London—Dentons is pleased to announce that it has been recognised as one of the top-50 employers for social mobility in the UK, according to the Social Mobility Employer Index 2018.

The Social Mobility Employer Index was created by the Social Mobility Foundation and is published in partnership with the City of London Corporation. It ranks the UK’s employers on the actions they are taking to ensure they are open to accessing and progressing talent from all backgrounds. The top 50 UK employers are recognised for having taken considerable action to improve social mobility in the workplace.

Jeremy Cohen, CEO for Dentons in the UK and Middle East, said, "Creating a diverse and inclusive workplace is a priority for us at Dentons. Over the last year we have undertaken a number of initiatives to support this, including welcoming our first cohort of solicitor apprentices through our solicitor apprenticeship programme, which offers school leavers an alternative route to becoming qualified solicitors. We have also continued our relationship with the Social Mobility Business Partnership to provide work experience and skills sessions that support students from low-income backgrounds in their pursuit of a career. We are delighted to be recognised for our efforts to help everyone, regardless of background, to succeed."

"We can really see organisations taking a whole host of actions to try and ensure that they have a diverse workforce in terms of socio-economic background as well as in terms of gender and race," said David Johnston, Chief Executive of the Social Mobility Foundation. "They in turn are benefitting from accessing a much wider talent pool than they have traditionally recruited from."

The Rt Hon Alan Milburn, former Chair of the Social Mobility Commission, added, "There is a mood for change in the nation. As the Index shows, social mobility is becoming a cause for more and more of our country's top employers. It is welcome that they are stepping up to the plate. They are making these changes both because they see the social need to do so and because they recognise the business benefit that greater diversity can bring.”

The Social Mobility Employer Index was developed in consultation with, and following feedback from social mobility experts and major employers. It is a voluntary and free of charge survey that assesses employers across seven areas, including the work they do with young people, their recruitment and selection processes and how people from lower income backgrounds progress within their organisations.

About Dentons

Across over 80 countries, Dentons helps you grow, protect, operate and finance your organization by providing uniquely global and deeply local legal solutions. Polycentric, purpose-driven and committed to inclusion, diversity, equity and sustainability, we focus on what matters most to you. www.dentons.com