Gateways to the professions
The Government's Gateways to the Professions initiative was set up to tackle the full range of issues and barriers faced by talented students from low income families seeking to enter the professions through higher education
The Gateways to the Professions Initiative was set up in response to the Langlands report in 2005, which examined the potential impact of variable fees on entry to the professions. Sir Alan Langlands’ report and the Government’s response are available to download here:
The report identified a number of barriers to access to the professions. To address these the Government made funding available through the Gateways to the Professions Development Fund, aimed at improving access to graduate jobs in the professions for people from a wider range of backgrounds. Over the two years 2006-2008, £4million was provided for 24 projects. Details of the projects can be found in the following document:
Professions Collaborative Forum
After the funding period ended, the Gateways to the Professions Collaborative Forum, with members drawn from 27 professional organisations, was established to carry the work forward. The forum encouraged joint working between professional bodies, Sector Skills Councils and higher education institutions and also monitored progress against the Langlands recommendations. The Gateways to the Professions Forum worked closely with the Panel on Fair Access to the Professions, chaired by Alan Milburn, during the preparation of their report in 2009:
The Panel recognised that carrying out its recommendations would “…require close cooperation between Government and the professions” and that “A mechanism for continued dialogue between government and the professions is needed to ensure implementation.” It recommended that ‘The Government and the professions should agree to continue the Gateways to the Professions Collaborative Forum in the form of a UK Professional Forum. The new Forum should be chaired at ministerial level and should comprise senior representatives from a diverse range of professions.
The Forum was re-launched in January 2010, with an expanded membership of around 60 professional bodies and related organisations. Its Terms of Reference and Membership are detailed below:
It is led by an Executive Group chaired by David Willetts, Minister for Universities and Science. Its work is currently focussed on the following key areas:
- Identifying and expanding the routes into the professions, particularly non-university routes.
- Internships and work opportunities – to maintain opportunities whilst avoiding exploitation – including the Forum’s voluntary Code of Best Practice for High-Quality Internships.
- Improving information, advice and guidance on careers in the professions.
- Broadening the criteria for acceptance into university courses feeding into key professions – for example by using aptitude tests as well as examination grades.
- Establishment of a limited set of core indicators by which the professions can measure their progress.
- Completion of work already underway on the development of a social mobility toolkit for regulators and professional bodies and on-line hosting of information on professional careers by the professions.
The work of the Forum will contribute to the coalition Government’s social mobility strategy being developed by the Ministerial Group on Social Mobility, chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister.
Best Practice Code for High-Quality Internships
Published on 18 July 2011, this voluntary Best Practice Code for High-Quality Internships (PDF, 573 Kb) has been developed by the Gateways to the Professions Collaborative Forum.
The Code will provide guidance to professions offering internships on best practice for the design and running of internships, and will help to ensure that both interns and employers obtain the maximum benefit from such placements. The Code sets out six principles of best practice for internships: preparation; recruitment, induction; supervision and mentoring; certification, reference and feedback.
