The Social Mobility Business Partnership (SMBP) is a volunteer-led charity which brings together over 170 professional services firms, commercial organisations and professional sports teams committed to supporting students from low income backgrounds in their pursuit of a career, in particular, as a legal or finance professional. Programmes are currently run in various towns and cities across the UK as well as a National Online Week for students in more rural areas.
The Programme
Students participate in a week-long work insight and skills experience in which they are given the opportunity to spend a day at four different businesses; in addition, they attend a day run by a professional sports club to learn about the psychology of resilience and goal achievement models.
The programme helps build aspirations and inspire students to pursue a career in a profession that they may not have previously considered.
In 2024, 20 of our colleagues volunteered to provide a World of Business tour by running interactive workshops, where the students learned about the world of credit, people and the workplace, the power of customer feedback, and the delivery of goods and services. All before pitching an idea to a panel of dragons in the Digital Den. Before finishing for the day, an interactive CV building session gave the students hints and tips to help them stand out when applying for jobs. The session was part of a week-long programme run by the SMBP, of which we are a founding trustee, which aims to build students' aspirations to pursue a career in a profession like law or accountancy - something they might not have considered before.
“This was the first time I volunteered to participate in the VBG social mobility programme. I found the experience really interesting, insightful and rewarding. It was fascinating to see how the students all reacted differently to different tasks which persuaded some of them to come out of their shells by the end of the day. A few of the students reminded me of where I was when I was their age. I think it is wonderful that they have had the opportunity to step into the corporate word, something that I hope has inspired them to make good progress towards their future career paths.”
Xiaopei Lockwood, Group Senior Lawyer
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