Social Mobility Business Partnership

The Social Mobility Business Partnership (SMBP) is an award winning charity which unites circa 600 volunteers from over 130 organisations across the UK to address issues related to low income and employment prospects. It does this through the coordination of multiple businesses who join together to provide work experience opportunities and follow up online career coaching (from conclusion of the programme to retirement) for young people from low-income backgrounds.

SMBP recruits groups of up to 30 Year 12 students from different schools to form a cluster. The students spend a day at each of four different businesses and a day at a professional sports club (a “SMBP Week”). SMBP Weeks are designed using the SMBP Competency Framework as a guide and partners are encouraged to make their days as interactive as possible; students are not merely brought in to watch other people working, rather they are set realistic tasks and challenges and also participate in workshops to develop their employability skills and build an evidence base for their competencies. These include written and oral communication, team working, problem solving, influencing, resilience, negotiation and networking skills.
In 2020 The Social Mobility Business Partnership will run SMBP Work Insight and Skills weeks in 15 towns and cities across the UK; Belfast, Birmingham, Blackpool, Bradford, Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Dorset, Glasgow, London, Leeds, Manchester & Oldham, Norwich, Reading and South Yorkshire.