Launching the government’s new social mobility strategy, Clegg said the Civil Service would lead by example by expanding its internships programme and scrapping informal placements so that "parents with connections can no longer give their children an advantage".
From 2012, all government departments will advertise their internship schemes on a central website and there will be a transparent recruitment process for all placements. Outreach work will be undertaken to promote internships to under-represented groups.
Clegg urged businesses to follow government’s lead and called on employers to commit to reforming internship schemes by signing up to a new social mobility agreement.
He argued that opening up internships to young people from all backgrounds is in the interests of the country, citing a report by the Sutton Trust which estimates the economic benefits of improving social mobility could be worth £140bn a year by 2050.
"In Britain today, life chances are narrowed for too many by the circumstances of their birth: the home they’re born into, the neighbourhood they grow up in or the jobs their parents do," he said.
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