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Entries Open for UK Social Mobility Awards

Deadline: 25-Jun-21

Entries are now open for the UK Social Mobility Awards to promote social mobility throughout the country. The SOMOs will recognise & celebrate the achievements of businesses and organisations in their work of advancing social mobility.

The UK Social Mobility Awards were the first national awards event dedicated to social mobility. Winning an award not only profiles your organisation as a leader in social mobility, but it also raises the spirits of your team as their winning work is celebrated and helps in the recruitment of the best talent.

Categories

  • Individual Categories
    • Champion of The Year: Tackling social mobility takes vision, commitment and leadership. This award celebrates a senior leader who has had the imagination to “think big”. By embedding and promoting initiatives that address social mobility across their organisation, to being a proud advocate for change, this is a leader making change happen by being a visible, pioneering voice to improve the life chances of those people who really need the help.
    • Mentor of The Year: Who would be a mentor and take someone under their wing and help them navigate the challenges that come with building a career? From inspiring young people to dream big, to simply providing a calm word at the right time, this award celebrates those who provide wisdom, advice and support to help the development of those within their organisation, or without, from a less-advantaged background.
    • Rising Star: Some people stand out, even if they are still early on in their career. They are natural leaders, who have a vision of the world they want to see and the drive and determination to turn their vision into reality. They make a positive impression on those around them, displaying exceptional qualities that inspire others to follow their lead. This award recognises those who are still in the early stages of their career (30 years or under) who have already made a significant contribution to advancing the cause of social mobility.
  • Organisational Categories
    • Organisation of The Year: Business is tough. Dealing with customers, stakeholders and staff can consume a lot of time and energy. Yet the best companies focus on their people, look to the future and realise that a commitment to social mobility is a business imperative that sets them apart. This award therefore celebrates those firms making an outstanding commitment to social mobility issues. From an open-minded recruitment process, through innovative development and progression initiatives, to broader community activities and overall advocacy of social mobility issues, this company makes it its business to make a tangible difference to the life chances of others.
    • Innovation: Good ideas can change the world. The challenge of delivering social mobility requires organisations to think differently about the work they do with their colleagues, communities and wider society. But where there is challenge, there is also opportunity. Organisations who grasp this opportunity are those who realise that the old ways do not work. They find new ways to think, act and influence, inspiring others along the way. This award recognises an organisation that is leading the way in supporting social mobility in new and innovative ways.
    • Leadership of The Year: How do they make sure that the promise of social mobility cannot be ignored? What they do beyond their organisation matters. They need to speak up for social mobility. That requires them to reach new audiences and meet new stakeholders. It requires them to make new friends, build new alliances and demonstrate the benefits of tackling social mobility in society. This award recognises those companies who have taken their commitment to social mobility to new places in unexpected ways, affecting systemic change along the way.
    • Recruitment Programme of The Year: It is time to help others take their first step on the ladder. This award celebrates the organisations that are leading the way in recruitment practices and programmes that tackle social mobility issues head on. From sourcing prospective employees from unexpected places, to figuring out how best to support them as they begin their careers, these are the firms leading the way in recruitment that supports social mobility.
    • Progression Programme of The Year: How high can you go? It is not just about recruitment, or the first step on the ladder. It is about helping those without the support networks to climb as high as their talent will take them. This award celebrates the organisations that have demonstrated a commitment to pushing talent onwards and upwards, to become the leaders of tomorrow.
    • Community Programme of The Year: They cannot do this alone. Tackling social mobility is a team effort. This award celebrates the programmes organisations are running that make a tangible difference to the communities. These organisations are raising young people’s aspirations, developing their skills and business awareness, and are helping them understand their future education and employment opportunities – bridging the gap between the classroom and the boardroom. In short, these companies are helping young people to be more prepared for the world of work and more successful within it, through initiatives that are making a real difference to the employment and life chances of those that need the most help in the communities.
    • School/College of The Year: Primary school is a vital starting ground for all children, but the education a child receives between 11 and 18 needs to set them up with the skills and qualifications they need to go out into the world.
    • University of The Year: A university is more than a seat of higher learning. It is often the first place where a person meets an array of people different from themselves and develops the confidence and the knowledge to pursue the career of their choosing. Graduates are less likely to be unemployed, more likely to be employed and likely to earn more than their non-graduate peers, so the role university can play in advancing social mobility is significant.
    • Small Business of The Year: Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) make a huge contribution to the UK economy and have been described as its beating heart. They also have a big role to play in advancing social mobility, This category is for those businesses, who employ up to 50 employees, who take their role in promoting social mobility seriously. Whether it’s embedding social mobility in their recruitment process, raising aspirations in their local community or coming up with innovative ways to further the cause.

Benefits

By entering this year’s awards you will:

  • Highlight and showcase your team’s achievements and how you have improved social mobility
  • Get your entry seen and assessed by a panel of quality judges
  • Benchmark your achievements with others all over the country
  • Get invaluable media exposure
  • Boost morale by doing something so outstanding that it needs to be celebrated
  • Help spread social mobility best practice across the UK
  • Be a leader in social mobility and receive recognition from your peers

Eligibility Criteria

  • This awards programme is only open to UK-based private sector and public sector organisations, universities, and schools that have at least 50 employees, with the exception of the Small Business of the Year category which is open to organisations who employ up to 50 employees.
  • The UK Social Mobility Awards is an event for organisations. The individual categories are for individuals nominated by their eligible organisation.

For more information, visit https://www.somo.uk/