Latest News › PARN welcomes Government response to Fair Access final report

PARN welcomes the Government’s response to The Final Report from the Panel on Fair Access, published today on the BIS website, and which has prompted comment and debate across the media.*

The BIS response recognises the necessity of increasing access to the professions and removing barriers which stop people from achieving their aspirations. Rt Hon Pat McFadden MP stated, “We must do more to nurture, encourage and realise the potential or, on current trajectory, tomorrow’s professionals will be drawn almost entirely from the better-off 30% of families in this country. That is not fair, and it cannot be good enough.”

The acceptance of Recommendation 67 is particularly important to PARN, as it will mean further expansion and promotion of the Professional Recruitment Guide, developed for the former Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS).

The Government has also shown support for Recommendation 12 – the development of a ‘professions.com’ – which is significant for the TotalProfessions.com initiative that PARN is involved in through its joint venture. PARN will work with the Government through the Gateways to the Professions Collaborative Forum to show that there is support from the professions, through professional bodies, for a collaborative portal. While the expansion of websites such as Connexions Direct is constructive, the creation of a website specifically dedicated to the professions and the unique access to information that professional bodies can provide is a key step towards raising aspirations and meeting this key recommendation.

It is also encouraging that BIS has accepted several of the recommendations which recognise the importance of the professions and the role of professional bodies. In particular, Recommendation 74 which supports professional bodies and regulators in encouraging best practice in mid-career changes and career interchange routes.

PARN Research Project Leader Sarah Ellis, who directed the research behind the Professional Recruitment Guide, stated, “Overall I am delighted with the response to Unleashing Aspirations and I look forward to working with professional bodies and the Government to ensure that people with ability, creativity and talent can succeed.”

The Government response can be accessed via http://www.bis.gov.uk/unleashing-aspiration-response-published 

* BBC: http://tinyurl.com/yapqwxg

Guardian: http://tinyurl.com/yb5bqqu

Times: http://tinyurl.com/ydhrzyy

Posted on 18 Jan 2010