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The announcement is part of The New Opportunities White Paper, which today sets out the Government's agenda for capturing the jobs of the future and ensuring fair chances for everyone to get on and get ahead.

Liam Byrne said:

"Times may be tough today, but the world economy will double in size over the next twenty years offering new opportunities for everyone to have better jobs.

"The Government must invest now at every stage in life to ensure there are no barriers to people achieving their potential. This Panel's work is fundamental in ensuring that a person's background or status will never be a factor in getting in to the profession they want and reaching the top."

The Panel will be lead by the Rt. Hon Alan Milburn MP and will identify options that the professions, working with government, could take to improve access. The Panel will be comprised of senior representatives from the major professions including the law, civil service, military, arts, media and finance.

The Rt. Hon. Alan Milburn MP today said:

"Over the past decade the Government has made great progress towards creating a more upwardly mobile society. But while the glass ceiling in British society has been raised, it has not yet been broken.

"It cannot be right that bright young people find themselves unable to get on the professional career ladder. And the professions themselves need access to the widest possible pool of talent.

"The Panel on Fair Access to the Professions will look at what needs to be done so that the best people, regardless of their backgrounds, have a fair crack of the whip when it comes to securing a professional career. I hope the Panel - alongside this week's government white paper on social mobility - will help to open up Britain so that no matter what their background, everyone can make the most of their potential."

The Panel will be examining what the professions and government can do to tackle the obstacles they identify and report on those findings in the summer.

1. The Panel's work will focus on identifying barriers to access to the professions for people from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds. The work will not touch on the wider drivers of social mobility as covered elsewhere in the New Opportunities White Paper, and will not look at employment law, illegal discrimination, or wider issues of equality such as race or gender.

2. There will be 18 members of the Panel, representing the major professions. The full list is attached as an annex A.

3. The Panel will be supported by a secretariat, based in the Cabinet Office.

http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Tuesday 13 January 2009 16:24
Cabinet Office

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