East Midlands Liberal Democrats

Ending the ‘who you know, not what you know’ culture

More than 100 British companies have signed up to Nick Clegg's Business Compact. These businesses have committed to opening up opportunities to everyone across our society fairly, and without discrimination.

Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, said:

"This is an important step towards a society where it's what you know, not who you know, that counts. Working with the Coalition, the biggest hitters in British business are helping lead the way to a fairer, more open society.

"By opening their doors to young people from all walks of life, this marks the start of a culture shift among major employers, driven by the belief that ability and drive should trump connections and privilege.

"I'd like to thank the companies and organisations who have already signed up to the Business Compact. Today's success makes me even more ambitious. This great news is just the beginning - I will be doing everything I can to bring even more businesses on board."

This is a key part of the Lib Dem's Social Mobility Strategy to try and make sure every individual is free to achieve what they can and not be stopped because they were born in the wrong place or don't have the right parents.

Businesses and organisations which sign up to the Compact must agree to:

• Support communities and schools, for example, with reading and mentoring schemes or encouraging their staff to go out to schools and inspire pupils about their careers.
• Open opportunities to all young people by advertising their work experience places through schools, online and in other public forums, rather than just giving places to informal contacts.
• Make access to internships open and transparent, with financial support such as providing expenses or accommodation, and not treating the internship as a job that can be paid under National Minimum Wage law.
• Recruit fairly and without discrimination, using application forms that don't allow candidates to be screened out because they went to the wrong school or come from a different ethnic group.

Local Liberal Democrat Campaigner, Tad Jones said "I'm really glad to see so many companies are taking this seriously. Some of Nottingham's biggest employers have signed up to the scheme, including Experian and E.ON as well as other national companies and organisations. Thanks to this scheme, local people can be sure that they will be treated fairly when they apply for jobs and internships.

"There are some shocking statistics that show that professional jobs often go to those from wealthier backgrounds. Over half the people employed at the top level of many professions are from public schools, but only 7% of people are privately educated; and only a quarter of boys from working class families get professional or management jobs. It's important for the economy and society in general that we enable talented people from all backgrounds to reach their potential."

The full list of companies that have signed up to the compact are:

A4E
Accenture
ACCA
Addleshaw Goddard LLP
Adecco Group UK & Ireland
Airbus
Allen and Overy
Alliance Boots
Anchor Trust
Arriva
Asda
Ashurst LLP
Associated Newspapers
Association of Accounting Technicians
Atkins
Aviva plc
AXA
BAE Systems
Baker & McKenzie LLP
Bar Council
Barcelo Hotels UK
Barclays
Bauer Media Group
BP
BT Group
Cancer Research UK
Carillion
Centrica
Channel 4
Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD)
Citi
CMS Cameron McKenna LLP
Coca Cola Enterprises
Coca Cola Great Britain
Compass Group
Credit Suisse
Deutsche Bank
E.ON UK
Ernst & Young
Evening Press Corporation
Eversheds
Everything Everywhere (Orange/T-Mobile)
Experian
Fujitsu
G4S UK
GE
Greggs
GSK
Guardian News & Media
Hewlett Packard
Hilton Worldwide
Hogan Lovells
House of Fraser
HSBC
IBM
Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW)
Institute of Healthcare Management
Irwin Mitchell
Jaguar Landrover
J.P. Morgan
Jurys Inn Hotels
Kempt
KPMG
Legal Services Board
Liberal Democrats Headquarters
Loreal (UK)
Marks & Spencer
McDonalds
McGinley Support Services
Mears Group
Media Trust
Microsoft
MITIE Group PLC
Morrisons
Mothercare/Early Learning Centre
National Grid
Nationwide Building Society
Nestle UK & Ireland
NHS Employers
Norton Rose
O2
Pertemps
Public Relations Consultants Association (PRCA)
P&G
Prudential UK & Europe
PWC
Radio Independents Group
Red Consultancy
Research In Motion (Blackberry)
Royal Academy of Engineering
Royal Institute of British Architects
Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
RBS
RWE Npower
Sainsbury's
Santander UK
Serco
Shell
Siemens
Simmons & Simmons LLP
Sony
Starbucks
Tata Consultancy Services
Tata Global Beverages
Tata Steel
Teach First
Teleperformance
Tesco
The Co-operative Group
University Partnerships Programme (UPP)
Vodafone
Watershed PR
Wates Group
WPP