barriers of others and as the UK’s largest food and support services company, Compass has the scale and geographic breadth to offer thousands of opportunities across the country. The food and support services provider has been able to reframe low-skilled jobs so that there is a defined pathway of progression, managed by more senior employees in the company who have often followed similar routes themselves. They offer the precious first rung on the ladder – the first job that enables workers to gain confidence and skills – as well as the chance to progress through the ranks. Through this approach, Compass has changed how low-skilled work is perceived, and has genuinely found the pathways and progression that eradicate dead-end jobs.

C O M PA S S G R O U P

The benefits of this model of working to both Compass and its employees are immense. There is no such thing as a dead-end job because it is a business that understands how to prevent that outcome. Many people join Compass with limited aspirations, in part-time and casual roles as well as permanent jobs, but they are nurtured as individuals and encouraged to explore ways they might be able to progress. Some of Compass’ essential workers come from overseas and want to integrate into the communities they have moved into. They can do this more easily when they also feel part of their workplace community, so communication is key for businesses to facilitate this. Their outreach work also extends to supporting those leaving military service and the care system, and they have done ground-breaking work with Mumsnet to support maternity leavers and their programmes dedicated to supporting young people in the most disadvantaged circumstances. The work that Compass is doing proves that there are no unskilled jobs, only companies that haven’t worked out how to deliver career paths for their employees.

There should be no dead-end jobs for essential worker careers. In a post-Covid Britain, that must become the new norm. Moving forward, Compass has ambitions to end dead-end jobs once and for all and to reframe what jobs look like and what they offer. It sees every job – big or small, permanent or temporary – as an opportunity for someone to learn, acquire new skills and place a foot on the first rung of a career ladder. In this way, what social mobility means has been redefined. Beyond the focus on gaining places at top universities and graduate jobs, Compass offers the chance for tens of thousands of people to take a few rungs on the ladder. To start as a porter but progress to a chef; to begin as a cleaner but become a manager.

frontline workers to see more clearly how they can progress within the organisation and what support they need. In an important step for the industry, later in 2021 Compass Group will become one of the first companies to begin measuring social mobility in its workforce. This will allow them to see if they are making a real difference and benchmark their progress moving forward. Compass Group UK and Ireland is redefining the debate on social mobility, moving away from a focus on gaining places at top universities and city jobs – important but unattainable for many – and offering the chance for tens of thousands of people to take a few rungs on the career ladder. The positive impact of this is vast – on employees, their families and our communities.

With all of this work Compass is aiming to: • Create a workforce which represents the rich diversity of the customers and clients that it serves, as well as society as a whole; • Enable everyone in the business to feel able to be themselves at work; • Ensure everyone in the business has an equal opportunity to progress their career; and • Widen access to career opportunities that encompass all in society. The company is launching its ‘Essential Worker Career Paths’ later in 2021 to enable

MAKE HAPPEN SPOTLIGHT ON LUCY MURRAY AND MAKE HAPPEN

Overcoming the barriers to higher education MAKE HAPPEN IS TARGETING HARD TO REACH COMMUNITIES TO ENCOURAGE MORE CHILDREN INTO HIGHER EDUC ATION IN ESSEX, AS WE REPORT HERE. Make Happen is the Essex partnership of the Uni Connect programme, funded through the Office for Students. Based at the University of Essex, the programme works in partnership to reach areas where higher education (HE) participation is lower than might be expected given the GCSE results of children who live there. The programme works to open up opportunities for young people in Essex and raise awareness of the opportunities HE can provide. There are 29 Uni Connect partnerships of differing sizes across the UK. Make Happen receives one of the largest funding allocations

due to a high number of areas being identified through the Uni Connect programme. The county has a diverse demographic with rural, urban and coastal areas, as well as London borders. Essex is also home to some areas of high deprivation and low progression to HE including towns such as Southend, Thurrock and Clacton. The programme works on a school-led model with all target schools being linked to a Collaborative Outreach Officer. Each school is unique and therefore activity is different depending on the specific barriers and needs of the students. Make Happen also has strong relationships with further education (FE) colleges, recognising the fact that progression is lower from FE than it is from sixth form colleges. Make Happen works in partnership with a number of higher education institutions, including University of Essex, Anglia Ruskin University, Writtle University College and the University

MAKE HAPPEN

of East London. The universities are part of the governance of the programme, helping to steer and support operations and to ensure complete collaboration across the county. The programme relies on all of its partners working together to develop targeted and relevant outreach which complements existing outreach activity within HE institutions. There are many barriers that exist to people going to university - it could be that university hasn’t ever been experienced in their family group, whether that be a cousin, a sibling or parents, or the perception that university “isn’t for someone like me”. Research from Make Happen has shown that having a role model from the same background as students is really key in breaking down some of these barriers. Other barriers include confidence, understanding the financial side of going to university or other responsibilities, for example caring for relatives. Due to the coronavirus pandemic all of Make Happen’s work is currently online which, although challenging at first, has given the programme a massive opportunity. Previously, the majority of activity has been directed through schools or colleges but Make Happen is now looking into ways of engaging directly with students. Online content has been created to continue engagement through taster sessions and webinars. Content isn’t just centered on the specifics of university (what it is, the benefits and finances) but everything around it which gives students a wider understanding, as well as the confidence to attend.

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Make Happen has delivered 186 activities to over 10,000 students

Make Happen has seen an increase in engagement during coronavirus with young people having more time on their hands to explore future opportunities. In the last year Make Happen has delivered 186 activities to over 10,000 students, of which around 70 per cent are coming from low participation neighbourhoods. The programme has also had greater engagement with parents and carers, who are traditionally harder to reach. With parents and carers being a key influencer in a young person’s choices, it is key that those from under-represented backgrounds feel empowered to support their young person through the decisions around HE. The programme has had to be delivered in more creative ways, with virtual learning festivals for over 600 students and parents a good example of this. While moving online has been successful, it has also highlighted the issue of digital poverty and the digital divide that still exists

MAKE IT HAPPEN in society. Those children who are least likely to go onto higher education often don’t have access to devices or Wi-Fi to be able to take part in school or Make Happen activity. Work is ongoing to ensure that everyone has access to the same levels of activity and are not hindered by digital poverty. Moving forward, the most successful aspects of online engagement will be kept but there is definitely still a desire for face-to-face interaction. That aspect of outreach work will never disappear - it is incredibly important for young people to see buildings and campuses, meet student ambassadors and experience university first-hand. An important part of the work Make Happen does is to provide mentoring to children, giving them a positive role model who has come from a similar background can be crucial. Seeing someone thriving at university who has come from the same under-represented area and perhaps the same non-traditional qualifications, such as BTECs or an access course, gives students hope and confidence that they can achieve anything. Make Happen runs a number of different mentoring programmes, pairing current students with those from under-represented areas, discussing topics such as personal barriers, strengths and weaknesses, SMART goals and first-hand experiences. Pre-

pandemic, there was a strong online mentoring presence across outreach at a national level, so this is one area of activity that has not been impacted too badly by the pandemic. The programme also engages with local charities or providers for academic tutoring, motivational speakers and careers advice. Moving forward a proposed cut in funding is likely to impact the level of activity that the programme can deliver. Higher cost activity, such as residential camps and mini-projects with PHD students, might need to be cut despite often having the greatest impact. The Make Happen team will be able to continue their centralised programme but some of the more specialised activity will be reduced. Make Happen has developed a really strong infrastructure in Essex, working impartially to ensure that young people, regardless of their background, have all of the options in front of them so that they can make an informed decision on their future. The programme of activity is proven to have an impact on outreach to areas where higher education participation is lower than expected and any funding cuts could stifle the great work currently being done. What is needed is a patient policy of giving programmes that are already succeeding the time to have a proper impact on the communities they are working with.

TOWARDS A FAIRER FUTURE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE ACROSS ESSEX As a key partner in the development of the levelling-up goals published by Rt Hon Justine Greening, Make Happen is directly improving the life chances of young people from low progression areas across Essex, by helping them make informed choices about their education and future.

As part of the Office for Student’s Uni Connect programme, we’re one of 29 national partnerships that bring together teachers from schools and colleges, with universities and other local educational partners, to offer activities, advice and information on the benefits and realities of going to university or college, to study a degree or take a degree apprenticeship.

Central to our aim is supporting school students’ exploration of the world of work and career progression. One of the many projects we support is High Flyers, whereby a group of year 10 students from six Essex schools, with a shared interest in STEM subjects, get to explore a career in aerospace engineering through practical masterclasses, while gaining a deep understanding of the roles and professions in the sector.

By 2020 we had reached more than 75,000 students across the county of Essex through our activities. These have ranged from university taster days to mentoring programmes, and study skills workshops to aspirational careers programmes.

Your expertise – our projects. From careers talks to school visits, we are keen to give students the best possible access to professionals who can share their experience and stories, across all sectors. If you or your business is interested in exploring ways to work with us, we’d love to hear from you.

BY 2020 WE HAD REACHED 75,647 STUDENTS THROUGH OUR EVENTS, WORKSHOPS, VISITS AND TOURS

WE WORK WITH:

� TWITTER @MakeHappenEssex � FACEBOOK facebook.com/MakeHappenEssex � INSTAGRAM @makehappenessex

If you'd like to find out more please contact Stephen Pomfret, Head of Collaborative Outreach, Make Happen EMAIL s.pomfret@makehappen.org

www.makehappen.org

S TA F F O R D S H I R E U N I V E R S I T Y

SPOTLIGHT ON

Liz Barnes and Staffordshire University T H E C O V I D - 19 P A N D E M I C H A S H A D A H U G E IMPACT ON OUR SOCIET Y AND MANY ASPECT S OF HOW WE LIVE AND WORK HAVE CHANGED SINCE MARCH 2020. For the education sector the pandemic led to a rapid transition to online teaching and learning. Staffordshire University, like many of our counterparts in the HE sector, was quick to transition and adapt under immense pressure, accelerating the move to an already increasingly digital world. As our post-pandemic Britain will inevitably be more online, increased efforts must be made to ensure that society’s pursuit of a digital future does not widen social mobility gaps. In the race to ‘be more digital’ we must take all measures possible to ensure that those living in our deprived communities and with the most complex backgrounds are not left behind. Digital poverty is a very real and current problem, one which has been brought into sharp relief during this pandemic. In September, a survey from the Office for Students (OfS) found that during the first national lockdown 52% of university students said their learning was impacted by slow or

unreliable internet connection and 18% were impacted by lack of access to a computer, laptop or tablet. We know that students at Staffordshire University are disproportionately affected by digital poverty. About 47% of our student community come from disadvantaged backgrounds and more than 50% are mature learners. Many students don’t have access to study spaces at home, they might be single parents or carers and so the pressures they face are very high. They might also lack access to IT equipment. However, their learning should not suffer because of this. That is why Staffordshire is offering access to hundreds of laptops to ensure that disadvantaged students and their families do not get left behind in the latest national lockdown. Our Digital Services team have made the offer of loan laptops available to all students, handing out hundreds of computers since the first lockdown. Following the recent school closures, laptop computers are also now being provided to the children of our students to support them in homeschooling. Some parents have had no choice but to share their laptop across the family. Yet nobody – young or older – should find themselves without the means to access their learning. A parent’s commitment to their child’s education should not be at the cost of their own.

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As a university, we will continue to drive forward the digital agenda, boosting digital skills and access to education

Of course, digital poverty is not just a hardware issue – learners who have their own laptops might struggle in their studies if they do not have the correct software. This is why Staffordshire University has supplied more than 2,300 Adobe licences to students since July, giving them home access to software that has traditionally been accessed on campus. Students have also been given the opportunity to enhance their digital skills and employability through certified online training in Microsoft Office, Adobe, and AutoDesk software. This range of support aligns with Staffordshire University’s commitment to improve the regional economy and enhance quality of life in local communities. Staffordshire University is working with the Social Mobility Pledge, alongside a number of leading businesses and educational establishments, to speed up the levelling-up in post-pandemic Britain. This has led to the launch of the Purpose Coalition, which aims to promote and deliver the vital environmental, social and governance (ESG)-based change Britain needs. The Coalition is calling on businesses and universities to commit to levelling up Britain by partnering with local schools, offering apprenticeships and using open and fair recruitment practices. It also calls for purpose-driven leadership and

decision-making, and a recognition that employees, consumers and investors now demand positive impact from the organisations with which they engage. As a University fully invested in social mobility, we aim to lead by example and will share the insights and ideas from our own ESG approach through a publicly available Opportunity Action Plan, which aims to increase access to higher education and increase career opportunities locally. Coronavirus has highlighted the scale of the digital divide, which is a symptom of wider socio-economic issues faced in areas of deprivation like North Staffordshire. The number of people in Stoke-on-Trent who progress onto university is already significantly lower than the national average and so it is doubly important that we do not let anyone slip through the net during the current crisis. As a university, we will continue to drive forward the digital agenda, boosting digital skills and access to education in the region. In the meantime, we hope that steps such as laptop loans, provision of software and digital training will go some way to helping families during this difficult time and beyond. While Staffordshire University is invested in becoming the UK’s foremost digital university, at the heart of our purpose is our commitment to social mobility.

S TA F F O R D S H I R E U N I V E R S I T Y

Putting social mobility at the heart of the cause W E S P E A K T O P RO F E S S O R L I Z B A R N E S , V I C E C H A N C E L L O R O F S TA F F O R D S H I R E U N I V E R S I T Y, A B O U T C L O S I N G T H E DIGITAL DIVIDE AND PROVIDING S TUDENT S FOR THE ECONOMY OF TOMORROW.

Far from changing our focus, Covid-19 has cemented the need for Staffordshire University to continue to drive forward and put social mobility at the heart of our cause. My wish is for more organisations to join the cause and that more work is done across every educational setting, business and organisation to upskill, empower and enable people to make more of their lives. Our commitment to social mobility goes hand in glove with our investment in becoming the UK’s foremost digital university. At the onset of the pandemic we had to move to remote learning overnight, which was achieved with minimum disruption. We are fortunate at Staffordshire that digital has been embedded in everything we do for a number of years and thanks to our staff we were well placed to meet the challenges of lockdowns. For society in general Covid-19 accelerated our transition to a digital future and exposed people to the value of digital skills and confidence. Increased efforts must be made to ensure that a digital future does not widen social mobility gaps. We must take all measures possible to ensure those living in the most deprived areas and with difficult backgrounds are not left behind. Even before the pandemic the widening digital skills gap was on the agenda for the Government, businesses and organisations. The 2019 Open University business barometer report found that organisations in the UK are spending more than £4bn a year as a result of the skills shortage, with 68 percent of employers

struggling to find workers with the correct skills. Closing the skills gap means providing routes into education to allow people to pursue digital roles and opportunities in different sectors. Higher education has a big role to play in this and it is the responsibility of the universities to help develop student’s skills to make them ultra employable. We need to start wider conversations about different paths into education and about how people who might write themselves off for the careers of the future can be encouraged to raise their aspirations. Staffordshire University’s ‘Step Up to Higher Education’ programme shows how this can be done - the part time 10 week course has proved to be a huge success, helping people into higher education for the first time or welcoming them back after a period of absence. The process is geared to developing the confidence of each individual. A digitally skilled workforce will also bear fruit for our economy, we need to ensure we are equipping businesses with staff who have the skills and confidence to make use of digital tools, techniques and infrastructure. Stafforsdhire will play a key role in providing more digital skills to our entire region. Creating opportunities in education is a priority for areas such as the West Midlands. Evidence tells us that geography is a key factor in social mobility, with young people in former industrial heartlands among the least likely to enter higher education.

S TA F F O R D S H I R E U N I V E R S I T Y

As a civic university connected to the needs of our region, we are doing what we can to support more students into education during these increasingly challenging times. The need for education and digital skills sits alongside the many and varied problems caused by digital poverty. Staffordshire University is pulling every lever possible to help students and their families who are facing deepening hardships, including providing adult learners with the loan of a laptop. During lockdown some parents have had no choice but to share their laptop across the family. Nobody, young or old, should find themselves without the means to access their learning. Our work in the digital area is aligned to a much wider package of support which helps our students with other priority issues, such as mental health and hardship. We recently announced a Covid-19 response fund which was set up to help students who had been affected by the pandemic. Within hours of going live the fund had received 100s of applicants, giving a sense of how much students have been affected by the pandemic. Our efforts in this area tie in with our Opportunity Action Plan that we launched before Christmas in partnership with the Social Mobility Pledge. The plan sets out a number of ambitions that the university will work towards with the aim of ensuring that more people are able to access higher education and progress in careers unhindered by their background or lack of connections. With Stoke already identified as a social mobility ‘coldspot’, we have our work cut out. The data tells us that in areas where social mobility is low, those born into deprivation are statistically likely to remain there.

We need to do everything in our power to create a Britain that breaks down the potential barriers that people face when they want to better themselves. This can only be achieved by a collective effort to identify inequality in all its forms and move towards a level playing field. We must all work together in our local communities to bridge the digital divide and work on long term outcomes for the people who are most in need of our support.

PEN NON G ROUP

EXETER-BASED WATER COMPANY PENNON GROUP HAS JOINED THE PURPOSE COALITION, WHICH BRINGS TOGETHER A GROWING NUMBER OF BUSINESSES AND UNIVERSITIES WHO ARE LEADING THE DRIVE ON BRITAIN’S T WIN CHALLENGES OF LEVELLING UP AND REACHING NET ZERO.

Pennon Group commits to levelling up 78

PEN NON G ROUP

The Purpose Coalition sits alongside the Social Mobility Pledge, cofounded in 2018 by Rt Hon Justine Greening, which works to encourage businesses to play a strategic role on how they create opportunities to help level up Britain. Pennon Group will now develop and implement a Levelling Up Action Plan, which will set out a strategy for how it can use its organisation to spread opportunity to the maximum effect for communities and SMEs throughout the south west of England. As part of the wider Purpose Coalition, it will also be involved with other leading businesses and universities in developing and sharing new ideas and projects to have maximum purpose-led impact. Earlier this month the Purpose Coalition launched a set of ‘Levelling Up Goals’, providing Britain’s first levelling up framework to focus the Coalition’s efforts on driving equality of opportunity at key life stages, from early years through to careers, alongside the barriers to opportunity such as closing the digital divide, health and wellbeing, and infrastructure for opportunity. These Goals will provide a universal benchmark to track progress and is the first common framework to enable the public to clearly see the individual and collective effort of businesses and universities. Pennon Group will be the first water company to put in place a Levelling Up Action Plan, and measure its impact on the ground by using the Levelling Up Goals framework, joining other leading businesses including Direct Line Group and Persimmon. Former Education Secretary and Social Mobility Pledge co-founder, Rt Hon Justine Greening, said: “I’m absolutely delighted to be working with Pennon Group as part of the Purpose Coalition. This means we can build on the great work Pennon Group already does on award-winning apprenticeships, and its work in local communities and schools. More and more businesses are now realising that to make a real impact on levelling up and the race to net zero they must fully embed social responsibility into their purpose and across their operations. “It’s about working closely with local communities, building deep partnerships with other organisations and making genuine efforts to spread opportunity to where it can make the biggest difference. Members of the Purpose Coalition understand that tackling ESG issues is key to the future of a successful business but they are also now centre stage for Britain as net zero and levelling up have become the two key challenges our Government and our country needs to successfully meet after COVID-19. “Pennon Group already takes a leadership role in promoting ESG goals and we’re very much looking forward to working closely with them moving forward.”

I N T H E H O T S E AT

Iain Dale in the Hotseat POLITIC AL COMMENTATOR, BROADC ASTER, AUTHOR AND PODC ASTER IAIN DALE TALKS TO US ABOUT DOING HIS DREAM JOB, IMPOSTER SYNDROME AND THE BEST PIECE OF ADVICE HE’S EVER BEEN GIVEN.

// Are you doing your dream job?

A// I I am doing my dream job. When you work for a commercial station (LBC), you constantly get asked whether you would rather work for the BBC. I always say no because I couldn’t do what I do on the BBC - I do three hours with no script whatsoever, I’m the editor of my own programme so I decide what we’re going to do along with my producers and we don’t very often disagree on anything. I get to interview famous people, I get to speak to ordinary people to really test the mood of the nation and I absolutely love it. I love doing breaking news stories, that’s when the adrenaline really flows - back in January when the Capitol Hill riots happened I covered that live from my bedroom. It was a broadcasting challenge, I didn’t have all of the studio information to go with, I had Twitter to look at and Sky News and I had to have my wits about me. There is no better adrenaline than covering a live breaking news story.

My other dream job would have been Secretary of State for Transport. If I’d gone into Parliament that would have been the job that I was really trying to get because there are some Cabinet jobs where you can talk a lot but you can’t really change a lot. DCMS, for example, is something that I’d quite enjoy but what can you actually change as Culture Minister? Whereas transport every decision you make, or most decisions, will make an impact on somebody for good or ill. I was the transport lobbyist for a time in the 1990s, so it’s an area that I know a little bit about and I would have loved to have done that.

Q// Has it ever made you feel like an outsider in politics because you didn’t go to Oxbridge? A//

I went to a comprehensive school, I went to the University of East Anglia and even in my 30s and 40s, there was still something that made me feel slightly inferior to those that had gone to public school and Oxbridge. I can remember being in a group - it was George Osborne, David Cameron, Nick Boles and Ed Vaizey - and I kind of felt like a fish out of water. I can’t really describe it but there was some sort of barrier there, I think if you’ve been to public schools and Oxbridge you have an inner confidence which others don’t. There’s something that they do at public school which gives people an outward air of superiority. It was only when I got to about 50 when that disappeared and it’s not there anymore. I think it’s partly doing the radio show that has helped me do that because I literally have to talk about things that I have very little interest in or knowledge of, and I have to talk authoritatively about them. When I used to do ‘Any Questions?’ I would do a lot of preparation, I would write little cue cards for myself about possible topics but after each one I used to think that I didn’t really need to do that. And now, I just go in and do it, I don’t do a lot of preparation. I’ve worked out that I can talk about more or less anything without making a fool of myself. It goes back to imposter syndrome. I remember the first day I was working in the House of Commons in 1984, I was walking through the central lobby and I saw

I N T H E H O T S E AT

a difference. I remember when I read that it had a really profound effect on me. Gyles Brandreth would be one because if the conversation ever sagged he would be able to step in and keep everyone entertained. He was one of my heroes in many ways, he got me into radio to an extent - in about 1999 he always used to ask me on his Sunday afternoon arts and culture show on LBC. That was the first show where I ever did any radio presentation because he used to have a feature called stairway to heaven and it was a bit like desert island discs, it was all about the things you would miss if you died. So I had the idea of turning the tables on him and I did it one week. My third one would be Dame Judi Dench because again she’s had such a fascinating life. I haven’t ever seen her in a film or a television programme where I’ve thought that wasn’t a very good performance - everything she’s done has been magnificent. My sister met her on holiday in the Carribean once and she just said that she was the most amazing person to talk to, exactly how she seems when you see her getting interviewed. former Prime Minister Jim Callaghan and former President Ford walking together along the corridor and I did think to myself, what’s a boy from Essex doing in a place like this? And that feeling has never quite gone away. Your background can determine your outcome and I think the education system in particular has got to try and deal with that in some way. I’ve got no magic solutions but somehow kids from working class backgrounds, poorer backgrounds, need to be given that inner confidence that those who come from better backgrounds seem to automatically have.

Q// What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? A//

The best piece of advice if I’ve ever received is from Louise Birt, who now runs BBC Radio Essex but was deputy managing editor of LBC at the time. This was back in 2012 I was presenting the Sunday morning show and I have quite a soporific voice and they kept saying to me that I have to add pace. You get all this advice from people and you think you hired me with this voice, I can’t change my voice. She would at the start of every show, at 10 o’clock on Sunday morning, to try and get me to be a bit more pacey and lively, she would scream into the microphone behind the glass and that used to make me laugh and off I would go.

Q// Which three people would you like to have dinner with (dead or alive)?

Q// What’s one book you think that everyone should read?

A//

I would choose Richard Nixon because I think he had the most interesting life and he was a very complex character. I’ve read all of his books and for anybody interested in politics, I recommend you read ‘In the arena’ it’s all about what motivates people to get into politics and basically it says that you have to be in the arena to make

If I had to say just one I would say Animal Farm. That politicised me in a way back in my early school days and I instantly got what it was all about. I wouldn’t say it instantly turned me into a Conservative but the discussions we had about it in the classroom were quite deep for that kind of age group I remember.

OPI N ION

BUSINESS MUST DEMONSTRATE ACTION ON LEVELLING UP

SIMON BOSS Simon Boss is Chief Executive of law firm Shoosmiths and sets out here why businesses must lead on the purpose agenda

There is nothing new about inequality in the UK – but the ways in which we address those inequalities need to be new, and need to increase – we are in no position to think that our society can improve, if we don’t really focus our minds on doing things differently. As a society, we need to ask ourselves - what can we do to really step up our efforts? What is working and what isn’t? What could we do to give everyone an equal and realistic chance to realise goals and ambitions in life – no matter who you are or where you start. Of course, there is no doubt the challenges around this are deep rooted and complex with no quick fixes, even in normal times. And thanks to Covid-19, the challenge has become even more difficult to grapple with as the pandemic has made the issues deeper and more pronounced. Building on what increasingly looks like a hugely successful vaccine rollout, we have recently heard what the route out of the latest lockdown looks like (all being well). Whilst the debate continues about the pace of this re-emergence, the promise of the greater freedoms this will bring gives us all a much-needed lift as we look forward to better times ahead. At the same time,

OPINION

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Whether you call this a ‘Covid Recovery’, ‘Build Back Better’ or ‘Levelling Up’, we need to make some critical decisions to ensure there is a positive legacy

we should also use this time of change to reflect on what to learn from this experience and how we want to see society change for the better as a result. Whether you call this a ‘Covid Recovery’, ‘Build Back Better’ or ‘Levelling Up’, we need to make some critical decisions to ensure there is a positive legacy for all our society, for this generation and for the next generations to benefit from. These decisions are for all of us to make – in both the public and private sectors. It cannot be about waiting and watching for someone to step up. It cannot be about just talking the talk. It cannot be about only having the best of intentions. Alongside Government, now is the time for business to turn our focus and energy to effect change to ensure we re-build from the pandemic in a fairer way for everyone. I know from my role as CEO at Shoosmiths that the expectations on business, and on business leaders, are changing – and rightly so. As important as it is to have an active and successful CSR programme, this is not enough. Our teams, this generation and the next, want to know what it is we stand for and what we are about. They want to feel connected and want to feel emotionally

OPI N ION engaged. They want to know what their business is doing as a responsible and decent corporate citizen and they want to be part of that. Equally, and increasingly so, our clients and customers want to know the same. Ticking boxes, making grand statements or simply getting by through doing just enough, no longer cut the mustard. To be clear, it is not just about doing the right thing (as important as that is). Operating with a strong sense of social and environmental purpose is not just a good and moral thing to do. It also makes good business sense. There is nothing new in this, there are no great revelations here. The connection is well known, researched and reported.

OPI N ION

Operating with a clear sense of purpose and being profitable are undoubtedly linked and mutually beneficial. A powerful driver for any business, especially right now. I should put this into closer context for a moment. Shoosmiths is a leading UK law firm with over 200 partners and 1600 people operating across 13 locations. I know that we have not got all of this right at Shoosmiths – but I do believe we are very much on the right path. We are focused on this like never before through various initiatives including our levelling up action plans, reciprocal mentoring for the senior leadership team, unconscious bias training for all, our inclusion networks and our new shadow board to name some of the work we are doing. There is more we can and should be doing, building on our work in schools and colleges, in our local communities and within our organisation; building on a strong, values based culture, a place where people can be themselves and achieve their ambitions and potential to whatever level they aspire.

I am proud that at Shoosmiths we are doing our bit however and whenever we can – through using foundations created by the Levelling Up Goals and by being able to spot where we can make an impact against specific community needs in the locations where our offices are based across the UK. Right now, there is an opportunity to do something different and to make a difference. As we emerge from the pandemic it is crucial that business takes the opportunity wherever it can to help with ‘Levelling Up’ across the UK; by putting social purpose at the forefront of mind, strategy and action. Now we just need to put our minds to it.

L E V E L L I N G U P L AW

SOCIAL MOBILIT Y PLEDGE L AUNCHES FIRST SECTOR-WIDE INITIATIVE TO IMPROVE ACCESS AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES IN THE LEGAL SECTOR

Levelling Up Law Former Education Secretary Justine Greening is working with fifteen City of London Law Society (CLLS) member firms to develop an Opportunity Action plan for the legal sector, aimed at boosting social mobility in the profession. The partnership was launched at a virtual event this week with over 100 attendees from law firms and universities. It will see firms working closely with a number of universities to create new and wider pathways from higher education into the legal sector. The Levelling Up Law project is Chaired by Seema Kennedy OBE, former MP and lawyer. Her background in Parliament and the legal sector gives her a unique perspective on boosting social mobility in the profession. This collaboration between City of London Law Society member firms and the Social Mobility Pledge will be the Pledge’s first sector-wide initiative, creating a framework for leading law firms to work together on solutions that benefit the profession at large, leading to greater understanding and access. Ms Greening, the first Secretary of State for Education to have attended a comprehensive school and local FE college, co-founded the national Social Mobility Pledge in 2018, alongside entrepreneur and philanthropist David Harrison, to tackle Britain’s widespread lack of social mobility. Justine Greening, cofounder of the Social Mobility Pledge, said: “Many young people are seeing their life prospects drastically downgraded, with jobs and job offers disappearing. Meanwhile, massive demand for

L E V E L L I N G U P L AW

reskilling and career shifting support is building up. “Well defined purpose together with a strong culture and leadership have marked out those organisations which have taken the right decisions in response to the crisis, from those which have not. The challenge now, and one that CLLS member firms have stepped up to, is for Britain’s businesses and universities to play their role in boosting opportunity and social mobility as part of our national recovery. “I’m looking forward to working with CLLS members on their Opportunity Action Plan. They are committed to making a difference and levelling up Britain. I hope many others will follow their example.” Edward Sparrow said: “The City of London Law Society and fifteen of our member firms are delighted to be working alongside Rt Hon Justine Greening, Seema Kennedy OBE, and the Social Mobility Pledge on an Opportunity Action plan for the City’s legal profession. “By working with University Vice Chancellors and sharing knowledge between law firms, we hope that this partnership will make a real and measurable difference in a post-pandemic world, where the importance of levelling-up access and opportunities will be more important than ever.

THE FULL LIST OF PARTICIPATING UNIVERSITIES:

THE FULL LIST OF PARTICIPATING FIRMS:

University of Greenwich University of the West of England Bristol Staffordshire University University of Lincoln University of Bradford Middlesex University Liverpool John Moores University Northumbria University University of York York St John University University of Northampton University of Bolton University of Essex University of West London

Ashurst LLP Charles Russell Speechlys LLP Clyde & Co LLP CMS DLA Piper (UK) LLP Eversheds Sutherland LLP Fenchurch Law LLP Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP Kingsley Napley LLP RPC LLP Simmons & Simmons LLP Simpson Thacher Bartlett LLP Sullivan & Cromwell LLP Trowers & Hamlins LLP Weil Gotshal Manges

DI R ECT LI N E G ROUP SPOTLIGHT ON WILL SHERLOCK, AND DIRECT LINE GROUP

A force for good DIRECT LINE GROUP HAS GALVANISED IT S WORKFORCE BEHIND A NEW VISION TO BE A PURPOSE-LED BUSINESS, AS WE REPORT HERE. In late 2019 Direct Line Group launched a new vision and strategy which has at its heart a desire to be personal, inclusive and a force for good. The year since its launch has been anything but normal but in many ways the last twelve months have highlighted the importance of this new vision. It has galvanised everyone at Direct Line Group and acted as a real focal point, particularly as they responded to the challenges presented by Covid. The decision-making has increasingly seen every part of the business ask how it is living up to the company’s vision. It has led to the company acting more as a purpose-led organisation. The vision is supported by a wider sustainability strategy based around the five pillars of customers, people, society, planet and governance. Direct Line Group aims for its ongoing actions to live up to its vision and purpose across all areas of the strategy. It also engages every layer of the company meaning everyone is pulling in the same direction. Last year Direct Line Group launched a £3.5 million Community Fund for the first time in response to Covid. The fund targeted much needed resources to charities and local authorities based close to the organisation’s main office sites. The ability to respond quickly was crucial with almost £2 million allocated within the

first couple of weeks. The Community Fund is now tackling big public policy challenges, with a particular focus on social mobility where Direct Line Group is working more closely with social mobility charities to support and encourage young people from disadvantaged backgrounds into careers in insurance. The community fund will continue its work this year with charities such as the Social Mobility Business Partnership, Autoraise and Teach First. As an organisation, ‘getting in, getting on, getting ahead’ is how Direct Line Group thinks about social mobility. It’s not just about how you recruit but about how to support individuals throughout their career so that they can get a foot up the ladder. Social mobility is a complex area and it’s important to recognise the support needed throughout a person’s career. Working alongside the Social Mobility Pledge, Direct Line Group was looking to target social mobility ‘coldspots’ to encourage more people into the organisation before Covid. Now that the company has found remote working a success they see a big opportunity to recruit more widely and take advantage of untapped talent in areas that may have been viewed as unrealistic due to the nature of office-based working. It’s a real chance to expand its reach and the company has already started to recruit from different parts of the country in a way that hasn’t been done previously. It means they can appeal to underrepresented communities and break any stigma for people who may lack confidence and think a job in a FTSE company ‘isn’t for them’. The benefit of being a large organisation with a wide UK footprint is that Direct Line Group can reach lots of areas where social

DI R ECT LI N E G ROUP

mobility is poor and opportunities are harder to find. Remote working now offers an easier route into communities. Direct Line Group wants a culture that celebrates difference and authenticity, where everyone feels free to bring their whole self to work. The organisation has a Diversity Network Alliance which is a driving force behind tackling these issues. As well as raising awareness internally, the alliance forges relationships with external charities and institutions. Top level board commitment matched by an active grassroots-led network can really have an impact. For Direct Line Group, as with the rest of the world, climate change has been on the agenda for a long time. The organisation has three steps to how they approach it. The first is a cultural response - with over 10,000 employees in various departments it takes a concerted effort to pull together and tackle the issue. A company wide effort is needed and a cultural response allows everyone to look at their specific business area and what they need to do. That goes to the heart of the climate debate moving forward - there’s no doubt that companies, nations and civil society around the world have all got to do their bit. Secondly, to understand the challenge you are facing you need to look at the data. In the last year Direct Line Group has done

a lot of work to analyse where its emissions currently sit. The organisation has a number of offices up and down the country and a big garage network, so it is vitally important to understand the data which allows for decision making to be better informed. The final step is about being really optimistic about the future and what smart choices can be made to make a tangible difference. To begin this process Direct Line Group became a carbon neutral business last year by offsetting emissions through supporting three international projects in Kenya, Brazil and Bangladesh. While the organisation has reduced its energy consumption by a third over recent years, the company recognises it needs to continue to reduce its carbon footprint and is now committed to setting science-based targets. It will require action across all areas of the business - the way it runs its operations, its supply chain and how it allocates investments. It needs to be a company wide effort - once the cultural response is in place and the data is understood then solutions can be created that will have the biggest impact. Direct Line Group is an organisation that lives by its vision of being personal, inclusive and a force for good, and is leading the way when it comes to being purpose-led.

LEVELLI NG UP I N DEX

Recognising those committed to levelling up AS SOCIET Y’S EXPECTATIONS OF ORGANISATIONS H AV E W I D E N E D , S O T O O H A S T H E RO L E T H E Y C A N P L AY IN BOOSTING OPPORTUNIT Y AND HELPING TO LEVEL UP THE UK. THE LEVELLING UP INDEX IS ABOUT RECOGNISING THOSE COMMITTED TO SOCIAL MOBILITY AND LEVELLING UP

LEVELLI NG UP I N DEX

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The Social Mobility Pledge is the largest social mobility campaign in the UK with 600

The 2021 Levelling Up Purpose Index identifies which organisations are going the furthest and having a real impact on the key challenges facing the UK and championing the ‘Levelling Up Goals’. Former Education Secretary, Rt Hon Justine Greening, launched the Levelling Up Goals to focus efforts on driving equality of opportunity at key life stages. The 14 Goals are a common architecture for levelling up Britain that brings together policy makers, business and education. Some of the Goals are about preventing gaps opening up between privileged and less privileged children in early years and school years. Others are around getting good advice and experiences to develop people, and making sure that opportunities are open to all and that progression within careers is fair. Other Levelling Up Goals are around the parts of lives that either help or hinder the path forward - for example good housing, health and access to the online world. For the first time, the Goals set out those challenges as a whole. The Index positively recognises commitments at all levels - it lists the organisations who have made a public commitment to levelling up and social mobility. Their award ranking indicates the level of commitment they have made with us to the agenda. Any organisation committed to supporting social mobility and opportunity can sign the Social Mobility Pledge. The Social Mobility Pledge is the largest social mobility campaign in the UK with 600 organisations, covering seven million of their employees and students, already having signed it. Organisations committed to the three elements of the Social Mobility Pledge - outreach, access and recruitment - are given a Silver Award on the Index. There is no cost and Silver members will be listed on the

Index as well as being a

signatory on the Social Mobility Pledge website. Gold Award organisations have in place a Levelling Up Statement or Opportunity Action Plan. By having a Levelling Up Statement in place, organisations demonstrate a commitment to going further faster and are recognised as Gold Award employers. The Platinum Award is reserved for those organisations who are not just committed to the levelling up agenda, but who we are recognising for working with us to drive and shape the agenda. Platinum Award organisations have already completed the requirements of Silver and Gold and are now contributing to shaping and advocating for the Levelling Up Goals. These organisations are represented by the UK’s most committed purpose leaders; they are developing the measurements and indicators, advocating for the Goals and shaping the wider agenda on how organisations can deliver on their purpose by maximising their positive impact to drive levelling up across the UK. The Levelling Up Purpose Index demonstrates to customers, clients, colleagues and communities an organisation’s commitment to putting levelling up at the heart of their purpose. A lot of organisations are doing incredible work in this sector and the Index is making sure they are recognised.

organisations signed up.

For more information visit www.levelupthegoals.org

EACH EDITION WE ASK LEADING POLITICAL FIGURES, OF ALL PARTIES, TO GIVE US THEIR OWN OPINION ON THE LEVELLING UP AGENDA. WHAT LEVELLING-UP MEANS TO ME.

GUY

OPPERMAN MP:

This edition we are joined by Guy Opperman MP, the Minister for Pensions and Financial Inclusion. Guy has been a Conservative MP since 2010 and was appointed to Government in 2017. Guy has a particular interest in the role investors and pension funds can take in the wider ESG agenda. Here he gives us his take on levelling up: When I stood for election in 2010, there was only one Conservative MP in the whole of the North East. Whilst much of the Conservative Party’s traditional support base was in the South and Midlands, I knew that the route to a Conservative majority would run through the North of England. So whilst most people were settling down to watch the Olympics, in 2012, I decided to make it my mission to find out exactly what people want from their politicians – whether that be local councillors, their MP, or the government. I walked from Sheffield to Scotland – right through what is now the so-called red wall – and spoke to hundreds of people in churches, mosques, shops, pubs, B&B’s and at community events across the country. The message was loud and clear, but it was not at all that different to the kind of things I would hear at my constituency surgeries week in, week out. People wanted to see investment in their local community, safer streets, more money for our schools, and better opportunities for our young people. Put simply, they wanted to make their local community an even better place to live; they wanted to see levelling up.

OPINION

Levelling Up is this Government’s key agenda. But what does it mean? For me, it means rebalancing our economy so that we don’t only focus on major cities – whether that be London or Newcastle – but also our towns, like Hexham, Prudhoe and Haltwhistle in my constituency. In Northumberland, the process of levelling up education has been my priority. It has taken almost a decade, but we are finally getting there. When I was elected, our whole region had suffered from decades of underinvestment. Not a single high school in my constituency had been rebuilt or refurbished in the preceding 13 years. I made it my mission to secure more money and better buildings for our local schools. It took many difficult meetings to make the case. But some of our schools – quite literally – had holes in the roof. I worked closely with the then Education Secretary, Michael Gove to rebuild Prudhoe Community High School, which was in desperate need of repair, and was finally opened in 2016 by Justine Greening. Justine and I then worked together to deliver a new, fairer funding formula for our local schools, ensuring children in my constituency had access to the same opportunities as those in larger, inner city schools. Since 2016, our mission to level-up education has gone even further. When pupils return to their desks in September, every high school across Tynedale and Ponteland will have been rebuilt or refurbished. We have made real progress – and it is a clear example of levelling-up in practice. The government’s levelling up agenda is moving ahead at pace. Whilst the Coronavirus has presented huge challenges

for us. As we rebuild, we must use the opportunity to do things better. The Chancellor’s Budget marked the first step on that journey. The new Levelling Up Fund will give MP’s like me the opportunity to champion projects in our local communities that will help create new opportunities for our young people. Freeports – a project which I helped to develop back in 2017 – has finally become a reality in a post-Brexit world, and will help us drive investment to our regions. And the unprecedented levels of economic support have protected people’s jobs and businesses through this difficult time. Levelling up is far more than just a slogan. We are already seeing it in practice. It is about spreading opportunity and rebalancing our economy, and that is our mission.

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BUS I N ESS N EWS

THE UNIVERSIT Y OF YORK IS WORKING ALONGSIDE JUSTINE GREENING AND OTHER U N I V E R S I T Y A N D B U S I N E S S P U R P O S E COA L I T I O N PA R T N E R S T O D E V E L O P WAY S T O M E A S U R E S U C C E S S AG A I N S T T H E R E C E N T LY L A U N C H E D L E V E L L I N G U P G O A L S .

U N I V E R S I T Y O F YO R K

Going back to its roots, social mobility at the University of York Pro Vice-Chancellor of the University of York, Kiran Trehan, talks to us about why improving social mobility is a priority for York and the importance of the Levelling Up Goals. We are a university for social good, we’ve gone right back to our roots in terms of how we were founded - on the basis of inclusive education for all. What Covid has done is both highlighted points of privilege but also points of under-representation and disadvantage, it’s given us the chance to work with some of those communities who don’t have access to certain opportunities. That’s the legacy that we’ll take forward - to work with students to raise aspirations and give hope and opportunity. For me and the university, social justice is firmly established as part of our founding principles, we are already committed to social mobility and deliver a lot of work in this area. By working with the Social Mobility Pledge we can not only raise the profile of our work but demonstrate our commitment to the cause and develop an education ecosystem that reinvigorates efforts in this area. For me work is absolutely critical because it’s in our DNA, it’s part of our roots and our history, as well as the legacy that we want to leave moving forward.

We have three areas that we really want to make a difference on: Widening participation - we’re taking an active approach in engaging and working with local schools and colleges and more widely throughout our communities to spread aspirations. We’ve done that through running events and workshops, for example, we ran an event about developing business and enterprise skills through our access and outreach activities to 13-15 year olds throughout the country. The online event supported them to understand what it might mean to develop an entrepreneurial business. Addressing the attainment gap - it isn’t just about raising aspirations, it’s making sure that when we do get students into the university from different backgrounds that we create an inclusive and welcoming culture. We’ve been working on an initiative called ‘creating and making space’, ensuring that the spaces that we have at the university and the images and photographs on show are reflective of our whole student base. It’s important that students from diverse communities see people that look like them.

U N I V E R S I T Y O F YO R K

“

education doesn’t start or end with schools or universities, it’s a lifelong process

Decolonising the curriculum - because we have such a long and established history, particular in relation to social justice, that’s given us a really good start. The Levelling Up Goals are really important, as they address an absolutely critical agenda of closing the opportunity gap. Working with Justine Greening and other leading institutions, together we want to build inclusive and purposeful futures for all. It has never been more important than now - look at the way Covid-19 has highlighted inequalities in education, health and business for young people. We know that education doesn’t start or end with schools or universities, it’s a lifelong process that individuals carry through into their careers and beyond. The unfortunate reality, however, is that this process of learning is available to some, but not all, and this is what we want to try and address with the 'Levelling Up' programme. It is not just the job of our educators to make this happen; it requires businesses, politicians and communities all working together to understand the barriers at each stage of an individual's life and to ensure that they are able to achieve their full potential regardless of race or social background. This is such an exciting and innovative initiative because it will make a measurable difference. By working together we are not just making the levelling up agenda our business but everyone’s business.

PERSI M MON HOM ES SPOTLIGHT ON ROGER DEVLIN AND PERSIMMON HOMES

A first step on the ladder WE SPEAK TO ROGER DEVLIN ABOUT GROWING UP IN THE NORTH WEST AND HOW PERSIMMON HOMES IS HELPING THE LEVELLING UP AGENDA BY GETTING PEOPLE ON THE PROPERT Y L ADDER.

// You’re the Chairman of Persimmon Homes which is in the business of building communities, tell us a little bit about the community you grew up in?

// I grew up between

Blackburn and Bolton. I was probably a bit like the boy in short trousers in the Hovis ad making my way to school down the cobbled streets with flickering gas lights. I had a two hour commute each way by bus, train and bus to Manchester Grammar which was very much the Holy Grail educationally at the time, so I was very lucky. It was a gritty upbringing but good grounding for building and betting.

Q// What role do you feel companies like Persimmon should play in boosting opportunity and building back better through the Covid Recovery?

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A// I believe we have a crucial role and that’s why we have been changing what we do to make an even greater contribution. We are already a major employer of course. We have also been trying to open up the routes into employment – which is one reason we are so pleased to sign the Social Mobility Pledge – and also pathways for colleagues to progress through the company. We are the first housebuilder to be accredited as a NVQ assessment centre and have 13 per cent of colleagues currently on a formal training programme, for example. I am also delighted we are seeking Living Wage Foundation accreditation. Q// Purpose-led business and the ESG agenda has really come to the fore recently. What does this mean for you and Persimmon? A// Dean Finch, our new CEO, spoke of Persimmon being a responsible business at our recent full year results. We have made important progress – for example, in customer service and training – and new commitments – for example, the Social Mobility Pledge and the Living Wage – that demonstrate this. Perhaps our most significant recent commitment is environmental. We have signed up to science-based targets in-line with the

PERSI M MON HOM ES

Paris Agreement and set net zero targets for our own operations by 2040 and for new homes in use by 2030. These are deliberately stretching as we recognise the important role we play in achieving the imperative of a net zero economy.

Q// If you could have dinner with anyone, alive or not, who would it be?

Q// For many people a Persimmon home is their first step on the property ladder, how important do you feel that is for the levelling up agenda?

Q// What’s your proudest career moment?

A// We believe passionately that we are opening up the opportunity of home ownership to thousands of families every year across the country. Our average selling price at around £200k is 17 per cent below the national average for new homes and we see our role as building high quality homes in communities people want to live in. We also have ambitions to grow the business and extend the opportunity of home ownership even further. In doing this we will give more families that first step on the housing ladder and create more jobs and opportunities up-and-down the country, as we have truly nationwide coverage.

A// Either Bob Dylan or Margaret Thatcher, but probably not together!

A/// I’ve been fortunate to chair Persimmon, William Hill and Marstons – all great British brands. I guess I’m particularly proud of the Persimmon transformation, radically improving customer care and quality while maintaining our outstanding financial performance.

Q// And finally what advice would you give to your younger self? A// Follow your passion even if it doesn’t pay well at first – if you work hard and you’re good at what you do, success and happiness generally follow. And your mother was usually right!

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LEVELLI NG UP

Levelling up health inequalities 102

LEVELLI NG UP

RT HON ANNE MILTON IS A FORMER PARLIAMENTARY UNDER-SECRETARY FOR PUBLIC HEALTH AND MINISTER OF STATE FOR SKILLS AND APPRENTICESHIPS WHO IS WORKING ALONGSIDE RT HON JUSTINE GREENING TO LEVEL UP BRITAIN. HERE, SHE REFLECTS ON THE PUBLIC ATION OF THE FIRST NATIONAL HEALTH INDEX AND THE NEED TO LEVEL UP PUBLIC HEALTH. The first official national health index for England was revealed recently with Wokingham named the healthiest place in the country and Blackpool ranked the least healthy. Towns and cities in England were ranked by combining different health factors such as dementia, cancer, alcohol misuse and adult obesity. The index was created by the Office for National Statistics alongside financial services company Lane Clark & Peacock and it is thought to be the first composite health index in the world. The results revealed a stark north-south divide. Wokingham is at the top of the list, followed by Richmond upon Thames and Windsor and Maidenhead. In contrast, Blackpool has the lowest score, below Hull and Stoke-on-Trent. Northern towns Middlesbrough, Hartlepool, Knowsley, Doncaster, Nottingham, St Helens and Salford make up the rest of England’s ten unhealthiest areas. The numbers reveal clear and substantial differences across England and should be a wake-up call for the Government to deliver on its manifesto pledge to level up. Inequalities in the public’s health are not new and while there is no doubt there has been an overall improvement generally in the public’s health, the inequalities have persisted despite the best efforts of successive governments. The figures on where the so-called healthiest places are found will not come as a surprise to those working in the public health sector and should not be a surprise to anyone in government. The need to level up the public’s health is beyond doubt and long recognised by many governments. But it has frequently ended up in arguments about how much the state should interfere in what individuals choose to do, or whether it is anyone else’s business how people choose to live their life. The recent pandemic has given us an opportunity to relook at how we might approach the big disparities in health.

It is often a surprise to me that even if most public health measures pass people by, that the disparity in life expectancy does not cause more concern - research shows that the increase in life expectancy has slowed significantly since 2011. Even in areas where the public’s health is at its best, small differences at council ward level can see life expectancy vary by as much as eight years. There are many, and sometimes compounding, factors that affect life expectancy - housing, environment and poverty are but a few. If the Treasury needs an additional impetus for coming up with funding then they should note that education is good for your health. Good health correlates closely with good educational achievement and the two must be addressed with joined-up thinking and policy-making. The case is rarely made by education providers but as Professor Sir Michael Marmot stated in his report, Health Equity in England: The Marmot Review 10 Years On, health inequalities are growing. The report cites the particularly steep decline in funding for sixth form (post-16) and further education and goes on to talk about improving access and use of quality lifelong learning. One of the report’s recommendations is to increase the number of post-school apprenticeships and support in-work training throughout the life course. At a time when the health of the public is at the forefront of everyone’s minds, the need for greater public health spending should be obvious to the Treasury. There is also a wealth of evidence out there, from City & Guilds Group among others, that re-skilling through Covid-19 and beyond should be a priority. The stats currently paint a grim picture - six million adults are not qualified to Level 2, nine million adults lack functional literacy or numeracy and over 11 million do not have the full set of basic skills. Hidden within these numbers are stark regional differences and inequalities which are well documented in the Marmot reports. For the UK Government there is a strong economic case for levelling up the public’s health. For individuals there is tangible benefit in living longer, and living longer in good health. But for us as a society there is a moral and ethical imperative. Levelling up for those who have the worst health outcomes is surely what we should want to do? It is simply not fair that your chances of living a long and healthy life are dependent on where you are born or live. By Rt Hon Anne Milton, former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health

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TH E UN IVERSITY OF BRADFOR D

Bradford’s blueprint for success

THE UNIVERSITY OF BRADFORD HAS BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN HELPING BUILD AN ETHOS OF SOCIAL MOBILIT Y IN IT S PART OF YORKSHIRE, AS FIT FOR PURPOSE REPORTS.

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Through engaging with local stakeholders, and responding to local needs, it can shape and deliver connections to provide opportunity. But, to make a lasting difference, this has to be a long-term and systematic strategy, grounded in the local community and supported by government. The university’s contribution complements Bradford’s Opportunity Area Programme set up in 2016, as a partnership between the Department for Education and Bradford Council with local schools, colleges, employers, research organisations and community organisations, for a series of targeted investments to improve social mobility. The original Opportunity Area, part of a national pilot scheme, reached more than 97% of the frontline and the government is now providing additional funding. While driven by local stakeholders, the Department for Education, with its nationwide experience of what works and its existing links with local education staff and institutions and other government departments, has been essential to its success. The Opportunity Area has helped to build links with key employers in the area and the University of Bradford’s collaborative approach has allowed it to work in partnership with other organisations in the area to mobilise the resources that already existed within the community. It provides skilled graduates who can then find quality careers, generating wealth and social mobility for the city. Employers across the city are now embedding graduate opportunities within their growth plans.

TH E UN IVERSITY OF BRADFOR D

The university has targeted those sectors in which skills are in short supply, demand is great and the volume of opportunities for well paid, rewarding careers are high. STEM-related industries and healthcare are among the areas in which it is excelling. PwC was one employer who recognised that the city was able to offer a pool of talent when it decided to open new offices in Bradford in 2019. Often, the partnerships forged have reaped unlooked for results. For example, when the university worked with the local NHS to look at children’s eyesight, it found that many children attending school had undiagnosed poor vision. Once this was identified and treated, it had a marked effect on their literacy rates. Through outreach work and mentoring, the university engages with hard to reach and low participation groups, including refugees and care leavers, so that they are aware of the opportunities available on their doorstep. Meanwhile, within the university, support services – with in-depth knowledge about social mobility barriers and how to tackle them - are primed to accelerate the progression of graduates and keep individuals on track, whatever personal problems they encounter. The university has recruited three full-time equivalent personnel to work with schools with a high proportion of low attainment children aged nine to 13 and it has eight full-time staff whose primary focus is disability. The University of Bradford is an exemplar in the way it approaches cultural factors that can hinder social mobility. Whether through raising aspirations in white working class communities or challenging career preconceptions among BAME families, its aim is to ensure that background doesn’t dictate how far a person can go in life. The university is part of Graduate Workforce Bradford, which aims to place 60 BAME graduates in employment, placements or internships. However, COVID-19 has brought additional challenges for some of these families, with the disease more likely to prove serious in those with black and ethnic minority backgrounds. BAME households are also twice as likely to report that they have lost jobs or income because of the pandemic.

The University of Bradford can proudly point out that the number of students it takes from those postcodes where participation in higher education has historically been lowest is now rising faster than in the rest of the UK, as acknowledged in its award as University of the Year for Social Inclusion in 2019. Its intervention is enabling these young people to transform their life chances and pursue their career ambitions. Furthermore, the majority of graduates are finding opportunities within the West Yorkshire region, proving that social mobility is possible without moving to opportunity-rich London and 85% of the university’s graduates are in a professional or managerial position within six months of graduation. The university enhances life opportunities for those people who attend, nurturing them as they go from school children to working adults. It benefits them as individuals but also provides talent and therefore wealth for the local community. The University of Bradford remains at the heart of life in Bradford, bringing together and supporting local partnerships to deliver opportunity for the city. The impact of COVID-19 will be significant on already disadvantaged communities, so it’s even more important that the vital role that Opportunity Areas - and the university as intrinsic to that in Yorkshire - can continue to develop and respond to local circumstances.

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How did the Budget align with the levelling up agenda? T H E C H A N C E L L O R R I S H I S U N A K R E C E N T LY S E T O U T H I S P L A N T O S U P P O R T P E O P L E T H RO U G H T H E C O M I N G M O N T H S A N D H O P E F U L LY, O U T O F L O C K D O W N . H E A D L I N E S INCLUDED THE EXTENSION OF THE FURLOUGH SCHEME UNTIL THE END OF SEPTEMBER, THE GREAT TOWN OF DARLINGTON BEING NAMED AS THE LOC ATION FOR THE GOVERNMENT’S NEW TREASURY NORTH AND THE EXTENSION OF THE B U S I N E S S R AT E S H O L I DAY A N D VAT C U T S .

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1 Strong foundations in Early Years

Strong Foundations in Early Years What policies in the Budget help to close the early years development gap by delivering the best possible start for every child?

Government making available £700 million of further funding to help young people in England catch up on lost learning as a result of COVID. New package includes a one-off £300 million Recovery Premium for state primary + secondary schools, £200 million to expand tutoring programmes + deliver early language support, £200 million for secondary schools to deliver summer schools. [Budget 2021 p47]

school years 2 Successful

Successful School Years What policies in the Budget help to allow every child to successfully achieve their potential in attainment and development?

3 Positive destinations Post 16+

Positive Destination Post 16+ What policies in the Budget help support young people and adults to have the choice of a high-quality route in education, employment, or training?

Government will provide an additional £126 million in England for high quality work placements and training for 16-24 year olds in the 21/22 academic year. Employers who provide trainees with work experience will continue to be funded £1000 per trainee. [RB p47] Government will extend + increase payments made to employers in England who hire new apprentices. Employers will receive £3000 per new hire compared with £1500 under previous scheme [RB p47] Government will introduce a £7 million fund to help employers in England set up and expand portable apprenticeships. Will enable people who need to work across multiple projects with different employers to benefit from the high quality long-term training an apprenticeship provides. [RB p47]

Right advice and experiences

Right Advice and Experiences What policies in the Budget provide for access to the right advice and experiences at the right time to unlock opportunity through a person’s life?

L E V E L L I N G U P G OA L S

H E R E W E T A K E A D E E P E R D I V E I N T O H O W T H E B U D G E T A L I G N S W I T H T H E ‘ L E V E L L I N G U P G O A L S ’.

Government will invest £1.3 million to pilot use of new technologies to support in or out-of-work people to find new job opportunities suited to their skills + experience. [RB p47] Help to Grow: Management - the government will offer a new UK-wide management programme to upskill 30,000 SMEs in the UK over three years. Working in partnership with industry, the programme will combine a national curriculum delivered through business schools with practical case studies and mentoring from experienced business professionals. Over 12 weeks, and 90% subsidised by government, this programme will equip SMEs with the tools to grow their businesses and thrive [RB p62]

recruitment 5 Open

Open Recruitment What policies in the Budget ensure careers and professions are open to people of all backgrounds through transparent, accessible, and open recruitment practices?

There are no policies that specifically relate to Open Recruitment.

career progression 6 Fair

Fair Career Progression What policies in the Budget offer opportunities for career advancement for all based on ability and potential, not connections?

The government will allocate almost half the £400m New Deal for Northern Ireland to four areas subject to business cases: new systems for supermarkets and small traders to manage new trading arrangements; building greater resilience in medicine supply chains; promoting Northern Ireland’s good and services overseas; and supporting skills development [RB p60]

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Widening access to savings & credit

Widening Access to Savings and Credit What policies in the Budget help widen access to responsible credit and close the savings gap?

The government is making a one-off payment of £500 to eligible Working Tax Credit claimants across the UK, to provide continued extra support over the next six months. [RB p45] Government will provide up to £3.8 million of funding to deliver a pilot no-interest loans scheme which will help vulnerable consumers who would benefit from affordable short-term credit to meet unexpected costs as an alternative to high-cost credit. [RB p48] Band of savings income subject to the 0% starting tax rate will remains at its current level of £5,000 for 2021-22. [RB p52] Individuals in all parts of the UK will benefit from the government’s new mortgage guarantee scheme, allowing first-time buyers and existing homeowners the chance to secure a mortgage on homes up £600k with just a 5% deposit [RB p67, also in Goal 12] health and well-being 8 Good

Good Health and Well-Being What policies in the Budget help to improve mental and physical health at all ages to boost overall well-being to allow people to fulfil their potential?

The government allocating £1.65 billion for 21-22 to continue the vaccine deployment programme in England, and devolved administrations receiving additional funding through the Barnett formula. [RB p47] The government will provide an additional £10 million in 21-22 to Armed Forces Covenant Trust, to deliver charitable projects/ initiatives that support veterans with mental health needs. [RB p48] The government is investing £28m to increase the UK’s capacity for vaccine testing and support for clinical trials [RB p59] The government is providing a further £5m upfrontment investment in clinical-scale mRNA vaccine manufacturing to the Centre for Process Innovation in Darlington [RB p59] The government is committing £22m to fund the expansion of the world’s first trial of combining different vaccines as part of a two-dose regime [RB p59] The government will allocate almost half the £400m New Deal for Northern Ireland to four areas subject to business cases: new systems for supermarkets and small traders to manage new trading arrangements; building greater resilience in medicine supply

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chains; promoting Northern Ireland’s good and services overseas; and supporting skills development [RB p60] The government is investing in UK life sciences to enhance our ability to respond to new variants of COVID-19 and future pandemic threats. Budget makes a lifetime commitment to continue the Thalidomide Health Grant in England when existing funding runs out, so no one has to worry about the future costs of their care. Commitment includes initial down payment of around £39 million for first 4 years after current grants runs out. [RB p48]

enterprise 9 Extending

Extending Enterprise What policies in the Budget extend private enterprise and entrepreneurship to all people and communities?

The government will provide ‘Restart Grants’ in England of up to £6,000 per premises for non-essential retail businesses and up to £18,000 for hospitality, accommodation, leisure, personal care and gyms, giving them the cash they need to plan ahead and safely relaunch trading.. [RB p48] Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) Rebate Scheme will enable small + medium employers across UK to reclaim up to 2 weeks of eligible SSP costs per employee, intended to support employers while levels of sickness absence are high. [RB p49] VAT Deferral New Payment Scheme - Any business that took advantage of the original VAT deferral in 2020 can now use the new scheme to pay that deferred VAT in up to 11 payments. [RB p49] The government will extend the temporary reduced rate of 5% VAT for goods and services in tourism + hospitality sectors until the end of September ‘21. Then 12.5% until end of March ‘22. [RB p49] The government will continue to provide eligible retail, hospitality, leisure properties in England with 100% business rates relief. Followed by 66% business rates relief, capped at £2 million per business forced to close on 5 January ‘21 or £105,00 per business for other eligible properties. [RB p49] Trading loss carry-back rule will be temporarily extended from the existing 1 year to 3 years to help businesses pushed into a lossmaking position. Available for both incorporated and unincorporated businesses. [RB p49] To support UK consumers + businesses, the government has approved an increase to the legal contactless payment limits up to £100 for single payments and cumulative payments up to £300. [RB p50] The government will extend the £500 million Film and TV Production Restart Scheme for 6 months. [RB p50] The government will provide a £300 million Sport Recovery Package

L E V E L L I N G U P G OA L S

for continued support to major spectator sports in England, supporting clubs and governing bodies. [RB p50] Freeports in England (East Midlands Airport, Felixstowe & Harwich, Humber, Liverpool City Region, Plymouth and South Devon, Solent, Teesside, Thames) will benefit from a number of tax reliefs such as an enhanced 10% rate of Structures and Buildings Allowance, an enhanced capital allowance of 100% for companies investing in plant and machinery for use in Freeport tax sites, full relief from Stamp Duty Land Tax on the purchase of land or property within Freeport tax sites, full business rates relief in Freeport tax sites; and potentially Employer National Insurance contributions relief for eligible employers in Freeport tax sites, subject to Parliamentary process and approval [RB p57/58] The government is confirming over £1bn for the Towns Fund for a further 45 Town Deals across England, which will help level up regional towns, giving them the tools to design and implement a growth strategy for their area and aiding local recovery from the impacts of COVID-19 [RB p60] The government is launching the prospectus for the £220m UK Community Renewal Fund alongside the Budget. This will support communities across the UK in 2021-22 to pilot programmes and new approaches as the government moves away from the EU Structural Funds model and towards the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. To ensure that funding reaches the places most in need, the government has identities 100 priority places based on an index of economic resilience to receive capacity funding to help them coordinate their applications [RB p60] The Super Deduction: companies investing in qualifying new plant and machinery assets will benefit from a 130% first-year capital allowance. Investing companies will also benefit from a 50% first-

year allowance for qualifying special rate assets [RB p57] The government is accelerating investment in three City and Growth Deals in Scotland (Ayshire, Argyll and Bute, and Falkirk) and three City and Growth Deals in Wales (Swansea Bay, NorthWales, and Mid-Wales). Over the next five years, £84.5m in funding will be brought forward to speed up investment in local economies priorities. [RB p59] The government will allocate almost half the £400m New Deal for Northern Ireland to four areas subject to business cases: new systems for supermarkets and small traders to manage new trading arrangements; building greater resilience in medicine supply chains; promoting Northern Ireland’s good and services overseas; and supporting skills development [RB p60]

the digital divide 10 Closing

Closing the Digital Divide What policies in the Budget help to close the digital divide in technology access, skills, opportunities, and infrastructure?

The Government will provide up to £475,000 to Armed Forces charities to support development of a digital and data strategy for the sector, improving the ability of charities to work together and with the government. Help ensure members of the Armed Forces community can access the support they need. [RB p48] Help to Grow: Digital - the government will launch a new UK-wide scheme in the autumn to help 100k SMEs save time and money by adopting productivity-enhancing software, transforming the way they do business. This will combine a voucher covering up to half the costs of approved software and free impartial advice [RB p62]

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for opportunity 11 Infrastructure

Infrastructure for Opportunity What policies in the Budget help to develop the physical infrastructure that connects people and places to opportunity?

Greater Manchester Combined Authority will receive £8.6m in capacity funding to support preparations for intra-city transport settlements; Liverpool City Region will receive £5.6m [RB p56] 5 new rail stations will approved access to jobs and opportunities in Birmingham, Wolverhampton, and Walsall. [RB p56] The government will match fund £30m towards the construction of the Global Centre of Rail Excellence, a train testing facility [RB p61] The new UK Infrastructure bank, headquartered in Leeds, will provide financing support to private sector and local authority infrastructure projects across the UK, to help meet government objectives on climate change and regional economic growth [RB p57] The £4.8bn Levelling Up Fund will invest in infrastructure that improves every day life across the UK, including town centre and high street regeneration, local transport projects, and culture and heritage assets [RB p68]. The government will commission a new NIC study on on towns and regeneration, which will consider how to maximise the benefits of infrastructure policy and investment for towns in England [RB p 61] The government will provide £135m to accelerate the start of construction on the A66 Trans-Pennine upgrade to 2024 [RB p61] The government will provide £50m to develop proposals for transport improvements around the High Speed 2 Birmingham Interchange Station which will help support regeneration at Arden Cross in Solihull [RB p61] The government will invest £59m towards the construction of five new stations in the West Midlands. The Budget will also unlock more than £40m of funding to reinstate passenger services on the Okehampton-Exeter line, subject to final approval of costs and contracts [RB p61]

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Building homes & sustainable communities

Building Homes & Sustainable Communities What policies in the Budget help to create affordable quality homes so people can live in safe and sustainable communities?

Government will introduce a new mortgage guarantee scheme, will provide a guarantee to lenders across the UK who offer mortgages to people with a deposit of just 5% on homes with a value up to £600,000. Will increase availability of mortgages on new or existing properties. [RB p46] Temporary Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) cut - Government will extend the temporary increase in the residential SDLT Nil Rate Band to £500,000 until June 2021. From 1 July, the Nil Rate band will reduce to £250,000 until September 21 before returning to £125,000. [RB p46] Government will help Support for Mortgage Interest claimants in Great Britain to move home by allowing them to add legal costs associated with transferring their claim to a new property to the value of their loan. [RB p46] Care leavers up to 25 and those under 25 who’ve spent at least 3 months in a homeless hostel will be exempt from the Shared Accommodation Rate in Universal Credit and Housing Benefit, helping more vulnerable people access suitable housing. [RB p46] The government will provide an additional £19 million towards tackling domestic abuse, including increased funding for perpetrator programmes that work with offenders to reduce risk of continued abuse and £4 million to trial a network of ‘Respite Rooms’ across England to provide specialist support for homeless women. [RB p48] Culture Recovery Fund will be provided £300 million to continue to support key national and local cultural organisations in England. [RB p50] The government will provide £90 million for continued support for government-sponsored National Museums + cultural bodies in England. [RB p50] The government will create a new £150m Community Ownership Fund to help ensure that communities across the UK can continue to benefit from the local facilities and amenities that are most important to them. Community groups will be able to bid for up £250k matched funding to help them buy local assets to run as community-owned businesses. In exceptional cases, up to £1m of matched funding will be available to help establish a community-owned sports club or buy a sports ground at risk of loss from the community. [RB p60]

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MHCLG will establish a Modern Methods of Construction Task Force, backed by £10m of seed funding, to accelerate the delivery of MMC homes in the UK. The taskforce will be headquartered in MHCLG’s new office in Wolverhampton. [RB p60/61] The government will invest £18.8m in local cultural infrastructure projects in Carlisle, Hartlepool, Wakefield, and Yeovil to boost the vibrant cultural life of these towns and cities [RB p61] Individuals in all parts of the UK will benefit from the government’s new mortgage guarantee scheme, allowing first-time buyers and existing homeowners the chance to secure a mortgage on homes up £600k with just a 5% deposit [RB p67, also in Goal 7]

the energy 13 Harness transition

Harness the Energy Transition What policies in the Budget ensure that the energy transition is fair and creates opportunities across the UK?

The government will maintain the freeze on Carbon Price Support rates at £18 per tonne of carbon dioxide in ‘22-23. Committed to carbon pricing to drive decarbonisation. [RB p53] £4.8m for a hydrogen hub in Holyhead to pilot the creation of a hydrogen using renewable energy and its use as a zero emission fuel for Heavy Goods Vehicles [RB p62] Dame Clara Furse will establish a new group with the aim of positioning the UK and the City of London as the leader of the global voluntary carbon markets for high-quality offsets [RB p64] £27m for the Aberdeen Energy Transition Zone will help support North East Scotland to play a leading role in meeting our net zero ambitions [RB p62] The government will make an offer of support, in principle, to the Able Marine Energy Park on Humberside following the conclusion of the competition to upgrade ports infrastructure for the next generation of offshore wind.

The government will also sign a memorandum of understanding with Teesworks Offshore Manufacturing Centre on Teesside to support the development of another offshore wind port hub [RB p62] The government will issue its first sovereign green bond this summer, with a further issuance later in 2021 as the UK looks to build out a green curve. Green gilt issuance for the financial year will total a minimum of £15bn. The government also commits to reporting the contributions of green gilt spending towards social benefits such as job creation and levelling up [RB p63] The government will offer a green retail savings product through NS&I in the summer of 2021. This product will be closely linked to the UK’s sovereign green bond framework and will give all UK savers the opportunity to take part in the collective effort to tackle climate change, benefiting from the innovative reporting stands planned for the green gilt programme [RB p63] The government is launching a £20m programme to support the development of loathing offshore wind technology across the UK; launching a new £68m UK-wide competition to implement several first-of-a-kind energy storage prototypes or technology demonstrators; launching a £4m UK-wide competition for the first phase of a biomass feedstocks programme, to support the rural economy in making improvements to the production of green energy crops and forestry products [RB p64]

Achieve equality, through diversity & inclusion

Achieve Equality through Diversity and Inclusion What policies in the Budget work to achieve equality through diversity and inclusion?

There were no obvious policies that specifically relate to Achieve Equality through Diversity and Inclusion.

T H E 14 L E V E L L I N G U P G O A L S A R E A C O M M O N A R C H I T E C T U R E F O R L E V E L L I N G U P B R I T A I N T H A T B R I N G T O G E T H E R POLICY MAKERS, BUSINESS AND EDUC ATION. For more information about the Levelling Up Goals, please visit www.levellingupgoals.org

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Local Government: Councillor Karen Quinn on the role of councils in Levelling Up A F T E R A N E A R LY C A R E E R I N T H E C I T Y O F L O N D O N KAREN TOOK AN EXTENDED BREAK FROM THE WORKPL ACE TO BRING UP HER CHILDREN AND DO A VARIET Y OF VOLUNTEERING ROLES. GOING BACK TO WORK AS A RETURNEE MUM, KAREN NOW WORKS ON THE LEVELLING UP AGENDA AND WAS E L E C T E D I N 2 0 17 T O R E P R E S E N T A R U R A L W A R D ON NORTHUMBERL AND COUNT Y COUNCIL.

// What role can Local Councils play in Levelling Up?

// It seems to me that Councils are quite uniquely

placed in that they need to have an input into every single one of the 14 Levelling Up goals. Whereas usually, quite rightly, an organisation might focus on two or three of the goals, Councils have a responsibility for such a wide range of issues that they can really make an impact on them all. From infrastructure and housing to the digital divide and extending enterprise, every single one of the goals is important to Local Authorities and they are well placed to tackle each of them. Councils should use the levelling up goals as an architecture to reassess their focus and ensure that the work they’re doing is having the best possible impact on their communities.

Q//

The Levelling Up Goals are set out as a framework for businesses, how can they be adapted to a local authority context?

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A//

I think that the beauty of the Levelling Up Goals is their simplicity. The architecture of the Goals can be used by anyone and their simplicity is what makes them so effective. Looking at the impact that Local Authorities are having on each of the 14 goals should be no more difficult than it would be for businesses or any other organisation, private or public.

Q//

Which of the goals do you think Local Authorities can have the biggest impact on?

A//

I think that Local Authorities can have an impact on every single one but in particular building homes and sustainable communities is fundamental. Good health and well-being is another Goal that Councils can, and indeed already do, lots of great work on, particularly from a community based approach. Similarly the work that Local Authorities do to impact on the early years goal is crucial. I know from my own experience as a Mum how vital the early years are and the provisions that Local Authorities put in place can be fundamental in improving the life chances of a whole generation.

Q//

You are from a rural authority, what are the different challenges faced there compared to our towns and cities? Is Levelling up as relevant to rural areas?

A//

Levelling up is absolutely as relevant to a rural area as it is to cities. One of the beauties of Northumberland, the County that I’m from, is the fact that it is very remote, sparsely populated and rural, but that brings its own challenges in terms of connectivity, infrastructure and the digital divide. I think that in my county people often feel detached from opportunity it can take between two and three hours by public transport to get from some areas of the county into the city where the

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universities, colleges and most of the opportunities are. Northumberland has a strong agricultural economy which means it faces some of the same difficulties as the South West of England, particularly around opportunities and aspirations. I’ve heard it said that you can’t be what you can’t see, and in a rural area like Northumberland opportunities in new creative and digital industries are few and far between. If we are going to truly level up these opportunities need to come to areas like mine. I think the challenge is different in a rural area but very much still there, and if anything being rural makes levelling up even more relevant.

Q//

What does levelling up mean to you?

A//

I’m really passionate that Levelling Up doesn’t just apply to young people, it applies to people at all stages of their life. Levelling up applies to cities just as much as it does to rural areas, to communities in the north just as much as those in the south. Each area has its own levelling up problems but by focusing on the challenges identified by the Levelling Up goals Local Authorities can really make a meaningful impact in their area.

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SPOTLIGHT ON RT HON JACQUI SMITH AND UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS BIRMINGHAM NHS FOUNDATION TRUST

Building healthier lives R T H O N J A C Q U I S M I T H W A S T H E M P F O R R E D D I T C H B E T W E E N 19 9 7 A N D 2 010 , A N D T H E F I R S T F E M A L E H O M E S E C R E T A R Y. S I N C E T H E N S H E H A S B E C O M E A B R O A D C A S T E R A N D P O L I T I C A L C O M M E N T A T O R , A S W E L L A S A P P E A R I N G O N S T R I C T LY C O M E D A N C I N G , A N D I S C H A I R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y H O S P I T A L S B I R M I N G H A M N H S F O U N D A T I O N T R U S T . A S W E R E P O R T H E R E , T H E T R U S T K N O W S T H E W I D E R R O L E T H A T I T C A N P L AY I N L E V E L L I N G U P S O C I E T Y. University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB) is one of the largest teaching hospital trusts in England, employing over 20,000 staff and serving a regional, national and international population. UHB includes Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, Solihull Hospital and Community Services, Good Hope Hospital in Sutton Coldfield and Birmingham Chest Clinic, as well as the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham which is the largest single-site hospital in England. The Trust sees and treats more than 2.2 million people every year across its sites and its hospitals deliver more babies

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than anywhere else in Europe. UHB is world-renowned for its trauma care and has developed pioneering surgical techniques in the management of ballistic and blast injuries, including bespoke surgical solutions for previously unseen injuries. With an annual turnover of £1.6bn UHB is the second largest trust in the country by turnover and one of the largest employers as a whole in the West Midlands. This gives the Trust a much wider role in the city and region, and the opportunity to act on its mission to build healthier lives. The Trust sees itself as an anchor institution within Birmingham

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and Solihull and works in partnership with Birmingham City Council, West Midlands Combined Authority, and other health and social care providers to boost health outcomes. The West Midlands has some of the largest health inequalities in the country - travelling just seven stops on the train on the way out of Birmingham can increase your life expectancy by over eight years. UHB is very keen to address these inequalities and understands its role in influencing a whole range of factors that will help people to have healthier lives. As a health provider and employer the Trust recognises its responsibility more widely to the health and wellbeing of the communities it serves. Health plays a fundamental role in the levelling up agenda. The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the disproportionate impact on certain communities due to underlying health inequalities. People’s willingness to take the vaccine, their ability to isolate due to crowded housing or an inability to have time off work have all led to a disproportionate impact on those from the most disadvantaged backgrounds. The Trust is working to address these inequalities but understands that they can’t be tackled in isolation. Inequality in other areas such as employment, housing, safety and wellbeing all impact on health. UHB’s vision to build healthier lives is not just about the health service

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The Trust has a much wider role in the city and region. in isolation, it is around building relationships with other organisations in order to address the wider issues. Coronavirus has brought with it some enormous challenges in the short term for the Trust but also moving forward. The impact of the pandemic has caused a large backlog of patients waiting for operations which could lead people to believe that their only choice is to go into the private sector. Ultimately this leads to an inequality of access to healthcare. Bringing down these backlogs after the pandemic will be key to tackling health inequalities.

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Procurement of services is one way in which UHB has the power to impact on local economies and communities. During the pandemic the Trust created close partnerships with local manufacturers around the development of PPE and other equipment. Out of a period of extreme uncertainty came something really positive - a boost to local manufacturing and the Trust getting the equipment that they needed quickly. Recently the manufacturers have provided face-sensitive masks that people can use with hijabs and other religious dress, showing what can be done if the Trust has more control over procurement. Another way in which UHB looks to support its local community is through its purpose built training centre, the ‘Learning Hub’. It is a successful employment and training programme that reaches out to unemployed people and the most disadvantaged communities. Providing preemployment training, advice and guidance can make a real impact on employment within these communities. Inclusion and diversity is another area that the Trust continues to champion. UHB has a high level of ethnic minority staff but as yet there isn’t a high enough proportion in senior management and Board positions. A reciprocal mentoring scheme has been put in place with Board members to help progression. There has also been a real push on staff wellbeing during the pandemic which will be built on moving forward. UHB is playing its part in the road to net zero, working sustainably and setting a positive example for its staff, patients and community. Its vision to build healthier lives can not be achieved without looking after the environment and thinking about the impact that the Trust has on the health of the community. As a whole, the NHS is responsible for an estimated 6.3 per cent of England’s total carbon emissions, and 5 per cent of total air pollution. Collectively the NHS has taken great strides in reducing its environmental impact – the carbon footprint of health and social care has reduced by 19 per cent since 2007, despite a 27 per cent increase in activity. Between 2008 and 2018 UHB reduced its own energy consumption by nearly 12 per cent and carbon footprint by 15 per cent. However, UHB recognises that more can be done and has introduced a five-year Sustainable Development Management

“

University Hospitals Birmingham understands the huge role it plays in the lives of local people.

Plan to set out its objectives around delivering sustainable healthcare. The strategy is based around six areas where the Trust believes it can make a significant difference - estates, assets and utilities; travel and transport; waste; goods and supplies; green spaces and biodiversity; and sustainable clinical pathways. Progress has already been made across many of these areas with a cut to energy usage and the introduction of solar power in 19 locations across the Trust. The number of car journeys taken by staff has been reduced and there is a big focus on the use of technology to allow virtual consultations. As part of its digital transformation plans, the Trust is using virtual consultations more frequently, supporting staff to work productively at home and using digital technologies for symptom checkers and A&E admissions. As one of the largest NHS Foundation Trusts in the country University Hospitals Birmingham understands the huge role it plays in the lives of local people, not only in addressing health inequalities but other related societal issues. Working in partnership with other local organisations, the Trust can have a massive impact on the wider community that it serves.

TH E SOCIAL MOBI LITY PLEDG E

THE SOCIAL MOBILIT Y PLEDGE IS A COALITION OF 600 BUSINESSES EMPLOYING OVER SEVEN MILLION PEOPLE, AS WELL AS 50 UNIVERSITIES REPRESENTING ALMOST 2 MILLION STUDENTS.

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Organisations taking steps to boost opportunity and social mobility is more important than ever as Britain faces the challenges of a growing opportunity gap in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The campaign was co-founded by Rt Hon Justine Greening - drawing especially on her experience as United Kingdom’s Secretary of State for Education and Minister for Women & Equalities - and entrepreneur David Harrison, Chairman of True Potential in Newcastle. Signing up to the Social Mobility Pledge represents a powerful and pioneering shift towards being a truly purpose-led organisation which is committed to social mobility through outreach, access and recruitment. In April 2018, True Potential became one of the first companies in the UK to sign the national Social Mobility Pledge. Other large businesses and universities have since signed up, including Persimmon, Direct Line Group, bp, University of York, Staffordshire University and the University of Northampton.

TH E SOCIAL MOBI LITY PLEDG E

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Equal access to opportunities for everyone is another barrier to upward social mobility

As part of its work the Pledge encourages businesses to reach out to schools or colleges to provide coaching through quality careers advice, enrichment experience and mentoring to people from disadvantaged backgrounds or circumstances. True Potential, as an example, helped to create a school that could set disadvantaged people on the path to success. Through its sister organisation, the Harrison Centre for Social Mobility (HCSM), a sports and education facility was set up at the Beacon of Light in Sunderland. A programme run by HCSM at the centre aims to complement core skills in maths and English to inspire a new generation of innovators and entrepreneurs – and provide support and education for those that need it most. The Beacon is located in Sunderland Central parliamentary constituency which is ranked 24th out of the 29 North East constituencies for social mobility according to a report by the House of Commons Library. In terms of youth social mobility, it is ranked 357th out of 533 English constituencies, placing it in the bottom third nationally. The Harrison Centre at the Beacon hosts workshops which give teenagers and young people the skills, confidence and experience necessary to get on in the world of work. Equal access to opportunities for everyone is another barrier to upward social mobility. The Pledge works with organisations

to provide structured work experience and apprenticeship opportunities to people from disadvantaged backgrounds or circumstances. The Pledge commits organisations to being a force for good by putting social mobility at the heart of their purpose. One way in which they can do this is by adopting fair recruitment policies, meaning that a person’s upbringing does not influence hiring decisions. True Potential and many others that have signed the Social Mobility Pledge use an approach known as name-blind recruitment. This ensures talent, effort and determination is rewarded, not the candidate’s connections or background. This policy is an extra safeguard against the risk of unfair bias for one candidate over another. By signing the Social Mobility Pledge organisations will be joining a strong coalition of 600 purpose-led leaders who are serious about change. Anyone taking these steps to boost opportunity and social mobility is playing a part in closing the growing opportunity gap in the wake of Covid-19.

Signing up to the Pledge is free and straightforward. To find out more visit www.socialmobilitypledge.org

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A strategic commitment to social innovation THROUGH A SOCIAL PROCUREMENT MODEL FOR ITS NEW WATERSIDE CAMPUS, THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTHAMPTON WAS ABLE TO DELIVER SOCIAL IMPACT AND MOVE TOWARDS NET ZERO CARBON, AS WE REPORT HERE.

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At the University of Northampton, a chance to invest in world-class facilities was also a chance to invest in the community, providing significant opportunities for employment, training and business in the local Northampton area. Back in 2014 the University of Northampton made the decision to build a new campus in the Northampton Waterside Enterprise Zone. From the outset, through to completion in 2018, the University aimed to ensure that Waterside Campus would result in a very large-scale and measurable social impact. The social procurement model for Waterside Campus was informed by the newly released Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012. While the Act did not directly place responsibility onto universities to consider social value, Northampton felt that it was critical to do so, given its strategic commitment to social innovation - developing solutions to social and environmental issues in support of progress. The £330m development of the new campus was underpinned by a social impact action plan that the University of Northampton implemented through its procurement team to ensure all contractors had to demonstrate how they were delivering social value in the campus build. The key focus was on ensuring that the project targeted specific areas of local and global need, including environmentally friendly building practices and materials, but also with regards to local employability, training and supply chains. Throughout the build of Waterside Campus, 1,239 people from 40 local suppliers were employed on site through the supply chain. A total of 20 apprenticeship jobs were delivered, as well as various work experience and placements, with a further 43 local people upskilled. The University held various public engagement events including working with local wellbeing services, charities and social enterprises and there were significant positive environmental impacts achieved through waste management and other savings.

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The Waterside Campus project has resulted in permanent changes at the University of Northampton, with all procurement processes now having a minimum of 10 per cent, and often more, of the tender score based on social (and environmental) value. Examples include a commitment to training and reducing unemployment, buying local, improved biodiversity, student placements, and use of social enterprises in the supply chain. The aim is to increase this over time as part of an incremental commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) framework, and work is underway to capture impact in this area (and many others) with regards to the SDGs and the UN’s 2030 agenda. Given the size of the University’s procurement spend annually (approximately £30 million per year), significant impact can be made through this social procurement mechanism. Another pillar of social innovation is addressing environmental problems and the University of Northampton is committed to play its role in tackling climate change, both in the run-up to Cop26 and further ahead. In 2017/2018, the University’s Scope 1 & 2 greenhouse gas emissions (direct and indirect) were 7,703 tCO2e overall. At that time, the campus was a diverse built environment with construction types typical of stylistic periods covering 100 years. Investment in the new Waterside Campus and the associated biomass boiler, enhanced by the decarbonisation of the grid, allowed us to reduce Scope 1 & 2 emissions by 2,988 tonnes – a staggering 40 per cent reduction in three years. The University now plans to be net carbon zero by 2030, two decades ahead of the UK Government deadline. As well as a biomass boiler, there are other, purposeful features at the Waterside Campus including low carbon design, energy monitoring software, lighting solutions and local materials sourcing that help make our ambition achievable. Covid-19 has also played a role, as soon as lockdown was introduced the University of Northampton shut down buildings and spaces as needed, switching off equipment where practical and making changes to the Building Management System (BMS) settings to reflect the minimal to zero use of spaces. Initial electricity savings were 17 per cent compared to pre-lockdown, with natural gas savings of 10 per cent and total carbon savings of over 100 tonnes. The pandemic has given the University of Northampton the opportunity to set baseline energy usage for its Net Zero Carbon by 2030 plan. This is important as the University can now analyse performance gaps and highlight any potential discrepancies in energy consumption that need addressing, without being clouded by complex variables such as student and staff movements. This data is valuable when planning and implementing

future energy reduction initiatives, such as ensuring assets are performing as efficiently as possible or as expected, identifying and removing energy wastage, carrying out BMS health checks and linking space use data to potential energy savings. We are also following events in the US where the social cost of carbon (SCC), that is the cost to society of each ton of CO2 emitted, links back to a commitment to social procurement and social value more generally. Social enterprise runs throughout the University of Northampton, with every student given the opportunity to work on solutions to social or environmental problems. Social value is embedded into the curriculum through what it calls Changemaker attributes. Changemaker is a social innovation ‘brand’, reflecting Northampton’s status as the only English university to be part of the Ashoka movement, a collection of mostly North American universities dedicated to progressing social impact and entrepreneurship. Changing the world for the better is also an outcome of the University’s course design and alignment to current and impending employer and societal needs. While many universities focus on students securing their first job after graduation, the University of Northampton aims to take a more considered approach. It believes in building rewarding careers in line with what the market needs in the future. Moving forward the University of Northampton will continue to focus on social mobility and levelling up. The University is keen to align its portfolio of courses, where applicable, towards the local industrial strategy and skills development strategy. Part of this will be an online, digital offer, targeted towards upskilling those in work. Together with other local stakeholders, including universities in the Oxford-Cambridge Arc, it will continue to develop innovative activities and strategies that add social value.

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Compass Group UK & Ireland is committed to providing opportunities for all. Working in partnership with the Social Mobility Pledge, we launched our Social Mobility Report in February 2021 – which sets out our aspirations and plans to help colleagues progress and build long term careers in the food service sector. We’re in a unique position to help people with their development, often offering the first rung on the ladder, enabling confidence, skills and experience. Together, we will invest in our people to create genuine opportunities and support our industry.

www.compass-group.co.uk

compass-group-uk-ireland

BREAKING THE MOULD

U N I VE R S ITY OF NORTHAM PTON

SPOTLIGHT ON NICK PETFORD AND UNIVERSITY OF NORTHAMPTON

in higher education

Q A

// Your university is doing a lot of work to support levelling up - and you’re taking quite a different approach to other institutions aren’t you?

DESPITE HAVING NO INTENTION TO STUDY FOR A DEGREE AS A YOUNG MAN, NICK PETFORD IS NOW VICE CHANCELLOR OF THE UNIVERSIT Y OF NORTHAMPTON. AS HE TELLS FIT FOR PURPOSE, HIS OWN JOURNEY IS HELPING TO INFORM HOW THE INSTITUTION SUPPORTS THE LEVELLING UP AGENDA AND DRIVES CHANGE IN THE COMMUNITIES IT SERVES.

// The whole levelling up agenda is something which speaks volumes to us as a university. We only became a university in 2005, so we didn’t have to follow the more traditional route that many older universities have adopted as part of the history. We had a chance to do something a bit different. We aligned ourselves with the idea of social enterprise and social innovation. The mission since we started is transforming lives and inspiring change. It speaks to how we take students from all backgrounds and all ages, and really instil in them this notion of purpose. Why do a degree in any in any shape or form unless you can actually add social value back into society once you finish once you’ve graduated? That’s the student base, but also how can we as a university - as a key central part of our local community, business community, the third sector and health sector – work with those partners to add social value to maximise impact in the community in which the university is embedded. A key differentiator between us and other universities is that we didn’t rush it out and set up a research centre to write papers on all of this, as important as that is. We just dived in and did things on the street. We went out there and started working with a local community on activity based projects.

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Q// Tell us more about how you did that. A// One example is that we work very closely with the logistics industry. So how do you get social mobility through a supply chain? We struck up a partnership with a local company called Goodwill Solutions and their social mission is to employ only ex-offenders, or ex-military who have had potentially significant mental health issues. We invested in it as a university and we run a training centre now through Goodwill Solutions. It’s won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise last year, and other awards, because it’s seen as a model for generating social impact, doing social good, using business models. It really allows you to put social good and business on the same spot on the diagram. I think post-COVID, that idea of businesses working much more closely with their communities and adding real value to communities is going to be an important point of the recovery, post COVID, and it’s an important part of the levelling up agenda as well.

Q// And when you developed your Waterside Campus, even the

A// Definitely. I think the scope for partnerships in this model

act of getting it built and procured was an opportunity to also add wider social impact.

is intense. Universities have done a brilliant job in the whole social procurement side anyway, through the local regional collaborations and partnerships that they have. But I think there’s just more that could be done. We should be working much more closely, perhaps in terms of joint procurement, with the big employers in towns. I’m looking at Northampton General Hospital right now, But there’s a cricket club, a football club, a rugby club. The next step in this journey is to make sure that where possible, we do our purchasing in a socially valuable way.

A// Yes, which leads us to the idea of social procurement. This is using the buying power of something like a university - and if you look at the turnover of universities across the UK, it’s in the billions. We’re always buying things, but how do we target that spend to allow job creation, better prospects for people who are perhaps unemployed? How do you get more people into training? How do you leverage the Apprenticeship Levy using your procurement power? As a superpower, how can we drive that into the local community? An example would be buying food. Universities spend a lot of money on food on catering, let’s buy local, let’s create local jobs and keep the pound local. Let’s get the social value in the pound, keep it in the locality and drive up growth, wages and jobs. All of that, ultimately, can involve procurement in a social way. It doesn’t mean always going for the lowest price when you’re buying a good or service. It means looking at price, yes, but also looking at the social value, the social good that your pound will do when you buy something outside the university.

Q// Do you get a sense that there is real appetite in the higher and further education sectors to start investigating these kinds of changes a bit more?

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Q// What was your journey into a higher education sector? Was this a route you always wanted to go down - or are you one of those VCs that’s had a very different career path before ending up running a university?

A// I did have a different trajectory into university than many people. I left school in 1977 at 16. I didn’t go on to do A levels, I went to a technical college to do a refrigeration engineering course. I think only five or six per cent of students actually went on to do university degrees back then. Now it’s closer to 50 per cent. I had no ambition to go to university. My parents hadn’t gone and nobody in my family went to university. It was something which the group I was with, didn’t even discuss.

challenge you had to overcome? Can you pinpoint times when you really had to dig deep?

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Q// If you look back, what would you say was the biggest

A// At Northampton, it was when we were we decided to build

Q// And so you chose that course because it led to a job locally? A// Yes. I applied for apprenticeships. I wanted to get into the heating and ventilating trade. Don’t ask me why, I just thought that was a good place to try and get a job. There was nothing around actually and there was a quite a strong recession in the mid to late 70s. I ended up going with my second best option, I didn’t want to go back into education really. I went to a technical college and did a City and Guilds, but even then, it was quite hard to get into full time work in that business. I ended up doing a whole raft of different sorts of jobs working in retail, I was a van driver for a couple of years for a department store. I was made redundant several times and when I was actually signing on, in the dole centre, and I saw a sign saying ‘do an access course at a university’. I did that and I was lucky enough to get a place at Goldsmith’s, reading geology. I did geology because I wanted to get to stay in a vocational area – I wanted to work on an oil rig, basically because there was good money in that. And so that that’s how I got into higher education. But as I experienced university, I realised there’s much, much more to it than just learning things. I really liked the environment, the whole aspect of university life and what it was about, and in particular, I got very involved and interested in research in my undergraduate times. So that led me to do a PhD. Then I got some research fellowships, and then from that I got into the whole academic side of university life and never looked back.

the new campus. That was a big step for the whole university, for the university community and for the town as well, and actually the county of Northamptonshire. It was a big project and the stars were aligned. The coalition government was introducing new local enterprise partnerships and Northampton town centre was designated as an enterprise zone and so that freed up a lot of planning constraints, in an area of focus for redevelopment. Some of the issues that we had to deal with around the whole planning consent, wading through just the bureaucracy to build a university was extraordinary. I think at one stage, we were dealing with about 37 different partners, involving everyone from utilities companies through to highways, through to all the different planning authorities, and the Environment Agency, all the rest of it, and it became almost overwhelming. There were points in time where the whole project just could have come crashing down. But we dug our heels in times of stress because we had faith in the project. And I think that’s the key thing, if you really do believe in something, and want it to happen and want it to succeed, and if you follow that passion and follow that compass, it allows you to achieve amazing things.

Q// If you were giving advice to your younger self, what would you say?

A// I think if you can just stop and ask yourself three things. Firstly where do you come from as an individual? What’s your background? What’s your personal history? What’s your value set? Then ask yourself who are you? What do you believe in? And finally, what are the things that you stand for? What are you going to go to the wall for? I couldn’t have answered those questions. Back then I had a vague sense of some of them. I certainly knew where I came from, but I wasn’t really quite sure what I stood for. Now, I think I’m much more resilient in terms of being able to answer those questions. I think as a university we can answer them as well. I think if you can’t answer those questions, you’re going to be slightly adrift, as an individual or as an organisation.

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RT HON DAME MARGARET HODGE IS ONE OF THE KEY SUPPORTERS OF THE LEVELLING UP GOALS IN PARLIAMENT, HERE WE TAKE A LOOK AT HER WORK ON SOCIAL MOBILITY AND THE NEED FOR A CROSS-PARTY APPROACH TO L E V E L L I N G U P.

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SPOTLIGHT ON

Rt Hon Dame Margaret Hodge MP Earlier this year a common architecture for levelling up Britain was launched that brings together policy makers, business and education around 14 Levelling Up Goals. The ‘Levelling Up Goals’ focus efforts on driving equality of opportunity at key life stages, from early years through to careers, alongside the barriers such as the digital divide, health and infrastructure and to provide a benchmark to track progress. While the eventual solutions may vary from party to party, levelling up should transcend party politics. Covid-19 has had an impact across our country and so, regardless of politics, levelling up is now not only more urgent, but even harder. It’s also clear that the inequalities that underpin levelling up matter for every single part of our country - this is a national challenge that requires a national response. A pandemic-weary public now wants to see our political class set aside differences and come together behind a broader national plan to level up opportunities in Britain and make the country work more fairly. The Levelling Up Goals are Chaired in Parliament by Conservative MP for Keighley and Ilkley Robbie Moore and have cross-party support from Labour MPs including Ruth Jones MP and Chris Bryant MP. Another Parliamentary supporter of the Goals is Rt Hon Dame Margaret Hodge, Labour MP for Barking since 1994. Dame Margaret has previously held several government

positions including portfolios across education, work and pensions, business and culture. In 2010 she became the first woman elected Chair of the Public Accounts Committee, serving until 2015. Rt Hon Dame Margaret has been an active campaigner for social mobility during her time in Parliament. She has campaigned for better health services and infrastructure in Barking, as well as being a champion of inclusive regeneration in the borough - meaning new services, affordable homes and better community spaces for residents. As the Chair of a cross-party group on anti-corruption and responsible tax, Rt Hon Dame Margaret also fights corruption and updates the tax system to make sure people get the most out of their taxes. The group works hard to create a better tax system for all. Although co-operation across political boundaries is important, politicians must also recognise that they do not have all the solutions when it comes to delivering a levelled-up Britain. Communities, businesses and universities need to play their role transforming Britain too and politicians must connect up to that huge effort already underway. In a country that has had much division in recent years, equality of opportunity – people having the same chance to get on in life whoever they are – is that rare issue that everyone can agree on.

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UWE - BR ISTOL SPOTLIGHT ON PROFESSOR STEVEN WEST AND THE UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST OF ENGLAND (UWE), BRISTOL

Unlocking talent that can come from anywhere PROFESSOR STEVEN WEST IS VICE-CHANCELLOR OF THE UNIVERSIT Y OF THE WEST OF ENGL AND BUT HIS PATH INTO THE WORLD OF EDUC ATION WAS FAR FROM TRADITIONAL.

Professor Steven West grew up on a council estate in Luton where from an early age he worked alongside his dad in the family plumbing business. He struggled in the classroom, later being diagnosed with dyslexia, and teachers told him he wouldn’t be able to go to university. Having done a full spectrum of jobs growing up - paper rounds, petrol pump attendant, cleaner, mechanic work - he realised that he wanted to do something different. No one in his family had been to university before but Steven decided to move to London and study podiatry at a further education college and then the London Foot Hospital. Having worked in the NHS as a podiatrist, Steven studied hard to get his fellowship qualifications and became a podiatric surgeon. Alongside this he began to teach within the hospital and college structure, the start of a career where he would balance his clinical and education careers. Following a number of leadership roles at UWE and Huddersfield University, Steven was appointed Vice-Chancellor of UWE in 2008. Steven’s story rings true for many at UWE, an institution with a history of enabling opportunity. The University believes that if people have the ability and the drive, along with the right support, they can achieve outstanding things. Talent can come from anywhere and young people develop at different rates, unfortunately this can sometimes be missed by the education

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system which requires a particular track to be followed. UWE was traditionally a vocational college and a training setting close to the economy, professions and industry, serving a need. The DNA of the university is absolutely committed and aligned to participation, access and opportunity. A high proportion of the senior team are the first to go to university in their families, showing a real passion to make a difference. The University is focused on how to create ecosystems in the city region that benefit young people and the community, and give access to opportunity. Bristol city region has huge diversity, which brings with it opportunity but also massive challenges due to social divide. Inequality in the Bristol city region means that young people across the city do not have the same life chances and cannot contribute to regional growth and skills needs. This is fundamentally unfair and universities have a significant role to play, working alongside business, schools and the government to address this. Young people in certain areas of Bristol face a range of barriers into high education. Some of these are deep-rooted cultural barriers going back generations with the view that “communities like ours don’t go to university”. Other barriers often exist around confidence to step out of a community and challenge and push for something new. Being able to imagine yourself in a future role (as a university student or in a future

UWE - BR ISTOL

Future Quest outreach programme. Part of the Uni Connect programme, it is building on initiatives that started many years ago that were designed to get universities, colleges and schools to work together to create ecosystems to engage with hard to reach children. It is an outreach programme which works with schools in disadvantaged areas across Bristol to ensure that young

career role) is a critical part of taking the next step. Seeing people from similar backgrounds achieving success and knowing that there is a pathway that can be followed breeds confidence. It’s important to understand the specific needs of the community and the young people within it and work with them to understand how to articulate what the options are. UWE sees role models as being crucial to this - using student ambassadors, who are much closer to the communities, and arming them with the right support, advice and materials has a much greater impact. These students can tell their own personal stories and become mentors for young people. As well as helping to spread opportunity throughout the city, student ambassadors also gain leadership experience which they can use in the real world. Other physical and structural barriers exist – financial concerns, gaps in provision and transport challenges can limit how easy it is for those living in some areas of the city to access higher or further education. Sometimes it is down to a lack of information and Covid has highlighted issues associated with digital poverty - for example, 35 per cent of students coming to UWE do not have access to a computer or the internet at home. The University has spent millions in trying to close this digital divide but the issue is even worse in schools, at a time when young people are considering their futures. For the past four years, UWE has been leading the collaborative

people with no experience of higher education can nevertheless have a real understanding of what it is, what it requires from them as a would-be student, and where it can lead. It is designed to excite and inspire not only children, but teachers and parents as well, about future opportunities. Through Future Quest, UWE collaborates with other regional higher education partners, local authorities and employers to better ensure that there is a level playing field when it comes to accessing higher education. The project is about tackling unfairness and removing the current postcode lottery - there is no evidence that aspirations differ significantly by postcode or by socio-economic status. This is a complex issue that can’t be just led by universities, it’s about bringing together communities and working with teachers to create the right content to open the eyes of children to the possibility of going to higher education. With over 50 per cent of UWE students coming from local communities, the Future Quest project aligns closely with the University’s values. The aim is to ensure that young people in the local community are given the tools and advice to pick the right pathway for them. Increasingly it’s about different pathways to higher qualification levels, including apprenticeships, colleges and further education. Like many other things, the Future Quest project and UWE’s outreach has been impacted by coronavirus. Most activity has been taken online but this again highlights the digital divide and the need for all young people to have access to these materials. While all the materials and content are available online, it is much easier to build and strengthen relationships with schools and communities face-to-face. The initial funding period for Future Quest is now coming to an end without any clear direction about the future of the programme. The UWE has shown passion, commitment and understanding of how to make a difference to under-represented communities, cuts to funding will unfortunately limit the impact it can have. Every part of the ecosystem is going to struggle post-Covid which is why continued support for outreach programmes is crucial to give young people from disadvantaged backgrounds the opportunity to follow the same path as Professor Steve West.

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ON E YEAR ON

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One year on.

ONE YEAR AGO, ON THE 23RD MARCH 2020, THE UK WAS ROCKED BY THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE FIRST NATIONAL LOCKDOWN. NOT MANY PEOPLE WOULD HAVE PREDICTED THE YEAR THAT HAS FOLLOWED OR HOW CORONAVIRUS HAS AFFECTED ALMOST EVERY ASPECT OF OUR LIVES.

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ON E YEAR ON

The impact of the pandemic

has been felt across the country, but some areas have been disproportionately affected more than others. Those from already disadvantaged backgrounds now face the double blow of preexisting poor social mobility and the disproportionate impact of Covid-19. Shortly after the beginning of the pandemic we created the C-19 Business Pledge to mobilise the immediate response. Our aim was to encourage businesses and universities to be a force for good by making a commitment to doing what they can to support their employees, customers and communities through the pandemic. The response we had was phenomenal with 300 organisations, representing over 2.5 million employees and 500,000 students, making their C-19 Business Pledge and taking the active steps in support of it. There were some hugely powerful examples of organisations making a real difference in their local communities. Direct Line Group’s response saw the launch of its Community Fund which distributed £3.5million to the communities surrounding its key sites. The first two phases of this saw the distribution of £2.5 million pounds to 200 charities, helping over one hundred thousand people with a range of support including emergency essentials, food, accommodation, PPE, mental health services and online educational access for children. This final phase of the fund focused on supporting charities that are helping to tackle four key issues: social mobility, left behind groups, food poverty and public health - all of which are essential to the immediate crisis response and the Covid Recovery. The University of Bradford partnered with supermarket Morrisons to provide a food bank delivery service for students who were self-isolating and unable to obtain food for themselves (and their families as required). An extended laptop loan scheme for students was introduced to help them to continue studying and, through hardship and crisis funding, students in financial difficulty were supported. bp supplied free fuel to the UK’s emergency services vehicles during the Covid-19 crisis. As part of this, Air BP provided free jet fuel to air ambulance services in Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, Shropshire, Carmarthenshire and Yorkshire who play a vital role in transporting patients at all times, but particularly during a pandemic. Persimmon Homes, which has given monthly donations to community groups for the past five years, re-targeted its Community Champions initiative to support vulnerable, elderly people during the pandemic. The initiative is run by all of Persimmon Homes’ 31 operating businesses together with its group head office, with £64,000 donated every month.

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ON E YEAR ON

Food and support services company Compass Group UK&I redeployed 1,000s of employees into hospitals, care homes and onto the shop floor of national retailers during the pandemic. In addition, the company has awarded a bonus in the range of 8% to 17% additional pay to all its 7,800 workers supporting the NHS as ward hosts, hospital porters or cleaners.Staffordshire University offered access to hundreds of laptops to ensure that disadvantaged students and their families didn’t get left behind during lockdowns. As well as this, during school closures laptops were provided to the children of students to support them in their homeschooling. Food services and facilities management company Sodexo cooked and delivered meals for vulnerable people within its communities, including children who would normally receive free school meals. The organisation was also involved in setting up Covid-19 drive-through testing centres for NHS and other key workers. Those organisations and many others, who reacted quickly to support their staff, customers and communities, are now at the forefront of the recovery as we aim to build back better. Through the Purpose Coalition, the most committed purpose-led leaders and organisations that have signed up to the Social Mobility Pledge are now taking a lead in building back better and levelling up Britain. Working with the Purpose Coalition, earlier this year we have now launched the ‘Levelling Up Goals’ that we need to achieve if we are to truly level up Britain. They cover key life stages like education and careers, as well as tackling other barriers such as health and housing that we need to address to unlock the chance for everyone to fulfil their potential.

One year of living with the virus and lockdowns has both deepened and widened inequalities within society and highlighted the urgent need to make a real impact more than ever. At the same time it has redoubled our determination to make this a moment we really do change for the better. The Levelling Up Goals break our challenge down for the first time and show how it is possible to have a fairer Britain with everyone having the same chances to get on in life. Covid was a watershed moment for many organisations that defined and deepened their relationship with the wider communities they were part of. And a wider society’s expectations of the positive role that all organisations can play have only been heightened by the pandemic. We’re all on the same page, and now is the time for us all to work together to make levelling up a reality.

By Rt Hon Justine Greening Former Secretary of State for Education and founder of the Levelling Up Goals

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LEVELLING UP

Proud to partner on the Levelling Up Goals

FIT FOR

BUS I N ESS N EWS

Apprentice - Katie Duggan, Dean Finch CEO, Rt Hon Justine Greening

Fit For Purpose: Issue 2

Articles inside

ONE YEAR ON

UNLOCKING TALENT

CAREER IN FOCUS

BREAKING THE MOULD

A MOVE TO NET ZERO

BUILDING HEALTHIER LIVES

MAKE YOU PLEDGE

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

BREAKING DOWN THE BUDGET

BRADFORD'S BLUEPRINT FOR SUCCESS

LEVELLING UP HEALTH INEQUALITIES

MEASURING SUCCESS

A FIRST STEP ON THE LADDER

OPINION

LEVELLING UP LAW

THE PURPOSE INDEX

A FORCE FOR GOOD

BUSINESS MUST DEMONSTRATE ACTION

IN THE HOT SEAT

PATHWAY FOR PROGRESSION

ACCESS TO EDUCATION

PURPOSE PIPELINE

MAKE HAPPEN

A FORCE FOR GOOD

OPPORTUNITY ACCESS

FROM PURPOSE-DRIVEN TO PURPOSE-LED

CAPITAL GAINS AND GLOBAL IMPACT

ADECCO GROUP: CASE STUDY

BUILDING BRIDGES

ART TO ACADEMIA

STRENGTH IN NUMBERS

UNIVERSITY OF LINCOLN: CASE STUDY

PURPOSE AND OPPORTUNITY